The Free Translating Service is provided for people settling permanently in Australia. It aims to support participation in employment, education and community engagement. Personal documents are often required to access government services and programs. Offering free document translations makes this process easier for new migrants.
If you are eligible for the Free Translating Service, you can have up to 10 personal documents translated.
TIS National delivers the Free Translating Service on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs. Prior to 1 July 2025, the Free Translating Service was delivered by The Migration Translators.
How does the service work
By creating a Free Translating Service account, applications for eligible visa holders can be submitted in the self-service portal.
Account holders can submit and download the translated documents for themselves, or on behalf of someone else. Document allowances cannot be shared with anyone. More information about registering an account, and submitting applications is available on the Before you apply page.
Accounts for the Free Translation Service are valid for a maximum of 2 years, and documents can be downloaded multiple times with this period.
For applications submitted before 1 July 2025, you will need to contact The Migrations Translators to request a copy of your translated document.
Application time frames
Within 30 calendar days following the application's approval, the complete translation will be available to download in the Free Translating Service portal. TIS may get in touch with you to request additional information if necessary, which may cause a delay.
There is no priority or rush option available. The actual processing time might be less than 30 calendar days. Please factor this timeline in when submitting your application.
Once you have lodged your application, you will be able to view the status by logging in to your account.
Who translates the documents
TIS National have a panel of professional translators who will complete the document translations within the portal. Where available, TIS translators hold credentials from the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).
If we do not have a translator on the TIS panel who is available in the language required, TIS may need to access a translator from an external language service provider.
In rare cases, we might contact the applicant to inform there are no translators available and we cannot complete the request. If this occurs, we cannot reimburse for any costs if you proceed with a different translation provider.
What translated documents look like
Most translations are provided back to you in an extract summary format of up to 100 words. This will be suitable for the majority of official purposes in Australia.
Some document types will be longer translation extract summaries. For example, medical documents or academic transcripts.
If you can supply reasonable evidence that you need a full translation of a certain document, then you can contact TIS National to request this. Reasonable evidence could include an email, a letter, or a link to the official website of an authority/institution (e.g. an education provider or a skills assessment provider) stating that a word-for-word translation is required.
If a full translation is provided, then the first five pages will count as one document, the next five as the second document, and so on.
Information security
TIS National provides a secure platform that meets government standards. Free Translating Service accounts require an email and mobile phone number to be verified for access. A range of security and privacy measures are in place to protect your information. More information is available in our Security notice.
