Relevé de Compte Translation for a UK Visa: What to Know Before You Order

The rule sits in paragraph 39B of the Immigration Rules and applies to any financial document you rely on that isn't in English or Welsh. It doesn't matter that the numbers are obvious or that "virement" looks a bit like a word you know. The caseworker has to be able to read the whole page in English, and the translation has to say who made it and how to reach them. Applications made inside the UK, such as an extension or settlement, also need the translator's credentials stated. Our bank statement translation service includes all of that on every page.

If you want the wider picture first, our bank statement translation guide covers what caseworkers check across every language and route. This post is the French-specific part: the words on the page and the formats behind them.

A typical relevé from BNP Paribas, Société Générale, LCL or La Banque Postale has a column for the date d'opération, often a second one for the date de valeur, a libellé describing each movement, and separate débit and crédit columns. At the top or bottom you'll find the ancien solde and nouveau solde, the old and new balance, sometimes labelled solde créditeur when you're in credit and solde débiteur when you're not. We translate the libellés too, because that's where a caseworker looks to see where money came from.

The abbreviations are where a good translation earns its keep. "VIR SEPA RECU" is an incoming transfer, "PRLV SEPA" is a direct debit, "CB" followed by a shop name is a card payment and "RET DAB" is a cash machine withdrawal. Agios are overdraft interest, which no one has ever been pleased to see on a statement. Merchant names, references and amounts stay exactly as printed.

Belgium is the one that catches people out on vocabulary: the document is often called an extrait de compte rather than a relevé, and it can be issued per batch of transactions rather than per calendar month. That's fine, as long as the extracts together cover the whole period you need. Swiss statements tend to be tidy and in CHF; a Swiss bank may also issue an attestation de solde, a short letter confirming the balance on a given date.

Statements from Morocco and Algeria are usually French, sometimes with headings, names or stamps in Arabic. Every word on the page gets translated, whichever script it's in, so tell us if a statement mixes the two and we'll quote for both. Our French to English translation team handles all of these formats, including handwritten bank stamps that look like they were applied in a hurry, because they were.

For a Student visa you need the living-costs money for at least 28 days in a row, and the end of that period must be within 31 days of the date you apply. Our Student visa translation guide covers the rest of that file. Skilled Worker applicants who aren't covered by their sponsor show £1,270 the same way, plus extra for each dependant. In both cases, a single month's relevé often covers the whole window.

Family routes are heavier. If you're relying on salaried income under the spouse rules, the bank statements must cover the same period as the payslips, usually the last six months. Cash savings must have been held for the 6 months before you apply, and self-employment uses a 12-month period. The spouse visa translation guide has the full list. Whichever route you're on, the most recent document must be dated within 31 days of your application, so don't translate a batch in March for an application in July.

That's the wording in Appendix FM-SE for partner and family applications, and it's the reason a neat PDF from your app isn't always enough on its own. Ask your bank which of the two it can provide, and get that sorted before you order the translation, so we translate the stamped version you'll actually submit, stamp and all.

The rules also accept a letter from the bank instead of a statement in some cases, provided it shows the same details. If your bank offers a relevé in English, that's even better: a statement fully in English, headers, libellés and footer included, needs no translation. Our post on documents that are already in English explains where bilingual exports fall short.

A RIB, or relevé d'identité bancaire, is the little slip of bank details French banks love to hand out. It doesn't prove a balance or any income, so most visa files don't need it. If a sponsor or university has asked for proof of account details specifically, send it and we'll translate it as its own short page.

What matters more is that the account holder's name matches your passport. French banks sometimes print a married name, a name with the accents dropped, or "M. ou Mme" for a joint account. Tell us the spelling on each passport and we'll use it consistently across the order. Our guide to names spelled differently across documents covers what to do when the bank and the passport disagree.

Pages are what you pay for, so trim before you upload. Leave out the conditions générales and the pages of bank marketing about a new savings product. Keep every page that shows your name, a balance, a transaction or the bank's header. If the statement runs onto a page that only says "suite au verso", tell us and we'll check whether it needs counting.

Put every document in one order: statements, payslips, the employer's letter, everything in French. One team handles the lot, so names, amounts and terms come out the same way on every page. Every document includes two free revisions if anything needs changing. Upload your statements for an instant quote, or send them on WhatsApp or by email if you'd like us to tell you what's in scope first.