Visa eligibility checker

Visa eligibility

Visa requirements

Holders of eligible visas are generally allowed to access the Free Translating Service. Your visa must be granted in the past 2 years, and still valid (not cancelled or expired).

The visa subclasses that are eligible are:

100, 101, 102, 103,  114, 115, 116, 117, 143, 151, 186, 187, 189, 190, 192, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 300, 309, 403, 405, 410, 445, 449, 476, 482, 485, 491, 494, 785, 786, 790, 800, 801, 802, 804, 808, 820, 835, 836, 837, 838, 851, 852, 858, 864, 866, 887, 888, 890, 891, 892, 893

Please be aware that the list of eligible visa subclasses is subject to change without notice. If your visa subclass was previously eligible but is no longer listed, you cannot request document translations.

In addition, you must meet the following conditions:

• You need to be onshore (in Australia) to access the service.
• You have received less than the limit of 10 translated documents.
• You have not used the service previously whilst on another visa granted more than 2 years ago.

Only the visa subclasses that are listed are eligible for the Free Translating Service.

Tourist visa holders and working holiday visa holders are not eligible for the Free Translating Service. Australian citizens are also not eligible for this service.

Some visa subclasses may have additional eligibility requirements, details of which will be verified during the application process.

Checking your visa details 

Your visa grant notice was issued to you, or to someone acting on your behalf by the Department of Home Affairs. Your visa grant notice includes the details you need to confirm your eligibility:

• Your visa subclass number
• Your visa grant number
• The date your visa was granted.

You can check your visa status and your entitlements by using the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) system.

What to do if you are not eligible

If you are not eligible for the Free Translating Service, you will need to seek document translations from another provider. We recommend visiting the NAATI directory to engage a NAATI certified translator, or an endorsed language service provider. 

We recommend that you confirm any specific translation requirements with the institution requesting your documents before engaging a translator.

If you have questions about your eligibility, please submit an enquiry using the option Free Translating Service in our contact form. 

Document eligibility

Only personal documents that assist with employment, education, and community engagement are accepted for translation from the original language into English.

Personal documents must name you, belong to you, and be primarily about you. The personal documents must be issued by an official authority.

Document translations required for visa or citizenship applications, and documents issued by private citizens, are not eligible.

Translator affidavits for family court or other legal purposes are not available through the Free Translating Service.

Eligible personal documents

When submitting a request in the Free Translating Service portal, you must select the document type that best matches your document. Some document type categories may cover multiple documents.

• Academic transcript (must include subject name and mark awarded; exclude general comments; university syllabi are not accepted)
• Birth record
• Business document (including business registration forms)
• Change of name record
• Civil partnership record
• Custody record
• Death record (for example, a death certificate of an immediate family member such as parent, spouse, or child)
• Divorce record (or dissolution of civil partnership documents)
• Driver or motorcycle licence (international driving permits are not accepted and driver certificates/confirmations can be submitted as supporting documents only)
• Education record (or education certificates)
• Employment evidence (including employment certificates, employment references, letters of appointment/employment contracts, pay slips)
• Family record (including family register books, household registration documents)
• Identity document (including national identity cards)
• Immunisation record (including vaccination records or immunisation certificates; exclude generic information such as why you should vaccinate your child or information about the government vaccination programme and general description of the vaccine)
• Marriage record
• Medical record (if ongoing treatment is required in Australia)
• Occupational licence (including professional or trade certificates, performance assessments, qualification attainment)
• Police clearance / penal certificate (or good conduct certificates)
• Religious record

If you have a personal document type that is not listed, but that you can demonstrate will help you participate in employment, education or community, you may be able to have that document translated. If you are unsure, please submit an enquiry using the option Free Translating Service in our contact form. 

Document validity

We can only translate original documents. We cannot accept certified copies of documents.

If your name has changed since your passport or ImmiCard was issued, you must provide evidence of your name change in English. If this evidence is not in English, you can include it with the documents you want translated.

As outlined in the Free Translating Service Terms and Conditions you must provide documents that confirm your identity, and the information you provide must be true and correct for translation requests to be accepted. Any fraudulent, forged, or edited documents received will be reported.

Translations for NSW drivers licence applications

If you are applying for an Australian driver licence in New South Wales (NSW), you need to have your foreign-language licence translated by either the Free Translating Service or Multicultural NSW Language Services.

If you are not eligible for the Free Translating Service, you can Contact Multicultural NSW or visit a Service NSW Centre.