Self-employed spouse visa documents: the tax, accounts and 12 months of business and personal statements a sole trader sponsor needs, and what to translate.
Self-employed spouse visa documents are the heaviest evidence pack in the family route, because there's no employer to vouch for the income. A salaried sponsor sends payslips and a letter. A self-employed sponsor proves the business exists, proves what it earned for a full financial year, and proves the money reached their own account, usually with twelve months of statements from two accounts. When any of that is in another language, every page needs a certified translation. This guide goes through the list the rules set out, what changes when the business is abroad, and how to keep the page count under control.
For a UK sole trader, Appendix FM-SE lists evidence of tax payable, paid and unpaid for the last full financial year, the self-assessment return and SA302 or SA300, proof of HMRC registration if available, the UTR, 12 months of business and personal bank statements, evidence the business is still trading, and accounts.
That list is paragraph 7 of Appendix FM-SE, and the rules say all of it must be provided. The minimum income for new applicants is £29,000 a year, and self-employed income is measured from the last full financial year, or as an average of the last two full financial years where that shows the required level. Our tax return translation guide explains what each country's tax documents prove; this post covers the whole pack around them.
For a UK-based sole trader, most of these documents are in English already. Translation comes in when the business, the bank or the tax authority is abroad, or when a sponsor who worked abroad is returning to the UK. That's the case the rest of this guide is about.
Appendix FM-SE says evidence of self-employment outside the UK should be a reasonable equivalent of the UK list. If the sponsor is returning to the UK to continue being self-employed, they also need evidence of the business's next steps here, starting within three months of their return.
A reasonable equivalent means the foreign documents that show the same facts: income declared, tax assessed, money received and the business still trading. A Spanish autónomo might have the Modelo 100 return, the Modelo 130 quarterly payments, the alta in the RETA social security register and statements from two accounts. A French micro-entrepreneur might have the avis d'imposition, URSSAF declarations and an extrait from the business register. The rules don't name foreign forms, so we won't pretend they do.
A sponsor coming back to the UK to carry on the same business needs one more piece of evidence from paragraph 8A: for example, an application for a licence to trade, the purchase or rental of business premises, a signed contract for work, or a partnership or franchise agreement. If those documents were drawn up abroad, they need translating too.
Twelve months of business bank statements and twelve months of personal bank statements, both covering the same period as the tax return. On top of that, a recent bank statement or similar evidence that the business is still trading.
This is where self-employed files get long. A busy business account can run to several pages a month, and the personal statements have to show the self-employment income arriving in an account in the sponsor's name or a joint account. Twelve months of each is 24 statements before anyone has opened the accounts. A Portuguese extrato or a Polish wyciąg with a line per invoice payment translates into exactly as many lines in English, every one of them.
The ongoing-trading evidence must be recent: the rules ask for a bank statement dated no more than three months before the application, or other proof such as a licence renewal or insurance. Our bank statement translation service handles long runs of statements in one order, with the same terms used throughout.
If they aren't in English and you're relying on them, yes. Appendix FM-SE asks for audited accounts where the business is required to produce them, or otherwise unaudited accounts for the last full financial year with an accountant's certificate of confirmation.
Accounts are where a foreign business pack can double in size. A German Jahresabschluss, a Spanish cuentas anuales or an Italian bilancio comes with a balance sheet, a profit and loss account and often notes. The rules on accountant's certificates refer to UK professional bodies, so a sponsor with a foreign business should speak to an immigration adviser about what will count as the reasonable equivalent.
Our financial document translation service translates accounts and accountant's letters with the figures, headings and account names kept consistent with the tax documents. That consistency matters: if the profit on the tax notice and the profit on the accounts look like different numbers in translation, a caseworker will notice before you do.
Generally, the applicant's own income counts only if they are in the UK with permission to work. If the applicant is abroad, the requirement is usually met through the sponsor's income or savings, so check the current guidance before translating the applicant's business records.
The Home Office guidance on the financial requirement says the applicant's income can be counted where they are in the UK with permission to work. For a first application from abroad, that usually means the sponsor carries the income requirement alone. Translating a year of the applicant's own business records for an application that can't use them is an expensive way to fill a file.
There's one more rule worth knowing early: cash savings can't be combined with self-employed income measured over a full financial year. If the sponsor's self-employment falls short, savings are assessed as a separate calculation, and our bank statement translation guide covers what caseworkers check on the statements behind it.
Certified translation is £15.59 per page, delivered within 24 business hours, or £29.99 per page for same-day rush. The total depends mostly on how many pages the bank statements and accounts run to.
A self-employed pack is usually the bank statements first, the accounts second and the tax documents third. Before ordering, line up the financial year you're relying on and make sure every document covers the same period. A tax return for one year and statements for another isn't a smaller file, just a wrong one.
Send the whole pack in one order. The business name, the sponsor's name and the account numbers come out identical on every page, and figures that appear in more than one document read the same way. Tell us the passport spelling of every name. Every document includes two free revisions. You can get an instant quote by uploading the files, and our spouse visa translation service covers the relationship documents that go with it.
Yes. For applications made inside the UK, such as an extension or indefinite leave, the translation must also be certified by a qualified translator with details of the translator's or company's credentials. Our translations include this as standard.
Paragraph 39B of the Immigration Rules, repeated in Appendix FM-SE, sets out the basic format: a full translation that can be independently verified, dated, with confirmation of accuracy, the translator's or an authorised official's full name and signature, and contact details. In-country applications add the credentials.
Self-employed sponsors often find the second application easier than the first, because the business has a UK track record by then and more of the documents are in English. If the business is still partly abroad, the same pack comes round again, so keep your previous translations and the document list together. Our guide to spouse visa extension translations explains what to reuse and what to replace.
About the author
Felipe Menendez
Head of Translation, VisaDocTranslation
Felipe leads the translation team at VisaDocTranslation, overseeing certified translations for UK visa, Home Office and HMCTS submissions. He sets the quality standards every translation is checked against and writes about what UKVI caseworkers actually look for.
More about our teamThe last full financial year before the application, or an average of the last two full financial years where that shows the required level. All the documents should cover the same period as the tax return you rely on.
Yes, for a UK sole trader. Appendix FM-SE asks for business bank statements and personal bank statements for the same 12 months as the tax return, with the self-employment income visible in the personal account.
Invoices aren't on the main list in Appendix FM-SE, so they're usually supporting evidence rather than required documents. Translate them only if you or your adviser decide to rely on them.
Self-employed income is assessed over full financial years, so a business without a complete year of records may not meet the requirement through self-employment alone. Check the guidance or speak to an immigration adviser before ordering translations.
No. Directors of their own company follow different evidence rules, including the company's tax return and accounts. Our tax return translation guide covers what a director needs.
UKVI-accepted certified translations from £15.59 per page. Statement of accuracy included. 24-hour delivery.
Foreign tax returns, assessments and tax certificates translated in full for UKVI, UK mortgage lenders and accountants. From £15.59 per page.
Bank statements, payslips, tax returns, pension statements, company accounts and more — translated and certified for UKVI, UK mortgage lenders, accountants and courts. From £15.59 per page.
Foreign bank statements translated line by line — balances, transaction descriptions and bank stamps — for UKVI funds evidence and UK mortgage affordability checks. From £15.59 per page.
Everything you need translated for your spouse visa — marriage certificates, financial evidence, and relationship proof.
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