NAATI certified translation services

The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) is the national standards and certification body for translators in Australia. Its role is to set and maintain national standards so that there is a pool of certified practitioners responsive to the changing needs and demography of the Australian community. Its core work is issuing credentials, known as certifications (formerly accreditations), to professionals who translate in Australia.

A translation completed by a translator certified by NAATI for that language pair and direction, carrying their official stamp and certification number. The stamp confirms the translation is true, accurate and in conformity with the original document; in some cases a signed statement of accuracy and completeness is included. That credential is what Australian government departments, courts, registries and universities require when they ask for a certified translation.

A NAATI certified translator must be fluent in one or more foreign languages and demonstrate mastery of the target language. To prove it they sit and pass a NAATI certification test, and once certified they must keep meeting ongoing professional development requirements. For this reason nearly all government departments and official bodies only accept translations completed by NAATI certified translators. LEXIGO's translators for personal documents are experienced migration and legal translators who handle hundreds of certified documents each month.

In Australia, documents not written in English must be accompanied by a NAATI certified translation for certain administrative procedures, or to guarantee access to certain rights and services. That includes birth, marriage and school certificates and legal contracts, as well as export-related documents like user guides, certificates of origin and dangerous goods certificates. The Department of Home Affairs, the courts and customs will all require a certified translation before you can conduct official business with a non-English document. NAATI is the sole body in Australia that certifies translators for this purpose.

Australia has high-volume and low-volume languages, defined by the size and demand of their communities. For new and emerging language communities, NAATI certification testing may not yet exist. In those cases NAATI 'recognises' the language and grants practitioners NAATI recognition rather than formal certification. Both NAATI certified and NAATI recognised translations are accepted for official use by Australian government departments. If certification is not available for your language, LEXIGO will supply a NAATI recognised translation and tell you so.

It depends on the service level you choose. NAATI Essential is 3 to 5 business days with electronic delivery only. NAATI Economy is 1 to 3 business days and includes two hard copies by regular post. NAATI Express is 1 to 48 business hours and also includes two hard copies. Most standard personal documents, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates and driver's licences, are completed well inside these windows. Turnaround does not include postage time for hard copies.

An extract translation captures the essential information in your document: names, dates and key details. It suits most personal documents and certificates such as birth certificates, marriage certificates and driver's licences, and it is the most common and cost-effective option for immigration, visa and government applications. A full translation is a complete, word-for-word translation of the entire document including all text, annotations and formatting, and is usually required for more complex documents such as legal contracts, court orders or multi-page academic transcripts. Both are completed by NAATI certified translators and carry the official stamp.

You don't need to send originals. Take a clear photo with your phone or scan the document and submit it online. We accept PDF, JPEG and PNG. For best results make sure the whole document is visible, the text is legible and the image is well lit without glare or shadows. You keep the original throughout, which matters when it is a certificate that would be difficult or expensive to replace.

Securely online by credit card. We accept all major cards including Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Payment is processed in a secure, ISO 27001 certified environment with SSL AES-256 encryption.

All of it. We provide NAATI certified translation Australia-wide, covering every major city and regional area, including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin and Hobart. Electronic copies are delivered by secure link anywhere. Hard copies, where your service level includes them, are posted to any Australian address by Australia Post, with Express Post and courier options available.

All of them. LEXIGO's NAATI certified translations are accepted by every Australian government department and authority, including the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Passport Office, DFAT, Centrelink and Services Australia, the ATO, Medicare, Australian courts and tribunals, universities and educational institutions, VEVO, and state transport authorities such as VicRoads, Transport for NSW and TMR. We guarantee acceptance or your money back. One exception to note: a driver's licence translated to apply for a NSW driver's licence must be done through Transport for NSW, and LEXIGO cannot translate for that specific purpose. For driving in NSW as an international visitor, or for any purpose in any other state, we can, and acceptance is guaranteed.

Yes, guaranteed. Your translation will be accepted by all Australian government departments and bodies. LEXIGO provides NAATI certified translation not only for individuals but for Australian government departments themselves. Every translation is completed by a professionally certified NAATI translator and carries the official stamp. If a department does not accept it, we refund you in full.

You receive a full refund if an Australian government department requires a NAATI certified translation, LEXIGO translates your document, and the translation is not accepted. In that unlikely event we first speak directly to the department to understand why, and make any amendments needed. If it is still not accepted after that, we refund your purchase in full.

Yes. Australia Post acts on behalf of the government to process certain applications, such as passports for the Australian Passport Office. Its role is to receive and forward applications, not to assess the validity of accompanying documents such as NAATI certified translations. Your application and everything with it is assessed by the relevant government authority, which accepts LEXIGO's translations.

Yes. A certified translation doesn't expire and can be used across multiple applications and purposes, including visas, enrolment, banking and government services. Keep the digital copy.

From $69.90 per document plus GST for NAATI Essential, $79.90 for NAATI Economy and $89.90 for NAATI Express. Most standard certificates, such as birth, marriage and academic documents, are at these rates. Longer or multi-page documents, and a small number of rarer languages, are quoted individually before any work starts.

We keep finding ways to save time and cost through our own technology and pass those savings on. Unlike traditional agencies, we deliver certified translations faster and at scale by removing the manual steps you would normally pay a premium for. The same technology trusted by more than 50 government departments is now available for personal documents at prices built for individuals.

About 90% of the languages we offer are at the standard rates on this page, but some rarer languages attract higher fees. A language may have very few NAATI certified translators and high demand, or a higher share of translators certified at the Advanced level, which sits above the standard Professional level and costs more. If your language attracts a different rate, we tell you when you submit your document for a quote.