What New Zealand Readers Need From a Translated Bank Statement
There is no single New Zealand rule for bank statement translations. Immigration New Zealand has its own translation requirements, and lenders, accountants and courts each set their own. What they share is simple: the English version must be complete, it must match the original exactly, and it must be certified by someone other than you. The points below come from INZ's published guidance on English translations and from the statements we translate every month.
Proof of Funds for a Visa
For visitor visas, INZ says translations of other documents need not be certified, but it also says partial translations of proof-of-funds documents may not be accepted, so those must be translated in full. For residence and most other visas, translations should be certified as correct and stamped or signed by the translator or translation business. Translations by you, your family or the adviser on your application are not accepted. If your statement shows funds you plan to rely on, translate the whole statement, not just the closing balance.
Statements for a New Zealand Mortgage
Lenders want to see income, savings history and any debts held overseas. Each bank decides what it needs in English, so check with your lender or broker first. A recent example from our files: a client buying a home sent an overseas student loan statement, written in Dutch, so the lender could see the outstanding balance and repayment terms. Loan statements are often as important to a lender as savings, because they affect how much you can borrow.
From Our Recent Files
- Statements sent from overseas. Several clients living in Europe sent French bank statements before moving to New Zealand. Our French to English translation service handles these with the same figure checks.
- The same file sent twice. People often upload a statement again if they have not heard back. Our team checks for repeats so you are only quoted once.
- Wrong language direction. Occasionally a statement is submitted as English to another language by mistake. If your document is not in English and you need it in English, we confirm the direction before quoting.
What We Translate and What We Leave As Is
We translate headings, transaction descriptions, notes, stamps and the bank's own disclaimers. We keep account numbers, IBANs, reference codes and payee names exactly as printed, because changing them would break the link to the original. Amounts stay in their original currency. If you need a conversion into NZD, your lender or adviser will apply the exchange rate they accept.
Business Accounts and Company Financials
Personal and sole-trader statements are covered on this page. For company accounts, annual reports and audited financial statements, see our business document translation service.
Pricing and Turnaround
A one-page statement is priced from $49, GST inclusive. Multi-page statements and six or twelve months of history are quoted by page count after we see them. Standard delivery is 2–4 working days, with express (within 24 hours, +$20) and urgent (within 12 hours, +$50) options.