Business Visa: Which Documents to Translate
and How to Manage the Procedure

Those who manage frequent international business trips know it: each embassy has its own rules, its own forms and its own lists of required documents. What remains constant is the almost universal need to present translated documentation — often sworn.

A visa refused due to incomplete or non-compliant documentation means a missed trip, a delayed contract, a lost opportunity. Anticipating and correctly managing the documentation phase makes all the difference.

The most commonly required documents for business visas

The exact list varies by country and visa type, but the documents most frequently required by embassies include:

• Company registration certificates and articles of association: to demonstrate the existence and legal nature of the applying company
• Invitation letters from the foreign company: these often need to be translated and in some cases authenticated
• Financial statements and tax documents: to demonstrate the financial soundness of the applicant or company
• Contracts or commercial agreements: as proof of the business nature of the trip
• Personal documents of the applicant: civil status extracts, birth certificates, academic qualifications
• Bank statements: some embassies require these as well, translated

What type of translation embassies accept

Most embassies require sworn translations, signed and stamped by a translator registered with the relevant court. Some require an apostille on the translation itself.

This must be verified on a case-by-case basis on the official website of the embassy of the destination country, as requirements change over time.

How we manage visa procedures for our clients

For companies that entrust us with the ongoing management of international business travel, we handle the entire process: verification of the specific documentary requirements for the embassy, sworn translation of documents, any required apostille or legalisation, and delivery within timescales compatible with the application submission deadlines.

If you have a planned trip and need to start the visa procedure, contact us as soon as possible: embassy timescales are not always predictable, but the part that depends on us we handle with the utmost speed.