VISAS · ENGLISH
Sworn translation for visas: what the US, Canada, and the UK require
Visa applications for English-speaking countries often require documents issued in Portuguese to also be presented in English, through a sworn translation — not a simple translation or one done by the applicant themselves.
Commonly required documents
- Birth and marriage certificates
- Proof of employment and financial statements
- Diplomas and academic transcripts, for study visas
- Criminal record certificate
- Contracts and corporate documents, for work or investor visas
Differences between countries
Although the sworn translation requirement is common to all three countries, each consulate and each visa type may have specific rules about which documents need to be translated and in what format they should be submitted (physical, digital, or both). Always check the list of documents required by the consulate or visa platform before sending anything for translation.
A common mistake
A frequent mistake is translating only part of the documents, or leaving the translation until the last minute — which can significantly delay scheduling an interview or submitting the application. Gathering all documents and sending them at once, with some margin on the deadline, avoids this problem.
If you're organizing documents for a visa application to an English-speaking country, I can translate them with a turnaround agreed according to how urgent your case is.