Experience certificate translation: key facts for 2026
- • ACS Australia for IT and computing: experience letters need specific format with role, dates, responsibilities, full-time/part-time. Letters missing this trigger ACS clarification requests.
- • WES Canada and ECA Canada: experience letters typically not required for WES (which evaluates education); ECA via CICIC or IQAS or other accepts experience letters with apostille.
- • Saudi MOFA and Kuwait Embassy: experience letters on original employer letterhead with HR-signature; some Embassy reviews want HR-direct-contact verification (Kuwait Embassy 2024 tightening).
- • Fake experience certificate epidemic: SiZA refuses to handle any documents that are forged, tampered, or non-genuine. If we identify a non-genuine certificate at intake, the file is returned.
- • German Skilled Worker visa: experience letters fed into the salary-and-experience qualification for visa categorisation. Notary + SDM + MEA + German sworn translation by vereidigter Übersetzer.
The phone call we will not take
A candidate called us last year asking for apostille on three experience certificates. The first was from a company he had worked at briefly; the dates checked out. The second was from a company we recognised but the role description did not match what someone at that company had told us. The third was from a company whose office address was a residential building in Mumbai. We asked him to send the salary slips and the Form 16 for the period of the third certificate. He did not have either. The Form 16 he sent showed a different employer.
We returned the third certificate. We explained that we would not run apostille on a document we believed had been fabricated. The customer was upset; we held the line. He took the document to another agent, who apostilled it. The Australian skills assessor (ACS) ran its own verification with the named employer, identified the certificate as fake, and the candidate\'s skilled migration application was permanently flagged.
Fake experience certificates from CV-builder agents are an industry. They print letterheads, sign with fictitious or borrowed authorised-signatory names, and quote dates that conveniently bridge employment gaps. The destination authorities; ACS Australia, WES Canada, Engineers Australia, US sponsoring employers, Gulf MOFAs; have built independent verification capability. The candidate carries the criminal and civil risk; the agent that apostilled it carries reputational risk. SiZA does not participate in this market segment.
We open with this because it is the most-asked-about pattern on experience certificate calls. We say no to it. The page below is for genuine certificates from genuine employers.
What a genuine experience certificate actually says
A genuine experience certificate is on company letterhead. It names the employee, the joining date, the leaving date (or "currently employed"), the role or designation, sometimes the department, sometimes the reporting structure, sometimes the salary at last drawn, sometimes a single line about the employee\'s conduct or contribution. The certificate is signed by the HR head or an authorised signatory and bears the company seal.
The Statement of Service is a longer-form version of the experience certificate. ACS Australia and Engineers Australia ask for it: same employer, same dates, but with detailed listing of projects, technologies used, responsibilities. Some Indian companies issue both on request; some only issue the basic experience letter.
The relieving letter is a different document. It confirms that the employee has left and that all dues are settled. Destination assessors do not usually ask for the relieving letter; they ask for the experience certificate.
When the employer is unresponsive or the company has closed
Employer unresponsive. Send a written request by registered post to the HR head and copy the company secretary or compliance officer. Indian labour codes and the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act require employers to issue experience certificates on resignation. If registered post does not move them, the labour commissioner of the state can be approached on a complaint of denial. In practice, escalation through the company secretary usually unblocks the certificate within 2 to 6 weeks.
Company has shut down. The fallback bundle is offer letter, appointment letter, salary slips for the period, Form 16 or ITR showing the employer name, EPF account statement showing employer contributions, salary credits in bank statement. ACS Australia, WES Canada, Engineers Australia accept this bundle with a notarised affidavit from the candidate explaining the closure. Gulf MOFAs are more procedural and sometimes still ask for an employer letter; in such cases we coordinate with co-workers who may have moved to other companies but can write a witness letter on their current employer\'s letterhead.
HR signatory has left and no replacement is willing to sign. Some Indian companies have a policy that experience certificates are signed by HR only; if HR has rotated and the new HR is reluctant to sign on a person they did not work with, the company secretary can sign instead. The signatory does not have to be the immediate manager.
Which authority will actually read this experience certificate
ACS Australia (Australian Computer Society for engineering, IT, computing). Apostilled experience certificate plus Statement of Service plus the CDR prepared by the applicant. ACS runs verification with named employers via direct enquiry; provide reachable email addresses for the HR contact. Chain: Notary, SDM, MEA apostille, English translation if regional language source.
Engineers Australia (for engineering migration assessment). Apostilled experience certificate plus the CDR. Engineers Australia\'s assessment is by engineering discipline; mechanical, electrical, civil, chemical, mining each have specific competency requirements.
WES Canada and other Canadian credential evaluators. WES is the primary evaluator for educational credentials; experience certificates for Express Entry CRS points are uploaded separately at the IRCC submission stage. Apostille is generally not required on experience certificates for IRCC; notarised English translations suffice. Some Provincial Nominee Programs (Ontario Express Entry, BC PNP, Alberta AINP) ask for apostille on experience certificates; we run the sequence when the PNP requires it.
