Do I need to translate all pages of my bank statements for visa purposes, or just the essentials?

Sep 19, 2024
3 months ago
Hello! I am wondering what the "translation of bank statements" exactly means - mine are not in English so would I have to get all pages for 6 months back translated into English? This seems a bit excessive - considering my name, address, account number and numeric balances and transfers are quite clear even if the descriptions of the transactions are not in English. Hence, is it necessary to translate all transaction descriptions for that period of time - or does translation of the basics like "account number", "balance" suffice??? Please share if you have experience, thank you!
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user inquires about the necessity of translating all pages of their non-English bank statements into English for a visa application, questioning whether only basic details like name, account number, and balance are sufficient. Comments provide various responses detailing personal experiences, including options for obtaining English statements from banks, using translation functions, and the challenges of ensuring complete translations due to notarization requirements.
Bernie ********
I applied in Vientiane. Also had German bank statements. My bank didn't provide anything in English. So i did a notarized translation. They gave me some discount since the pages are quite repetetive.

But then a couple of days later a friend applied, also in Vientiane, and he just showed them his German statements, and with a bit of persuasion they accepted them as well.

FYI: I also thought it should be enough to only translate the basic details on the statement, and skip the part with the transaction descriptions, because as you said they don't need that info. But then the translation agency got back to me and said they have to translate everything on the documents, otherwise they can't certify and notarize it...
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thank you for sharing your experiences, that is exactly what I was looking for 🙂 Very helpful!
Jessy ******
If you log on you account, there is no option for English bank statement ?
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Nope, already tried...
Jessy ******
Participant(e) anonyme so for sure you need it translated but some embassies don’t ask for notarized translations. Good luck!
Sab *****
You can use the translate function in the browser and then print it out.
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Sab ****
interesting thought. My bank statements are PDF files but I could try that approach in the general banking interface. But then getting it certified by the German embassy might be a problem, as it is not a certified translation (which in my experience embassies require to confirm that it is indeed the same document)
Artur *************
I’m not sure which country you’re from, but generally, I believe it's the same everywhere. You can request stamped statements from your bank either by email, in person, or through other support channels, usually for a small fee, especially if it can't be done through your bank’s app.
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Artur ************
Thank you for your response. Getting the bank statement is not quite my issue, my main question is how extensive the translation of the bank statement needs to be as the original will be in German. Some embassies specify they require bank statements to be "certified English translations and notarized by an Embassy/Consulate or Ministry of Foreign Affairs only". So hence wondering if anyone had bank statements translated from any other language into English already and if so to what extent (just the basics or all transaction descriptions)?
Artur *************
Anonymous participant I understand. My main suggestion was to check if you can get an English version directly from your bank, as it’s faster and cheaper than going through translation, which in my opinion would need to be a notarized translation. In my case, I asked the bank, and they directly sent me the English version via email, which I used to apply.
Artur *************
Generally, I suggest reaching out to your bank for assistance.