What is the TRA assessment?
Trades Recognition Australia, an agency of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, assesses overseas trade qualifications and work experience against Australian trade standards. A successful TRA outcome is required before lodging a subclass 189, 190, 491, 482 or 186 visa nominating a TRA-listed trade occupation such as electrician, motor mechanic, carpenter, cook, baker, hairdresser or welder. TRA administers the TSS Skills Assessment, Migration Skills Assessment, Job Ready Program and Offshore Skills Assessment Program.
Documents requiring certified translation
Every non-English document uploaded to the TRA online portal must be accompanied by a NAATI-certified English translation. For Spanish-speaking applicants this typically includes:
- Trade qualification or diploma (título técnico, certificado profesional).
- Training transcript or syllabus showing modules completed and hours of practical training.
- Apprenticeship completion record or registration with a trade body.
- Employment reference letters detailing dates, hours per week and trade tasks performed.
- Payslips, tax records or social security contribution histories.
- Trade licences (electrical, gas, refrigeration) issued by the home country regulator.
- Identity documents — passport bio page and national ID card.
Trade certificates and qualifications
Trade qualification parchments are translated in full — qualification title, issuing institution, conferral date, official seal and registrar's signature. Training transcripts and syllabi are reproduced module by module, showing subject names, hours of theoretical and practical training, marks and any specialisation. Apprenticeship completion records and home country trade licences (electrical, gas, refrigeration) are translated verbatim, preserving registration numbers, validity dates and the issuing regulator. TRA assessors compare these against the Australian training package for the nominated occupation, so accurate, literal translation of trade-specific terminology is essential.
Employment history and references
Employment reference letters must be on company letterhead and translated verbatim, including the signatory's name, position, contact details, exact dates of employment, position title, country, hours per week and a detailed list of trade-specific tasks performed. Payslips, tax records and social security contribution histories are translated in full to corroborate the periods and hours claimed. The NAATI translator translates only what appears in the original — additional detail cannot be added — so make sure the source documents fully describe your day-to-day duties before they are submitted for translation. Each translation carries the NAATI translator's stamp, certification statement, signature and date.
Related guides
See skills assessment translation overview, degree and diploma translation and employment letter translation.