Passport translation in Australia — NAATI certified
NAATI-certified translation for Australian visa applications and official use.
Why May Your Passport Need Certified Translation?
Australian government agencies, including the Department of Home Affairs, generally require certified English translations for any document not originally in English. This applies to most visa, citizenship and official applications where supporting documents are submitted.
A NAATI-certified translation is produced by a translator credentialed by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters and, in most cases, meets the standard required by Australian authorities for official use.
When Might You Need a Certified Passport Translation?
- Visa applications
- Identity verification for official applications
- Banking and professional registration
Requirements vary. Check the relevant authority's requirements before submitting.
What a passport is being used to prove
A passport translation is an identity exercise rather than a civil-status one. What matters is the biodata page: the machine-readable zone, the exact transliteration of names, the document number, and the issuing state. It is requested where an agency needs a readable record of identity from a non-Latin script document, or where visas, entry stamps and endorsements inside the passport are themselves the evidence — for example a travel history that supports a residence claim or a previous visa grant.
Details carried across in a passport translation
- Surname and given names exactly as printed, plus the machine-readable zone transliteration where it differs
- Passport number, type, issuing country code and issuing authority
- Date of birth, place of birth, sex and nationality as printed
- Date of issue and date of expiry
- Visa labels, residence permits and entry or exit stamps where the pages are included
- Endorsement or observation pages, including any note about a former name
How passport formats vary between issuers
Passports arrive as a photo of the biodata page, a full-book scan, or a selection of stamped pages. Biodata pages are laminated and highly reflective, and stamps are often overlapping, faded, angled or partly cut by the page edge. Older passports include handwritten amendments and glued-in extension labels; some countries print an observations page in the local script only, which is exactly the part an Australian reader cannot interpret.
What commonly goes wrong with a passport
- Camera flash whites out the middle of the laminated biodata page
- The machine-readable zone at the foot of the page is cropped, removing the official transliteration
- Only the biodata page is uploaded when the requirement was actually about entry stamps or a prior visa
- Overlapping immigration stamps from several countries make dates and border posts unreadable
- The observations page recording a former name is missed entirely, breaking the link to older documents
Check before you upload your passport
- Scan flat without flash; use even, indirect light on the laminated page
- Include the two machine-readable lines at the bottom of the biodata page
- Decide whether you need only the biodata page or also stamped and visa pages, and upload accordingly
- Include the observations or endorsements page if it records a former name or amendment
- Check that the page numbers are visible so a multi-page set can be ordered logically
Where this translation is submitted
- Providing a readable identity record where the passport is in a non-Latin script
- Evidencing travel history and periods outside Australia from entry and exit stamps
- Showing a previous Australian or third-country visa grant recorded inside the passport
- Verifying identity for a bank, university or professional registration body
- Linking a former name recorded on an observations page to older civil documents
Timing and sequencing
Passport work is priced per page, so the cost depends entirely on how many pages you actually need. Most applicants need only the biodata page at $59; a travel-history set can run to several pages. Decide the page selection before you order rather than after, and upload them in one submission. Express delivery is under 24 hours and there is no quote wait — the price per page is fixed at the point of ordering.
What Does a NAATI-Certified Translation Include?
- Full translation of all text on the document
- Translator's NAATI certification number
- Translator's full name and contact details
- Translator's signed statement of accuracy
- Date of translation
- Trans Lingo company stamp and letterhead
How to Get Your Passport Translated
- Step 1
Upload
Upload your Passport securely at translingo.com.au/upload.
- Step 2
Pay
Pay online from $59 per page.
- Step 3
Track
Track your translation in your Trans Lingo account.
- Step 4
Download
Download your completed NAATI-certified translation.
Most translations are completed within 24 hours of payment.
Pricing
From $59 per page. The total cost depends on the number of pages in your document. For a Passport, this is usually 2–3 pages.
Delivery times are estimates. Most translations are completed within 24 hours of payment. Complex documents may take longer. Trans Lingo will notify you if your translation requires additional time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Visa Guides
Visitor Visa Subclass 600
Visitor Visas
Student Visa Subclass 500
Student Visas
Partner Visa Subclass 820
Partner Visas
Related Document Translations
Bank Statement Translation
NAATI-certified, from $59 per page.
Employment Letter Translation
NAATI-certified, from $59 per page.
Birth Certificate Translation
NAATI-certified, from $59 per page.
Related Checklists
Visitor Visas — Document Checklist
Documents commonly translated for this category.
Student Visas — Document Checklist
Documents commonly translated for this category.
Ready to translate your Passport?
NAATI Certified · From $59 · 24-hour delivery
Need translations for the rest of your application?
Browse certified translation guides for every Australian visa category and document type.