Divorce certificates
Divorce certificate translation
Divorce certificates, decrees absolute and court judgments — translated into English in full, court name, dates, parties and seals included, and delivered digitally. NAATI certification is an option at checkout for when the receiving authority asks for it.
Do your divorce papers need an English translation?
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Where it is asked for
The processes that ask about a previous marriage
Before a new relationship can be recognised, the old one has to be shown to have ended. These are the authorities’ own words.
Partner visas
“If you have previously been married, widowed, divorced or permanently separated, provide divorce documents, death certificates, separation documents or statutory declarations.” Whichever of the four applies to you, a document written in another language goes in with an English translation beside the original.
Source: Home Affairs, subclass 820 checklist (page last updated 10 August 2026)
Marrying in NSW
If either of you has been married before, the divorce document is lodged with the Notice of Intended Marriage, and NSW says “foreign language certificates and documents must be translated into English by a National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters accredited translator.”
Marrying in Queensland
Queensland asks for “a certified copy of the original document” and “a translation by a translator certified by the National Accreditation Authority”. The certified copy of your divorce certificate is a step you arrange yourself; the translation is the part we do.
Translating in Australia
Home Affairs’ general guidance: “All documents not in English must be translated into English. Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.” A translation done before you left home may still be usable: the subclass 820 checklist says translators outside Australia “do not have to be accredited”, but each translation must show their full name, address and telephone number, and their qualifications and experience in the language, in English.
Sources: Home Affairs, popular questions (page last updated 16 September 2026); Home Affairs, subclass 820 checklist (page last updated 10 August 2026)
We have checked the marriage wording for NSW and Queensland only. Other states and territories publish their own rules for the Notice of Intended Marriage, so read your registry’s page before you order. See the full guide to marrying in Australia with foreign documents.
What a careful job includes
The parts of a divorce document an official reads first
The court, the case and the dates
Divorce documents come in different shapes: a short certificate from a civil registry, a court decree or judgment running to several pages, or a decree nisi followed by a decree absolute. Whatever form yours takes, the court or registry name, the case number, the date of the decision and the date the divorce took effect are all translated — that last date is the one that shows you were free to marry again.
The parties and their former names
Both spouses’ names are translated in full, including a maiden name or a name taken back on divorce. Where a name is in another script, the translation follows the spelling in your passports, so the divorce document, the marriage certificate and your identity documents agree when an officer lays them side by side.
Seals, stamps and signatures
Court seals, registry stamps, apostilles and marginal notes are each translated, not skipped, and a judge’s or registrar’s signature is marked [signed]. Where a divorce is recorded as a note in the margin of the marriage certificate or in a family register, that note gets the same care as a standalone decree.
Widowed rather than divorced?
If your previous marriage ended with a death, the same checklists ask for the death certificate of your former spouse instead. That document has its own page: death certificate translation. Separation agreements and statutory declarations in another language are handled the same way as a divorce document, page by page. For the rest of your file, see our certified document translation services.
Ordering for a partner visa or citizenship application and translating in Australia? Home Affairs’ wording points to a NAATI-accredited translator — choose the NAATI certification option at checkout. See how NAATI translation works before you order. The government’s free translating service will not cover this file: its eligibility page says “Document translations required for visa or citizenship applications, and documents issued by private citizens, are not eligible”. It may cover other personal documents once your visa is granted.
Pricing
The full price on screen before you order
Translation is $39.99 per page into English, delivered digitally. Add NAATI certification for $59.99 per page, prepared by a NAATI-certified translator with a digital stamp carrying a scannable QR code. A divorce certificate printed on one side is one page, a back that carries text, a stamp or a seal is a second page, and a court judgment can run longer; the total is shown before you order.
Also need the marriage certificate translated? Preparing a partner visa? Widowed? See death certificate translation. Divorcing in Australia with a marriage certificate not in English?