Certified Vietnamese Translation for Canada Express Entry

💡 Quick answer: For Canada Express Entry permanent residency, certified Vietnamese translation for Canada Express Entry is required for every document not in English or French. IRCC's rule has three parts: (1) a word-for-word certified translation, (2) a signed affidavit from the translator, and (3) a certified copy of the original. No apostille is needed.

What does certified Vietnamese translation for Canada Express Entry actually require?

IRCC's translation rule is stricter than USCIS. When you prepare certified Vietnamese translation for Canada Express Entry, every Vietnamese-language document in your application must be accompanied by three items, not just one translation.

The rule, published in IRCC's help centre (question 018), states: all supporting documents must be in English or French. If a document is in another language, you must submit a translation, an affidavit from the person who completed the translation, and a certified photocopy of the original document.

• Certified translation: A complete, word-for-word rendering of the entire source document, signed by a professional translator. The translation must include all text, including stamps, seals, and annotations, not just the printed body text.
• Translator's affidavit: A sworn statement, signed by the translator, confirming their competence in both Vietnamese and English or French and attesting that the translation is accurate. IRCC specifically prohibits this affidavit from being provided by a family member, immigration consultant, or lawyer.
• Certified photocopy of the original: A copy of the original Vietnamese document certified as a true copy. This is separate from the translation document itself.

IRCC does not accept translations by family members, regardless of their language skills. This is a firm rule, unlike USCIS, which accepts any competent translator who is not the applicant. IRCC defines a certified translator as someone "affiliated with a university, certified translation agency, or any other professional translation service." For many Vietnamese applicants, this is the most surprising aspect of IRCC's requirements, especially those who have previously used US immigration translations and are accustomed to the simpler USCIS standard.

Once you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) through the Express Entry portal, you have 60 days to gather and upload your complete document package. Given that some Vietnamese documents — particularly university transcripts for WES and police certificates — can take weeks to obtain, planning ahead is essential. Starting the translation process as soon as you submit your Express Entry profile is advisable.

One more point worth clarifying: IRCC does not require an apostille on Vietnamese documents for Express Entry. The three-part rule above is the complete authentication mechanism IRCC uses. As explained in this guide on IRCC apostille vs. certified translation, adding an apostille neither helps nor is required for Express Entry PR applications.

Which Vietnamese documents must be translated for your Express Entry PR application?

When IRCC invites you to apply, the online system generates a personalised document checklist based on your profile. Not every document requires a certified translation — language test results like IELTS and CELPIP are already in English. But all Vietnamese-language civil and financial documents must be translated. The table below shows the most common Vietnamese documents in an Express Entry application.

Document	Vietnamese name	Translation required?	Notes
Birth certificate	Giấy khai sinh	Yes	Required when declaring dependants or confirming civil status
Marriage certificate	Giấy đăng ký kết hôn	Yes	Required if marital status is "married"
Divorce decree	Quyết định ly hôn / Bản án ly hôn	Yes	Full court decision required, not a summary certificate
Criminal record certificate	Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp số 2	Yes	IRCC requires Certificate No. 2 specifically (not No. 1)
University diploma	Bằng đại học	Yes — for WES submission	WES does not translate; you provide certified translation
Academic transcript	Bảng điểm	Yes — for WES submission	University sends directly to WES in a sealed envelope; translation also required
Bank statements or proof of funds	Sao kê tài khoản / Thư xác nhận số dư	Yes, if in Vietnamese	Bank letter on letterhead; IRCC requires all documents in English or French
Employment reference letter	Thư xác nhận việc làm	Yes, if in Vietnamese	Must confirm job title, dates, salary, and hours per week
Language test results	Kết quả IELTS / CELPIP / TEF	No	Already issued in English or French
Passport biographical page	Hộ chiếu — trang thông tin	Typically no	IRCC does not routinely require translation of a standard passport

A note on employment letters: many Vietnamese employers — especially domestic companies — issue reference letters in Vietnamese. These must be translated for IRCC. An IRCC-compliant employment reference letter must state your job title, dates of employment, salary or hourly wage, and average hours per week. If any of this information appears only on the Vietnamese original, the certified translation must render all of it clearly.

Adoption certificates (giấy nhận con nuôi) and name-change decisions (quyết định thay đổi họ tên) are less common but must also be translated when present. Divorce decrees in Vietnam are typically multi-page court judgments, so budget for a longer translation than a standard one-page civil certificate.

Vietnam's police certificate for Canada Express Entry: Certificate No. 2 required

Vietnam issues two types of criminal record certificate. IRCC specifically requires Certificate No. 2 for Express Entry permanent residence applications. Certificate No. 1 is not an acceptable substitute.

The distinction matters. Certificate No. 2 contains a comprehensive judicial record, including any criminal history that has been expunged or spent. Certificate No. 1 shows only active criminal records. IRCC requires No. 2 precisely because it is the fuller document.

How to obtain the criminal record certificate (Certificate No. 2):

• If you are inside Vietnam: Apply at the District Department of Justice office in the district where your permanent residence address is registered. Many provinces now offer an online portal. Hanoi residents can use the Hanoi Department of Justice's online registration service.
• If you are outside Vietnam: Contact the National Center for Judicial Records, 9 Trần Vỹ Street, Mai Dịch Ward, Cầu Giấy District, Hanoi. Phone: +84 24 6273 9492. Applications can be submitted by mail or through a designated representative.

Validity: The certificate must be issued no more than 6 months before your PR application submission date, calculated from the country where you currently reside. If you are living in Canada or a third country when you submit, the 6-month window still applies to your current country of residence. Plan accordingly if you are in the middle of relocating.

