Guide
How long a certified translation takes, and what decides it
You want a date, not a discussion. So here are our three delivery windows, what each one is for, and the short list of things that actually move the clock.
Published 4 September 2026 · Official Translation
How long does it take to translate a document?
It depends on the speed you choose and on a translator for your language being free. Each speed is an estimate, so leave room before your deadline. If the date is fixed, such as a car-hire pick-up, tell us before you order. Every order comes with a choice of three speeds:
- Normal: within 3 days, for the form that is due next month rather than tomorrow.
- Urgent: 12–24 hours, for a date later in the week.
- ASAP: within 4 hours where available, for when it cannot wait.
All three run from the moment you place the order, and the order page shows an estimated delivery date for each speed as you choose. We do not deliver on Sundays: a delivery that would fall on a Sunday arrives on the Monday. The full price in Australian dollars is on screen before you pay, and we add nothing at checkout. If you pay with an overseas card, Stripe may show the price converted into your own currency, with its own conversion fee; you can switch back to Australian dollars on that page. Delivery is by email as a searchable PDF, so there is no post to wait for at the end.
One thing before you pick a speed. If you are a permanent resident or an eligible visa holder and you can wait a month or more, the government’s Free Translating Service may do the job for nothing. More on that below.
What actually decides the time?
The clock starts when you order, and two things stop it. The first is a photo we cannot read: a cropped corner or a blurred stamp means we ask for a clearer picture straight away, and the clock pauses while we wait, and a fresh window starts when it arrives.
The second is a document with more pages than you paid for: we contact you before work starts, and a new window of the same length starts once your payment for the extra pages, or for a revised quote, is confirmed. The simplest way to protect your delivery date is to count every side that carries text, a stamp or a seal, then photograph every page, both sides of a card included, in colour before you start. Our guide to photographing your document shows what a usable photo looks like.
ASAP depends on a translator for your language being free at that moment, which is why the order page marks it as subject to availability rather than promising it every time. If we accept an ASAP order and then cannot meet it, we contact you as soon as we know.
Language matters too. With the NAATI option, the time depends on a translator certified for your language being available. If yours is not on the order page’s list, choose Other language there, or ask first through the contact page. If we cannot arrange the translation for your language, we tell you promptly and refund you in full.
How the free service compares: a thirty-day window and no rush option
The government’s Free Translating Service is for permanent residents and eligible visa holders, and it costs nothing. What it is not is quick. Its own page says: “Within 30 calendar days following the application’s approval, the completed translation will be available to download in the Free Translating Service portal.”
And on whether you can hurry it: “There is no priority or rush option available however, the actual processing time is often less than 30 calendar days.” So if you qualify and you can wait, use it. We would rather send you there than sell you a page you do not need. Who qualifies, and who misses out, is set out, with the rules quoted from its own pages, on our Free Translating Service eligibility page.
If you do not qualify, or you cannot wait that long, that is where a paid translation earns its place: a translation of the whole document, in a window you choose, delivered to your inbox.
Three things on your side keep it quick
Three habits head off the usual delays.
- Clear photos and the right page count. Every page, both sides of a card, in colour, straight on, nothing cut off, and a page count that matches the document. The order page flags an image that is too small to work from before you pay.
- The receiving authority’s instructions. Read what the authority or hire company asks for before you order, so the translation is prepared the way they want it the first time. If anything is unclear, ask them first.
- The right option up front. The order page starts on NAATI certification, so the translation is prepared by a NAATI-certified translator from the start and nothing has to be redone. If it is only for your own use, or for a reader who has not asked for certification, switch to Standard when you order. How the NAATI option works: NAATI translation online.
Do those three and choose a window that leaves some room before your deadline. If the date is fixed, such as a car-hire pick-up or a lodgement, tell us through the contact page before you order and we will say whether we can meet it.
The whole process, step by step: how online document translation works. What we translate: licence and certificate translation. Ready to pick a speed: order a translation.
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