Checking a NAATI translator's certification before you order
How to verify a translator's NAATI credential with their CPN, what each credential means and what Home Affairs expects on translated visa documents.
If you need a birth certificate, licence, transcript or another document translated for an Australian authority, the receiving organisation will often expect a translation by a NAATI-certified translator. NAATI publishes a free tool that confirms whether a practitioner is currently certified using their Certified Practitioner Number. This guide explains the credential types, walks through the check and gives you an order checklist to reduce avoidable mismatches with the receiving organisation.
Start with what the receiving organisation requires
Different organisations set different rules, so check the requirement before you choose a translator. For visa applications, the Department of Home Affairs says documents not in English must be provided with an English translation, together with the original. If the translation is done in Australia, Home Affairs says to use a translator accredited by NAATI and, in its applicant checklist, to include the translator's NAATI practitioner number. Translators outside Australia do not have to be NAATI accredited, but the translation must include the translator's full name, address and telephone number and their qualifications and experience in the language, all in English. For other purposes, such as a licence, a university or a court, ask that organisation what it accepts before you order.
Translation requirements for visa documents, including NAATI accreditation in Australia and translator details.
Home Affairs: documents in languages other than EnglishApplicant checklist asking for the translator's NAATI practitioner number when translated in Australia.
Home Affairs: check twice, submit onceKnow the translator credentials
NAATI describes itself as the national standards and certifying authority for translators and interpreters. Translators work with written text, while interpreters work with spoken or signed communication, so a document translation needs a translator credential. NAATI's overview lists three translator credentials: Certified Translator: has met training and prerequisite requirements and passed a NAATI test. NAATI describes this as the highest translator credential currently available under its certification system. Certified Advanced Translator: a higher credential earned under NAATI's former accreditation system before 2018. Testing is no longer offered, but some translators still hold it. Recognised Practising Translator: has met minimum training and prerequisites and has recent, regular experience, but has not had their skills tested by NAATI. It is usually granted in languages where NAATI testing is not available. NAATI states that Recognised Practising credentials do not have equal status with certification. Translators may also work in only one direction, such as from Polish into English, so check that the credential covers the direction you need.
The three translator and six interpreter credentials and what each one means.
NAATI: overview of NAATI credentialsWhy Recognised Practising is granted, and NAATI's statement that it does not have equal status with certification.
NAATI: Recognised Practising credentialsRun the check with the CPN
Every NAATI-certified translator or interpreter has a Certified Practitioner Number, or CPN. NAATI says it is nine characters long and always starts with CPN, followed by a number, two letters, two numbers and a letter. Certified translators have a physical or digital stamp showing the CPN under their name. Ask the translator for their CPN before you order, enter it in NAATI's "Check a NAATI certification" tool and read the result. If the number is not found, NAATI suggests double-checking characters that are easy to confuse, such as 1 and I, 5 and S, or the letter O and zero, and asking the practitioner to confirm the number. A result of "Verified but expired" means the person was previously certified but their certification is no longer current. NAATI credentials must be renewed every three years through recertification. NAATI says a translation completed while the translator held active certification remains valid indefinitely, so the tool is also useful for checking a translation you already hold. Confirm any separate document-age or format requirement with the receiving organisation.
The free CPN verification tool, CPN format, troubleshooting and the meaning of "Verified but expired".
NAATI: check a NAATI certificationThree-year credential expiry and recertification, and the role of NAATI as national certifying authority.
NAATI: certification systemWorked example: matching the check to the job
Hypothetical example for illustration only. You are in Australia and need a Vietnamese birth certificate translated into English for a visa application. Step 1: The Home Affairs requirement is a NAATI-accredited translator, with the practitioner number included. Step 2: The translator gives a CPN. The NAATI tool shows a current Certified Translator credential for Vietnamese into English. Step 3: The direction matches (Vietnamese into English) and the status is current, so the credential suits the job. If the tool had shown English into Vietnamese only, or "Verified but expired", you would ask a different translator. If no certified translator were available in a less common language, NAATI notes a Recognised Practising Translator may be asked to do the work, but confirm first that the receiving organisation will accept it.
Write the order so nothing is missed
When you request a quote, send a clear copy of every page, including the back of cards and certificates. Ask the translator to confirm that the quote covers stamps, seals, handwritten annotations and any text in margins. Agree the delivery format the receiving organisation accepts, such as a signed and stamped PDF or a paper copy, and the turnaround time. Spell names exactly as they appear in your passport and tell the translator if names have been transliterated differently on other documents. Keep the original documents with their translations, and record the translator's name, CPN and the date of translation with your copy.
If you are paying for visa help as well as translations, check the agent on the official register.
Checking a migration agent's registration before you payMatch a translation business's ABN and name to the quote and payment details.
Checking a business before you bookYour quick checklist
Tick these off as you go. This checklist resets when you leave.
Useful starting points
General information to help you ask questions. Check requirements for the particular service and your state or territory.