Translating a police clearance certificate for Australian authorities
In short
A police clearance certificate lodged with an Australian authority must be accompanied by a translation whenever it is not entirely in English. Translations produced in Australia must come from a NAATI-certified translator; translations produced outside Australia must carry the translator's full name and contact details. The translation renders the entire document — heading, body, seal text, endorsements and marginal notes — and is lodged together with a copy of the original.
Who this applies to
- • Anyone lodging a Thai police clearance certificate with an Australian visa application.
- • Applicants for professional registration or a skills assessment whose assessing body requires a criminal-history check.
- • Applicants filing a police check issued in a third country that is not in English.
Documents to prepare
- • A full-colour scan of every page of the certificate, including any reverse side that carries printing.
- • The passport biographical data page, so the name spelling in the translation matches your other documents.
- • The receiving authority's translation instruction, where one was given to you in writing.
Step by step
1. Read the receiving authority's translation wording
Australian departments and assessing bodies publish their own translation requirement. Work backwards from that wording rather than from a general rule you read elsewhere.
2. Scan the certificate properly
Colour, high resolution, square to the page, with the seal, signature and document number legible. A shadowed or cropped scan produces an incomplete translation.
3. Confirm the passport spelling of every name
One transliteration is used consistently across the whole document set. Send the passport page with the scans so nothing is guessed.
4. Have the whole document translated and certified
Every element is rendered, including seal text and endorsements, and the translation is issued as a digitally signed PDF suitable for online lodgement.
5. Lodge the translation with a copy of the original
Most systems expect both files. Keep them together in the file format and size limit the receiving system specifies.
Points to watch
- • Translating only the printed body and omitting the text inside the seal.
- • Using a different transliteration of the same name across documents in one application.
- • Sending a low-resolution photograph in which the document number cannot be read.
- • Submitting the translation on its own when the system also requires a copy of the original.
- • Assuming a translation can correct an error in the original — only the issuing authority can do that.
Frequently asked questions
Must the translator be NAATI-certified?
For translations produced in Australia, yes. For translations produced outside Australia, the translator's full name and contact details must appear. A NAATI-certified translation is widely chosen either way because it removes doubt at assessment.
Is a digitally signed PDF accepted?
Australian authorities generally lodge documents online and accept a digitally signed PDF. Where a receiving body asks specifically for a printed and signed copy, tell us before work starts.
How long does the translation take?
A single certificate is usually quick, but the current turnaround depends on the queue and the document set. Confirm with our team by phone, LINE or email before you commit to a deadline.
How much does it cost?
Quoted from the actual document set, language pair and turnaround. Send the scans by phone, LINE or email and our staff will quote before any work starts.
Does the translation also need consular legalisation?
For most Australian authorities, no. Legalisation by the Department of Consular Affairs becomes relevant when another country's authority receives the document or when the authority states it explicitly.
Related pages
Official source
Content last reviewed: August 2026