Certified copy vs certified translation — what's the difference, and do I need both?
A certified copy attests that a copy matches the original; a certified translation attests that the translation is accurate. Some agencies ask for both together.
In-depth Answer
Confusing the two costs applicants real time.
A certified copy is a qualified person's statement that they saw the original and the copy matches it.
A certified translation concerns the accuracy and completeness of the language transfer, attested by the credentialed translator.
In practice, online lodgement usually wants a colour scan of the original alongside the translation and asks for nothing more; paper or postal lodgement often does require certified copies of originals, because the agency never sees the real document.
The safe method is to read the receiving body's own document list and follow it literally rather than reasoning from another agency's practice — requirements genuinely differ, and guessing wrong costs an entire processing cycle.
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Documents most Australia visa applicants translate into English
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