Certified Translator in Vancouver
Certified translation of your official documents in British Columbia: ICBC licence exchange, federal and provincial immigration, credential assessment, universities and courts.
✅ Free quote within 1 hour · ⚡ Express available · 🔒 STIBC- and ATIO-certified translators
Who can produce a certified translation in Vancouver?
A certified translation in British Columbia is produced by a certified translator whose signed declaration attests that it faithfully renders the source document. Asiatis assigns these files to STIBC- or ATIO-certified translators, two CTTIC-affiliated associations, and supplies the declaration expected by ICBC, IRCC, the BC PNP and universities.
- ✓STIBC (BC) and ATIO (Ontario) certified translators, CTTIC-affiliated
- ✓Recognized by: ICBC, IRCC, BC PNP, ICES, universities, courts
- ✓Filing language: English throughout the province
- ✓Turnaround: 2 to 3 business days · Express: 24 to 48 hours
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British Columbia procedures that require a certified translation
British Columbia imposes no provincial language: everything is filed in English. The difficulty lies elsewhere — in the format each body demands, and in the source languages, predominantly Asian across Greater Vancouver.
Driver's licence exchange (ICBC)
ICBC requires the foreign licence to be translated by a translator it recognizes. A translation done in the country of origin is the most common ground for refusal.
Federal immigration (IRCC)
Permanent residence, citizenship, study and work permits: a certified PDF uploaded to the portal, with no paper copy required.
Provincial immigration (BC PNP)
The BC Provincial Nominee Program requires an English translation of any document written in another language, including diplomas and employment letters.
Credential assessment (ICES)
The International Credential Evaluation Service, based at BCIT, is the BC-based assessment body. Diplomas and transcripts reach it translated in full.
Universities and colleges
UBC, SFU, UVic, BCIT: undergraduate or graduate admission, equivalences and credit transfers.
BC courts and notaries
Foreign judgments, contracts, powers of attorney, wills and documents entered into evidence before the province’s courts.
| Receiving body | What is required | Accepted format |
|---|---|---|
| ICBC (driver's licence) | Translator recognized by ICBC | Paper, handed over at the counter |
| IRCC (federal) | Certified translator, or affidavit | Certified PDF |
| BC PNP (provincial) | Certified English translation | Certified PDF |
| ICES (credential assessment) | Word-for-word translation of the original | Certified PDF |
| BC universities | Full certified translation | Certified PDF, paper on admission |
The languages of Greater Vancouver
Richmond, Surrey, Burnaby: most documents translated here come from Asia, and each raises a technical question of its own.
Mandarin and Cantonese
The Chinese notarial certificate (公证书) is sometimes already bilingual, sometimes not. Simplified and Traditional Chinese are not interchangeable: the first comes from mainland China, the second from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Mandarin → English translationPunjabi
Surrey and Abbotsford are home to the South Asian community. Documents from Indian Punjab are in Gurmukhi, those from Pakistani Punjab in Shahmukhi — the translation states which.
Punjabi → English translationTagalog
No Canadian professional order certifies translators for Tagalog. IRCC therefore accepts the translation accompanied by an affidavit sworn before a commissioner of oaths.
Tagalog → English translationRates and turnaround
Certified translation is $69 per 250-word page, with a minimum charge of $89 per project — that minimum is what applies to a short document.
2 to 3 business days · 24 to 48 hours
See detailed pricingWhy Asiatis in Vancouver
Asian languages
For 25 years Asiatis has translated Chinese, Punjabi, Korean, Filipino and Iranian civil status documents into Canadian English.
Format first
In BC, refusals rarely come from the language and often from the format: the right medium is settled before ordering, not after.
No travel needed
Submission, quote and delivery happen by email. Paper is mailed when the procedure calls for it.
Frequently asked questions — Vancouver
Is a translation done in my home country accepted in BC?
Rarely. For a driver’s licence exchange, ICBC asks for a translation produced by a translator it recognizes, which rules out most foreign translations. For IRCC, a foreign translation must be accompanied by an affidavit.
- ICBC: translator recognized by the corporation
- IRCC: Canadian certified translator, or translation plus affidavit
- Redoing the translation often costs less than contesting a refusal
Does British Columbia require French the way Quebec does?
No. No provincial language obligation applies in British Columbia: files are submitted in English. A document already translated into French for Quebec therefore has to be retranslated into English for a British Columbia procedure.
- BC: filed in English
- IRCC: French or English accepted
- A Quebec French translation serves neither ICBC nor the BC PNP
Should documents be translated before or after credential assessment?
Before. ICES and the other assessment bodies receive the original document and its translation together. The translation reproduces the diploma and transcript in full, seals and annotations included, without summarizing the content.
- The original is sent by the issuing institution
- The translation accompanies the document, it does not replace it
- Full translation: nothing omitted
Which documents are most often translated in Vancouver?
Driver’s licences come first, driven by ICBC exchange applications. Then birth and marriage certificates, diplomas and transcripts bound for ICES or universities, and police records for permanent residence.
- Driving: foreign licence, driving record
- Civil status: birth, marriage, divorce
- Education: diplomas, transcripts
- Immigration: police record, employment letters