A guide on English documents for official use in Angola
Translation is the process of converting written text from one language into another. The documents for official use in Angola are translated from Portuguese to English. A certification of translation is a document which certifies that the translation is a true and accurate version of the original text. The translator swears that the translation is a true and accurate representation of the contents of the original document.
Documents issued in English for official use in Angola require translations from an official translator recognised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) and the Angolan Consulate in London. As part of the application process for work visa an applicant will have to adequately prepare various documents. It is essential to ensure that the documents will be accepted by Angolan authorities as all documents issued by official entities in the United Kingdom and their certified translated Portuguese versions must be authenticated by the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for the Angolan consulate to authenticate them.
The translation and authentication process works as follows: The applicant emails copies of the documents requiring translations and authentication. (The Angolan consulate demands to see the originals of some documents.) The documents are translated and the translation is certified. The documents are sent to the FCDO for authentication. The authenticated documents are lodged with the Angolan consulate for authentication which confirms that the documents are official for use in Angola. The documents are sent to the applicant or the applicant’s company in Angola to apply for the Angolan work visa with the relevant Ministry in Angola (the MIRENPET for the Oil & Gas industry). The individual and commercial documents that require translations for official use in Angola are:
- UK birth, death, and marriage certificates
- Police disclosure/records
- Academic & training diplomas /certificates
- Medical certificates/reports
- Travel consent for minors
- Curriculum vitae
- Legal documents (power of attorney, contracts, agreements, etc.)
- Contracts
- Certificates of incorporation
- Any other commercial documents
The documents must be authentic, intact, and legitimate. The Angolan consulate will NOT authenticate any document that contains illegal contents according to the Angolan laws.