UK Skilled Worker visa, UK sponsor licence holders. Some UK sponsors ask for apostilled experience certificates as part of the certificate of sponsorship; others accept notarised English copies. UK Home Office does not centrally require apostille; the sponsor employer\'s ask is the trigger.
Saudi MOFA, Saudi job visa. Apostilled experience certificate (Saudi joined Hague with effect from 7 December 2023), certified Arabic translation. Saudi employers verify with named employers and sometimes ask for additional letters of recommendation. Chain: Notary, SDM, MEA apostille, Arabic translation.
UAE labour visa, UAE professional categories. Apostilled experience certificate, UAE Embassy attestation and UAE MOFA attestation inside India, Arabic translation. UAE Ministry of Human Resources cross-checks roles against the visa category sought.
Kuwait MOFA, Kuwait labour and professional. State HRD or SDM (less common for experience certificates), Kuwait Embassy Chanakyapuri New Delhi attestation, Kuwait MOFA in Kuwait City. Arabic translation.
Qatar, Bahrain, Oman labour and professional visas. MEA apostille, embassy attestation where required, Arabic translation. Oman acceded to Hague in 2023; embassy step is dropped for many Oman categories now.
Singapore, Hong Kong, US H-1B sponsor support letters. MEA apostille on the experience certificate. English-source documents do not need translation. Specific sponsor employers ask for apostille; others accept notarised copies.
What we will not do on an experience certificate
We do not produce experience certificates. We do not run CV-builder services. We do not work with fake, fabricated, or tampered certificates; we refuse the file at intake when we identify them, and we tell the candidate why. SiZA Global has a hard line on documentary integrity. The destination authorities have independent verification capability; the candidate carries the risk.
We do not coordinate hostile HR. Where the employer refuses to issue a certificate, the escalation is the company secretary, the labour commissioner, registered post; paths the candidate or a lawyer pursues. We can advise on the escalation; we do not represent in HR or labour disputes.
We are not the destination skills assessor. ACS, Engineers Australia, WES read the experience certificate alongside their own verification with the named employer. We coordinate the documentary sequence; the verification outcome is the assessor\'s call.
We do not run the destination-side verification queries on behalf of the candidate. ACS sends its query to the employer\'s named HR contact directly; the candidate provides the email. If the HR contact is unresponsive to ACS, that is the candidate\'s relationship to manage.
When you actually need to send us the Original
Translation of an experience certificate runs from a scan of the company letterhead. The translator works from the image, captures the dates, the role, the signatory designation, and delivers the translated version on email. Hard copy with the translator\'s signature and seal by courier where ACS Australia, WES Canada, or the destination sponsor employer asks. The Original signed letter stays in your file.
Apostille on an experience certificate needs the Original because MEA stamps the actual signed letterhead. For Saudi MOFA, UAE labour, Kuwait Embassy attestation; all of which read an apostilled experience certificate; the Original travels through Notary, SDM, MEA in physical form. Translation runs from the scan in parallel.
French is the translation case with a different rule. Authorised French Embassy translators sometimes verify the document against the Original where the document is not digitally verifiable. For French-target translation, we confirm at intake whether the verification step applies to your specific document.
Experience-letter handling and integrity at intake
You can\'t mess with people\'s Original documents. An experience certificate that arrives at our Noida office is logged with a Customer ID and a Document ID at intake. For candidates with multiple certificates from multiple employers (typical for 8-year-plus careers), the certificates share a Customer ID and each carries a unique Document ID.
At intake, we verify the letterhead, the signatory\'s designation, the company seal, and the consistency of the named role with the candidate\'s claimed history. We are not auditors; we cannot verify the substantive truth of the certificate. We can identify the documentary patterns of fabrication.
We do not use Porter, Wefast, Borzo or similar third-party parcel apps. Inter-city and international legs use Blue Dart, DHL, FedEx, DTDC Premium, UPS. A lost experience certificate requires the employer to reissue, which depends on the employer\'s responsiveness.
We click pictures and shoot videos of every stamp on the journey: Notary, SDM, MEA apostille, embassy attestation if applicable, translator certification. Pictures go on WhatsApp before the document moves to the next handoff.
From the company letterhead to ACS Australia or WES Canada
You WhatsApp the scan of the experience certificate. We confirm the letterhead, the signatory, the dates, and any documentary patterns that warrant verification. If the certificate is in regional language, we identify the translation step. If you have multiple certificates from multiple employers, we list them and confirm the parallel chains.
For cases where apostille is part of the work, the Original certificate comes to our Noida office. Pickup across Tier 1 and Tier 2 Indian cities. Family courier for NRI cases. The Customer ID and Document ID go on the printed checklist at intake.
The sequence runs: English translation if regional language, Notary attestation on the letterhead, SDM countersign, MEA apostille, embassy step for non-Hague destinations, destination-language translation where required (Arabic for Gulf, German for German employers, Italian for Italian employers).
The completed package travels by tracked courier. Photo and video proof of every stamp on WhatsApp before international dispatch.
