Identity Document Translation.
Professional translation of foreign national identity cards and identity documents for immigration, legal, employment, study and other official purposes in South Africa and abroad.
The translation is a separate document. The original identity card or booklet is never altered, and its security features are not reproduced.
Identity documents we translate.
Countries use different formats for the same kind of document, from a single card to a multi-page booklet. Premium Lingua translates the visible information from the document supplied, in the scope the receiving authority has asked for.
- Foreign national identity cards
- National identity documents
- Identity booklets
- Residence identity cards where appropriate
- Older identity documents
- Temporary identity documents where translation is required
- Certified or notarised ID copies requiring translation
- South African identity-document copies for overseas applications, where a translation has specifically been requested
If you are not sure which document you have or what needs translating, send a clear copy and any instructions from the authority, and we will confirm before quoting.
Send your identity documentSouth African Smart ID Cards and green ID books.
South Africa has been moving from the older green barcoded identity document to the more secure Smart ID Card. Home Affairs began the Smart ID rollout in 2013 and is accelerating replacement of the green ID book.
Home Affairs describes the Smart ID Card as carrying physical security features, laser-engraved personal information, and biometric and biographic data embedded in the card chip. For translation, Premium Lingua works only with the visible information relevant to the receiving authority. Hidden chip data and security features are not, and cannot be, translated.
The translation is prepared from the visible document, or the certified copy, that you supply. Premium Lingua does not alter, reproduce or recreate the original identity document or its security features.
What information can be included?
The translation reflects the visible information on the document or certified copy supplied. Depending on the document, this may include:
- Full names and surname
- The identity or document number
- Date of birth
- Country or place of birth where shown
- Nationality or citizenship
- Sex or gender marker where present
- Date of issue
- Expiry date where applicable
- Issuing authority
- Document type
- Visible endorsements
- Official wording
- Stamps or annotations where relevant
Identity documents contain sensitive personal information. Send only the document information necessary for quotation and translation, through Premium Lingua’s secure submission process.
Foreign identity document translation for use in South Africa.
People arriving from countries where an identity card is the everyday identity document often need it translated for a South African process, for example:
- Immigration procedures
- Employment
- Legal proceedings
- Professional registration
- Academic applications
- Banking or administrative processes where a translation is specifically accepted or requested
- Proof of identity accompanying other translated records
A foreign identity card does not replace a passport for South African immigration purposes. Whether an identity card is accepted as supporting evidence depends on the receiving authority and the application. South African immigration regulations require applicable foreign supporting documents to be translated into an official language and certified as correct by a sworn translator.
Sworn TranslationSouth African ID translation for use abroad.
DIRCO notes that copies of identity documents can be among the private documents requested by foreign missions for work or study applications abroad.
Depending on the foreign authority’s requirements, an ID copy may need to be certified as a true copy, notarised, translated by a sworn translator, or processed through the appropriate legalisation route, or a combination of these. The destination authority decides. Send us its instructions and a clear copy of the document, and we will confirm what the translation needs to look like.
Identity document translation vs certified copy.
Identity document translation
Converts the relevant visible information on the document into another language, as a separate translated document.
Certified or notarised ID copy
Confirms that a copy corresponds to the identity document presented to the authorised person. It does not translate anything.
These are separate requirements, and an embassy or foreign authority may request one or both. DIRCO’s guidance reflects the same distinction, referring separately to certification by a Public Notary and translation by a Sworn Translator.
Certified TranslationNames must match your other documents.
An identity document translation may be read alongside a Birth Certificate Translation, a Passport Translation, a Marriage Certificate Translation or a Police Clearance Certificate Translation, so the spelling of names, dates of birth and document numbers must be handled consistently across the set.
For documents in Arabic, Cyrillic, Chinese or another non-Latin script, send any existing Latin-script spelling from the person’s passport or other official records. The translator then keeps transliteration and terminology consistent with what the authority already has on file.
Is an identity document the same as a passport?
No. A South African ID is principally a domestic identity document, while a passport is the government-issued travel document used to certify identity and nationality for international travel.
They are not interchangeable, and an authority that asks for one will not usually accept the other in its place. If your application concerns travel or was made to a foreign mission, see Passport Translation.
Temporary Identity Certificate translation.
Home Affairs provides for a Temporary Identity Certificate in certain circumstances while an identity-document application is pending.
Premium Lingua translates a Temporary Identity Certificate in the same way as a full identity document, from the visible information on the certificate or a certified copy. Tell us where it will be submitted so the translation is prepared to suit.
What should you send us?
- A clear scan or photograph of the front of the identity document
- The back of the card or document, if information appears there
- Any additional relevant pages for booklet-style documents
- The source language
- The language you need it translated into
- The destination country
- The receiving authority
- Any instructions about certification or notarisation, if you have them
- Your deadline
Send only the pages that carry information relevant to the translation. There is no need to submit unrelated identity-document pages or data.
Send your identity document for a quoteNeed your identity document translated?
Upload a clear copy of the identity document, or the pages that carry the information, and tell us where it will be submitted. Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*)
