Certified Death Certificate
Translation
It is almost always wanted urgently, by several different organisations at once, and by people who have more than enough to deal with already. We treat these as priority work and keep the process as short as we can.
The whole document is translated – the registration details, the recorded cause of death, the certifying doctor or registrar, the seals and stamps – because probate registries and insurers read all of it, not just the name and the date.
WHAT THE HOME OFFICE asks for
This is the requirement in the Home Office’s own words, and it is the standard every certified translation we issue is built to meet:
Where documents provided are not in English or Welsh, you must provide a full dated and signed translation in English that can be verified. This must be dated and include the full name and signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company and their contact details.
UK Home Office guidance, gov.uk
Read it closely and it is a short list: a full translation, not a summary; in English; dated; signed; with the translator or an authorised official of the translation company named; and with contact details so it can be verified. Every one of those is on the certification page we issue with your death certificate.
WHAT YOU GET with every certified translation
- Accredited and sworn, fully bilingual philologist and linguist human translators
- An additional native-speaking proofreader on every project for quality assurance
- Professional DTP editing and formatting, so the translation mirrors your original
- A signed affidavit and declaration of translation accuracy
- The company wet stamp for authenticity
- Official certification on company letterhead
- Full compliance with the ISO 17100 quality standard
- A physical copy with wet stamps and company letterhead where one is needed
- Nothing of yours has to travel – a scan is enough, and hard copies come to you
- Any iterations, corrections and editing free of charge, same day or next day
WHEN YOU NEED a certified death certificate translation
Probate and estate administration
The probate registry requires a certified English translation of a foreign death certificate before a grant can be issued.
Pensions and life insurance
Providers need it before a survivor’s pension, a lump sum or a life policy can be paid out.
Closing accounts and transferring assets
Banks, utilities and share registrars all ask for it, usually each wanting their own copy.
Property and inheritance abroad
Where an estate crosses borders, the certificate normally needs certifying and legalising as well as translating.
Remarriage of a surviving spouse
A register office will ask for a certified translation when notice of a new marriage is given.
Repatriation and funeral arrangements
Consulates, funeral directors and airlines require it when a body is being brought to or from the UK.
WHO ACCEPTS it
Issued to the standard the Home Office publishes, and routinely accepted by:
- The Probate Registry and HM Courts & Tribunals Service
- The Home Office and UKVI
- The General Register Office and local register offices
- The DWP, HMRC and pension providers
- Life insurers and banks
- Solicitors, notaries and executors
- Funeral directors and repatriation services
- Foreign embassies and consulates in the UK
If the body you are dealing with is not on this list, ask us before you order – checking what they actually require is free, and it is the fastest way to avoid paying for a level of certification you do not need.
THINGS PEOPLE get caught out by
You will need more than one copy
Every organisation tends to want its own certified copy. Tell us how many at the quote stage – additional certified hard copies of the same translation are far cheaper than reordering later.
Medical wording is translated properly
A recorded cause of death is medical text and is treated as such: it goes to a linguist who works in medical terminology, not to a generalist.
Extracts and full certificates
Some countries issue a short extract as well as a full certificate. Probate registries usually want the full one. Send what you have and we will tell you before you order.
Estates abroad need an apostille
For a foreign authority the sequence is translate, certify, then apostille – the FCDO certificate goes on the translation, and the original stays with the family.
HOW IT works
Send a scan
A photograph from your phone is fine, as long as every corner is in frame and the text, the stamps and anything written on the back are readable. Your original never leaves you.
Get a fixed price
We read the document, confirm the language and the certification the receiving body wants, and send back an itemised price and a delivery date. Free, and with no obligation.
Translation and checking
An accredited, sworn linguist translates it; a second linguist who is a native speaker of the target language reads the whole thing against the source.
Certification
The translation is issued with a signed declaration of accuracy on company letterhead, dated, with the translator named and our wet stamp applied.
Delivery
By email the day it is finished, with a wet-stamped hard copy posted to your address if you need one. Corrections afterwards are free.
The full five-stage service process, and the three-stage quality assessment behind it, are set out on How It Works and Quality Assurance.
PRICE AND turnaround
PriceQuoted per job
A standard death certificate is priced per document with certification included, and a posted hard copy is priced per page. You get the figure in writing, itemised and fixed, before you commit – and the analysis that produces it is free.
Standard24–72 hours
One to three working days for a standard certificate, in any of the 76 languages we work in.
ExpeditedAs fast as 24h
When a deadline is close – without taking the second linguist out of the process.
0 +Years of Excellence
0 +Happy Customers
0 +Official Translators
0 Countries Approved EKO 4's Certified Translations
At EKO 4 Translations we guarantee 100%
- Document Acceptance
- Accuracy and Quality
- Delivery on Time
- Free Corrections
WHAT ELSE your document might need
A certified translation is enough for most UK purposes. Documents going abroad, or to a body that has asked for a solicitor or notary, need a layer on top – and it is ordered with the translation rather than afterwards.
Certified translation
The full service and what it covers – 114 document types, 76 languages, and what certification actually is.
Certified document translation →Sworn & notarised
When an authority wants the declaration sworn before a solicitor, or witnessed and sealed by a notary.
Sworn & notarised translation →Apostille & legalisation
For documents going abroad: an FCDO certificate on the translation we prepared, plus embassy legalisation where it is needed.
Apostille & legalisation →76 languages
The full European and Asian lists. The language changes who does the work, not what you get.
Translation languages →Some of our clients
As featured on
DEATH CERTIFICATE questions, answered
How quickly can this be done?
A standard certificate is normally back within 24 to 72 hours, and expedited service delivers as fast as 24 hours. Tell us the deadline you are working to and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable before you pay.
Do you need the original?
No. A clear scan or photograph is enough, including the back of the document and any stamps. Nothing of yours goes in the post.
How much does it cost?
Priced per document with certification included, with posted wet-stamped hard copies priced per page. Extra certified copies ordered at the same time cost considerably less than ordering them separately later, so say how many you need at the quote stage.
Will the probate registry accept it?
Yes, and we guarantee acceptance. It carries a dated declaration of accuracy, the translator’s name and signature, our contact details, company letterhead and our wet stamp.
Is this handled confidentially?
Entirely, under UK GDPR. The document is seen only by the linguists working on it, and it is not retained any longer than the job and your correction window require.
Do we also need the death registered in the UK?
That is a question for the register office or your solicitor rather than for us – but we can tell you what translation and certification they will want once you know, and checking is free.
Send us the death certificate
A scan or a clear photograph is enough. You get back a fixed price, a delivery date, and a straight answer on whether a plain certified translation will do or whether you need a solicitor, a notary or an apostille on top – free, with no obligation, and handled confidentially under UK GDPR.
CERTIFIED TRANSLATION wherever you are in the UK
The service runs digitally end to end, so where you live makes no difference to the price or the timing. Send a scan, approve the quote, and the finished translation comes back by email – with the wet-stamped hard copy posted to your address when you need one.
Certified Government Translation Service Near You
Looking for a certified government translation service near you in London? Look no further, we've got you covered!
124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX
