Application · Canada
Document translation for a Canada visa, from Douala
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The cheapest answer first: IRCC accepts English and French, so most Cameroonian documents go into a Canadian file exactly as they are, whether they were issued in Bamenda or in Douala. Only a document in a third language needs translating — and IRCC then also wants a sworn declaration from the translator.
Study · work · permanent residence · sponsorship
When a translation is genuinely needed
When a document is in a third language. Typically, a police certificate from another country you lived in — many programmes ask for one per country of extended residence — or a degree earned outside Cameroon, in Germany, China or an Arabic-speaking country.
For those documents IRCC wants three things: the full translation, a certified copy of the original and, if the translator is not certified in Canada, a declaration sworn before someone authorised to take oaths.
Our statement is not an affidavit.
It is signed and stamped, and it is enough for other destinations. For IRCC, the oath still has to be sworn. Talk to us before ordering, and always check the current instructions on IRCC’s website: they are the authority, not us.
The application goes through a portal: uploaded files are what gets read first.
Sorting your file in three minutes
Look at the language of each document
English or French: nothing to do. Any other language: translation needed.Look at the stamps and handwritten entries too
An English certificate with a French stamp stays entirely within Canada’s official languages. An entry in a third language does not.Send us only what is left
We tell you whether a translation is justified, and what IRCC will ask for on top.
Frequently asked questions
My birth certificate was issued in English in Bamenda. Does IRCC need a translation?
No. English is one of Canada’s two official languages, and IRCC accepts documents written in English or French. A certificate from Bamenda, Buea or Douala goes into your file as it is — so does a bilingual one.
What about an Express Entry profile?
Same rule. Work letters, payslips, police certificates and diplomas issued in Cameroon in English or French are uploaded as they are. Translation only comes in for a document written in a third language.
When does a Canadian file genuinely need a translation?
When a document is in a language other than English or French: a police certificate from a third country you lived in, a degree earned in Germany or China, a record in Arabic. IRCC then asks for the translation, a certified copy of the original and, if the translator is not certified in Canada, a sworn declaration by that translator.
Is Verbatim’s statement of accuracy enough for IRCC?
Not on its own. Our statement is signed and stamped; for a translator who is not certified in Canada, IRCC asks for a declaration made under oath before a person authorised to administer oaths. Check the current instructions on IRCC’s website, and talk to us before you order.
For destinations where translation really is required, see which documents to translate for a visa. If your file also goes to the US embassy, your French documents will need English there. For the immigration route itself, see Canadian permanent residence and family sponsorship.
IRCC checklist