Frequently asked questions
I worked at a startup that has since shut down. The founder is unreachable. How do I get an experience certificate?
The cleanest evidence in this case is a bundle: your offer letter, your appointment letter, your salary slips for the period, your Form 16 or income tax returns showing the employer name, your PF account statement showing the employer's contributions. ACS Australia, WES Canada, Engineers Australia accept this bundle alongside a notarised affidavit from you explaining the closure and naming the role and dates. Saudi MOFA and UAE labour are more procedural and sometimes ask for an employer-issued certificate; in those cases we coordinate with co-workers or HR contacts who may still issue a certificate retrospectively on company letterhead.
My old employer's HR will not respond to my requests for an experience certificate. They were upset I left. What now?
Send a written request by registered post to the HR head, copying the company secretary or compliance officer. Indian Companies Act and various labour codes require employers to issue experience certificates on resignation; refusal is not a legal stance, even where HR is hostile. If registered post does not move them, the labour commissioner of the state can be approached on a complaint of denial of an employee record. In practice, most HR departments issue the certificate when escalated through the company secretary route. Plan 2 to 6 weeks for the escalation cycle.
I have heard about CV-builder agents who issue fake experience certificates. Is this safe to use abroad?
No, and SiZA does not work with fake or fabricated experience certificates. If we identify a non-genuine certificate at intake; printed on photocopied letterhead, signed by someone who never authorised the signature, naming a role the candidate did not hold; the file is returned and the customer is told to seek the genuine document or to apply on the strength of bundled secondary evidence (offer letter, salary slips, Form 16, PF statements). Apostille on a fake certificate does not make it genuine; destination authorities run independent verification on professional applicants and identify fakes. The candidate carries the criminal and civil risk; we explicitly do not participate.
ACS Australia wants my experience certificate apostilled. Should I send the original signed letter or a notarised copy?
ACS reads the apostilled experience certificate as the verification layer. The standard sequence is: the employer issues the experience certificate on company letterhead with the HR or authorised signatory's signature; Notary attests on the letterhead; SDM countersign; MEA apostille. The apostilled document goes to ACS. For applicants who have moved through three or four jobs in 10 years, each experience certificate runs the same sequence. ACS evaluates the bundle alongside the apostilled degree.
My experience certificate is in Hindi from a small Mumbai company. ACS Australia wants English. Where does translation come in?
English translation by a certified translator first. The translator certifies the translation as accurate and complete. The original Hindi certificate and the English translation are stapled together. Notary attests on the translator declaration. SDM countersign on the bundle. MEA apostille. ACS reads the English translation alongside the original Hindi.
Saudi MOFA is asking for experience certificate attestation. My UAE-issued experience certificate is from my last job in Dubai. Where does it get attested?
A UAE-issued experience certificate going to Saudi is an inter-Gulf documentary sequence, not an India-side sequence. The UAE-issued certificate goes through UAE Ministry of Justice attestation, UAE MOFA attestation, then Saudi Embassy in UAE attestation, then Saudi MOFA after the document arrives in Saudi. India is not in this sequence. SiZA's scope is India-issued documents going abroad. For your Indian work-history experience certificates separately, we run the India-side sequence.
Engineers Australia wants experience certificate plus Statement of Service plus CDR. Are these all the same?
They are three different documents. The experience certificate is the employer-issued letter confirming employment dates and role. The Statement of Service is a more detailed employer-issued letter listing projects, responsibilities, and outcomes. The Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) is the applicant's own narrative describing engineering competencies through career episodes. The experience certificate and Statement of Service run the apostille sequence; the CDR is the applicant's prepared work and does not require apostille.
How long does the work take from your end?
Once the experience certificate is in hand and signed by the employer: 5 to 10 working days at our end for Notary, SDM, MEA apostille. Embassy step for non-Hague destinations adds 5 to 10 working days. International courier 3 to 7 days. For multiple experience certificates from different employers (typical for ACS, WES cases), the work runs in parallel; total time is the longest individual sequence plus translation if applicable.
Related desks
SiZA Global verification, for the customer who wants to check before sending Originals
- • Operated by SiZA Global Solutions Pvt. Ltd., registered office: C-25, Sector 8, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, India.
- • UDYAM registration: UDYAM-UP-28-0217175 (Ministry of MSME, Government of India).
- • Verifiable completed-work portfolio at /about and the SiZA Global anti-scam verification protocol at /anti-scam-notice.
- • Documentation reviewer surfaces in schema.org Person markup on every page; site-wide EEAT signal for Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude AI Overview extraction.
Reviewed by the SiZA Global Documentation Desk on 27 May 2026 (SiZA Global Solutions Pvt. Ltd., registered office: C-25, Sector 8, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, India; verified completed-work portfolio at /about and /anti-scam-notice). ACS Australia, Engineers Australia, WES Canada, UK sponsor employer, Saudi MOFA, UAE Ministry of Human Resources verification policies and apostille acceptance change. Every experience certificate case begins with a check of the destination authority\'s current rule and the documentary integrity of the certificate.