HM Passport Office Translation Requirements for Birth Certificates

HM Passport Office requirements for birth certificate translation are short, but every one of them is checked. If your birth certificate is in any language other than English or Welsh, it must come with a certified English translation — and that translation has to meet each requirement before the Passport Office can use it.

This article goes through every requirement in plain words, so your translation is right before it goes in the post.

In short: HM Passport Office requires a certified translation of the full birth certificate, made by a registered, independent translator. It must state that it is accurate and show the date, the translator’s name, signature and contact details. You send it with the original certificate. No notary or apostille is needed.

When HM Passport Office Requires a Birth Certificate Translation

The translation requirements apply whenever a birth certificate in your passport application is not in English or Welsh.

That usually means:

• A first passport for a child whose birth was registered abroad
• A first adult passport where your own birth was registered outside the UK
• Any application where the Passport Office asks for your birth certificate as extra evidence

If your certificate is already in English or Welsh, no translation is needed.

HMPO Certification Requirements for a Birth Certificate Translation

A plain translation is not enough for HM Passport Office. It must be certified — meaning the translator signs to confirm it is correct.

The certified translation must show:

• A statement of accuracy — confirming it is a true and accurate translation of the original document
• The date the translation was made
• The translator’s full name
• The translator’s signature
• Contact details for the translator or the translation company

These details let the Passport Office check the translation if it needs to. Without them, it cannot be relied on.

All of these come as standard with our certified birth certificate translation for a UK passport, printed on a signed certification page.

HMPO Requirements for Who Translates Your Birth Certificate

HM Passport Office is specific about who can produce the translation, as well as what it says.

• Registered — the translator should be registered with an official translation organisation or trade body, or work for a recognised translation company
• Independent — it cannot be you, even if you speak both languages
• Not family — a husband, wife, parent or relative cannot do it, even if they are a qualified translator
• Not a machine — an online translation tool has no translator to sign it

The translator does not have to be in the UK, as long as every requirement is met. There is more detail on who can translate a birth certificate for a UK application.

The Complete Translation Requirement for Birth Certificates

HM Passport Office requires the whole birth certificate to be translated, not just the main details.

• Every printed field and box
• Official stamps and seals
• Handwritten notes and corrections
• Anything written or stamped on the back
• Any page attached to the certificate, such as an apostille

A translation that gives only the names and dates, or quietly leaves out a stamp, does not meet the requirement — even if every word it does include is right.

👉 Already have a translation? Send us a copy and we will check it against every requirement on this page before you post it.

HMPO Requirements for Sending Your Birth Certificate and Translation

For a passport, the Passport Office works from original documents sent by post.

• Send the original birth certificate — not a photocopy, a scan or a print of a PDF
• Send the signed translation — the paper copy, not just the emailed file
• Send them together — in the same envelope as your other supporting documents
• Use tracked delivery — these are papers that are hard to replace

The Passport Office returns your original documents once it has checked them. Keep the PDF of the translation for your own records.

Which Birth Certificate HM Passport Office Requires

For a first passport, HM Passport Office requires the full birth certificate — the version that names both parents. A short extract showing only the child’s name, date and place of birth is not enough, because it does not show who the parents are.

The full version has its own name in each country, for example:

• France — Copie intégrale d’acte de naissance
• Portugal and Brazil — Certidão de Nascimento de inteiro teor
• Poland — Odpis zupełny aktu urodzenia
• Spain — Certificado Literal de Nacimiento

Always translate the full version. If your child was born in Spain, there is a step-by-step walk-through of a Spanish birth certificate for a first British passport.

Other Papers HMPO May Need With Your Birth Certificate Translation

For a first passport, the birth certificate shows who your parents are. The Passport Office may also want papers that show how British nationality passes from them to you — and these often come from the same country as the birth certificate.

• A parent’s birth or naturalisation certificate — when your British nationality comes through that parent
• Your parents’ marriage certificate — often needed when nationality passes through the father

If either of these is not in English or Welsh, it needs a certified translation that meets exactly the same requirements as the birth certificate, sent with its own original.

Name Requirements on a Translated Birth Certificate

HM Passport Office compares the names on your translated birth certificate with the names on your application.

• Names are copied exactly as they appear on the certificate — a translation cannot change them
• Special letters are kept — accents and letters such as ñ, ç or ł stay as written
• Names from other scripts are written in English letters, following the spelling on your form
• A different name today — such as a married name — needs the linking document too

If the names do not match, the Passport Office will ask why before it goes any further.

What HMPO Does Not Require in a Birth Certificate Translation

Some extras are often added to birth certificate translations that HM Passport Office does not ask for.

• Notarisation — not required. A certified translation is what the Passport Office accepts
• An apostille — not required for documents sent to the Passport Office
• Letterhead or a company stamp — common and useful, but not one of the listed requirements

A notarised translation is meant for foreign offices that ask for one. For a British passport, it adds cost without adding anything the Passport Office checks.

Birth Certificate Translation Requirements for Passport Renewals

The requirements are the same for a renewal as for a first passport. What changes is whether a birth certificate is needed at all.

• Most renewals — no birth certificate is needed, so no translation is needed
• If the Passport Office asks for it — the same requirements apply as for a first passport
• Using a translation again — a certified translation does not expire, so one you already have can be sent again with the original certificate

When a Birth Certificate Translation Fails HMPO Requirements

When the Passport Office sends a translation back, it is usually because one requirement was missed:

• ❌ No statement of accuracy on the page
• ❌ No date, signature or contact details
• ❌ Parts left out — a stamp, a note or the back of the certificate
• ❌ The short certificate translated instead of the full one
• ❌ A photocopy sent instead of the original
• ❌ A name that does not match the application
• ❌ Translated by the applicant or a relative

Each of these can be fixed, but each one costs time. Checking against the requirements before you post is much quicker than waiting for a letter.

Have HMPO Requirements for Birth Certificate Translation Changed?

No. HM Passport Office requirements for birth certificate translation have stayed the same.

What has changed is travel. From 25 February 2026, British dual nationals need a valid British passport or a certificate of entitlement to travel to the UK. That has made first passport applications more urgent for many families — and getting the translation right first time more important. Always check GOV.UK for the latest details.

HMPO Requirements Checklist for Your Birth Certificate Translation

• ✅ The translation is certified, with a statement of accuracy
• ✅ It shows the date, the translator’s full name, signature and contact details
• ✅ The translator is registered and independent — not you or a relative
• ✅ It covers the whole certificate, including stamps and the back
• ✅ It is a translation of the full birth certificate, naming both parents
• ✅ The names match your passport application
• ✅ Any parents’ documents in the file are translated to the same requirements
• ✅ The original certificate and signed translation go in the same envelope

If every box is ticked, your birth certificate translation meets HM Passport Office requirements.

Our certified birth certificate translation specialists prepare every passport translation against this exact checklist. 👉 Send us your certificate and get a fixed price from £25, the same working day.