Once you have the certificate, it needs a certified English or French translation, an affidavit from the translator, and a certified copy of the original, following IRCC's standard three-part rule. As covered in my detailed guide to Vietnamese criminal record certificates for Canada IRCC, translation of this document normally takes one to two business days.

Does your WES credential assessment require a Vietnamese translation first?

Yes. WES Canada does not provide translation services. Their documentation states plainly: "We do not currently provide this service. Therefore, you are responsible for providing any translations necessary to process your application."

This means you need a certified English or French translation of your university diploma before or at the time of WES submission. Your university must also send your academic transcript directly to WES in a sealed, signed, and stamped official envelope. WES does not accept transcripts the applicant submits themselves.

The typical WES submission process for a Vietnamese bachelor's degree:

1. Create a WES account and order a WES ECA Standard Application (approximately CAD $264–329, plus courier fees and applicable taxes).
2. Obtain a certified English translation of your diploma. Your university may issue an official English-language version — check with WES whether their English version qualifies; if not, commission a professional translation.
3. Request your official transcript from your university's international affairs or registrar office, to be sent directly to WES in a sealed institutional envelope. Vietnamese universities generally do not have electronic transcript partnerships with WES, so physical mail is the standard route and typically takes 4–12 weeks.
4. Once WES receives all documents, the assessment takes approximately 35 business days (around 7 weeks). Rush service costs an additional CAD $100 and reduces WES's processing to 5 business days.
5. Total end-to-end timeline for Vietnamese applicants: 8–16 weeks is realistic, with the university transcript request being the longest step.

The ECA result is valid for 5 years from the date of issue. It must still be valid both when you create your Express Entry profile and when IRCC receives your PR application. If it expires mid-process, you must redo the entire assessment. My guide to Vietnamese diploma translation for WES Canada covers the typical errors and document preparation steps in detail.

Indicative costs and turnaround for Vietnamese translation for Express Entry Canada

Translation costs depend on document type, page count, and complexity. The table below gives indicative ranges based on standard personal documents. These are indicative only — actual pricing depends on the translator and the specific document.

Document type	Indicative cost (USD)	Turnaround	Notes
Birth certificate	$55–80	1–2 business days	Standard 1-page document
Marriage certificate	$55–80	1–2 business days	Standard 1-page document
Divorce decree	$80–150	2–3 business days	Court documents often 3–5 pages
Criminal record certificate (No. 2)	$55–80	1–2 business days	Typically 1–2 pages
University diploma	$55–80	1–2 business days	Usually 1 page
Academic transcript	$80–200	2–4 business days	Cost depends on page count
Bank statements or proof of funds letter	$60–100 per page	2–3 business days	Includes column headers and all annotations
Employment reference letter	$55–80	1–2 business days	Typically 1 page

For IRCC, the translator's affidavit is typically bundled with the translation fee rather than charged separately. Rush service may add a premium for same-day or next-day delivery. A standard set of civil documents for one person — birth certificate, marriage certificate, criminal record certificate, and one employment letter — typically completes in 3–5 business days and costs approximately $220–320 USD in total. Add bank statements and multi-page financial records if those are in Vietnamese.

The WES ECA fee (approximately CAD $264–329) and the IRCC application fee are separate costs. In 2025, the principal applicant's PR application fee is CAD $1,455, with additional fees for dependants.

Why Express Entry applications with Vietnamese translations get refused

Translation deficiencies are one of the most common causes of IRCC document requests and application delays. The most frequent problems with Vietnamese certified translation in Express Entry applications are:

• Missing affidavit: Submitting only a translation without the sworn affidavit. Many applicants accustomed to USCIS standards assume affidavits are not needed; IRCC's standard is different and stricter.
• Family-member translation: IRCC explicitly prohibits translations by family members, regardless of their qualifications. This is a hard rule that results in document refusal without exception.
• Wrong police certificate type: Submitting Certificate No. 1 instead of No. 2. Certificate No. 1 is designed for domestic Vietnamese purposes; No. 2 is what IRCC requires for permanent residence applications.
• Expired police certificate: The certificate must be issued within 6 months of application submission. IRCC will request a new one if this window has lapsed.
• Expired ECA: A WES ECA older than 5 years is not accepted. If your assessment was done more than 5 years ago, you must reorder before your profile or application will be processed.
• Vietnamese bank documents not translated: Column headers, date formats, bank stamps, and annotations on Vietnamese bank statements are all part of the document and must be translated.
• Untranslated stamps and seals: IRCC states that all stamps and seals not in English or French must also be translated. A translation that omits Vietnamese-language stamps is incomplete and will be flagged.

As covered in my IRCC certified Vietnamese translation overview, the pattern across most refusals is documents that meet USCIS or Schengen standards but fall short of IRCC's affidavit requirement. Treating IRCC like USCIS is the single most common error Vietnamese applicants make.

FAQ

Source: IRCC — Apply for permanent residence through Express Entry (canada.ca); IRCC Help Centre — Document language requirements (qnum=018)

About the author

Dao Huy (Lucas) is a professional translator specialising in certified Vietnamese translation for Canada Express Entry, US immigration, and legal and financial documents, with over 7 years of experience across English, Vietnamese, Chinese, and French. He provides format-mirrored translations with a signed statement of accuracy and sworn affidavit, accepted by IRCC, USCIS, and Australian Home Affairs. His work covers everything from civil documents and WES credential submissions to complex multi-page court judgments and employment records.

For certified Vietnamese translation services, professional Vietnamese document translation, and multilingual localization for immigration and legal purposes, get a quote at daohuy.com.