Do the 28 days have to be the 28 days immediately before I apply?

Not exactly. Under Appendix Finance FIN 7.2, the 28-day holding period is counted back from the closing balance date on your most recently dated piece of financial evidence, and that evidence must itself be dated within 31 days of applying (FIN 7.1). In practice this means the last day covered by your bank statement needs to fall within 31 days of your application date, and the balance cannot have dropped below £2,530 at any point in the 28 days counting back from that closing date.

My bank account is jointly held with a family member. Does that still count?

Yes. FIN 8.1 allows funds held in a personal account "including current, deposit, savings" that can be accessed immediately, and a joint account held with someone else qualifies. The applicant still needs to be able to show control of the funds, so keep the statement showing your name on the account.

Will a printout from my online banking app work instead of a branch-issued document?

We do not know. GOV.UK's Appendix Finance sets the rules for the funds themselves, but it does not list which specific document formats it will accept as evidence, and we have not found a page that says whether a self-printed statement is treated the same as one issued and stamped at a branch. Check GOV.UK's current guidance, or ask UKVI directly, before relying on a printout alone.

Should I keep more than £2,530 in the account because of the exchange rate?

Most Japanese bank accounts eligible for this hold yen, not pounds, and your statement will show a yen balance. We have not found the specific Immigration Rules clause covering how a yen balance gets converted for this assessment, so we cannot state the exact method here. Giving yourself a comfortable margin above £2,530 for the full 28 days is a reasonable precaution against exchange-rate movement, but confirm the conversion approach against GOV.UK's current guidance if you are close to the threshold.

Does the translation need to cover every line of the statement, or just the closing balance?

GOV.UK asks the translator to confirm that the translation is "a true and accurate translation of the original document," not of a summary or an extract. We translate every entry on the pages you submit, in the same layout as the original, so a reviewing officer can check the running balance across the full 28-day period rather than trusting a single figure.

How soon after getting the statement from my bank should I order the translation?

As soon as you have it. Because the most recent piece of financial evidence must be dated within 31 days of your application (FIN 7.1), waiting to arrange the translation eats directly into that window. We deliver within 48 hours of payment confirmation, which normally leaves comfortable room, but ordering promptly avoids any risk of the 31-day window closing before you can submit.

Guide

The bank statement you need to translate for a UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa

The UK's Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) visa lets Japanese nationals aged 18 to 30 live and work in the UK for up to two years. Alongside a passport, the financial requirement is the part that most often needs a Japanese document translated: proof that you held £2,530 for 28 consecutive days, shown through a bank statement. Below is what GOV.UK and the Immigration Rules require, which document to request at a Japanese bank branch, and what UKVI requires of the translation.

Japanese nationals apply directly, with no ballot

Japan's allocation for the Youth Mobility Scheme in 2026 is 6,000 places, and Japanese nationals are outside the invitation-to-apply arrangements that still apply to Hong Kong, India, and Taiwan applicants. That distinction matters because a ballot used to apply to Japan too: it was scrapped on 31 January 2024, and Japanese nationals who meet the age and financial requirements can now apply online at any time of year rather than waiting for a selection round.

The application fee is £340, and the Immigration Health Surcharge adds £776 for the standard two-year visa. GOV.UK states that applicants usually get a decision within three weeks of applying.

The documents you upload

GOV.UK lists three categories of required evidence for the Youth Mobility Scheme: a valid passport, a bank statement showing at least £2,530 in savings, and tuberculosis (TB) test results for applicants from countries on the TB-test list. Japan is not on that list, so for an application made from Japan, the documents reduce to two: the passport and the bank statement. Country-specific extra documents, such as a certificate of good conduct, are required only for applicants from Andorra, Iceland, San Marino, and Uruguay, and do not apply to Japanese nationals.

The financial requirement: £2,530 held for 28 consecutive days

Immigration Rules Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme sets the amount and the holding period directly: "The applicant must have funds of £ 2,530" (YMS 5.1), and "the applicant must show that they have held the required level of funds for a 28-day period and as specified in Appendix Finance" (YMS 5.2). GOV.UK's eligibility page states the same requirement in plainer terms: "You will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of applying for this visa."

Appendix Finance supplies the mechanics. FIN 7.1 requires the most recently dated piece of financial evidence to be dated within 31 days before the date of application, and FIN 7.2 states that the 28-day holding period is calculated "by counting back from the date of the closing balance on the most recently dated piece of financial evidence." Because a caseworker is checking that the balance did not drop below £2,530 at any point across those 28 days, a single-day balance certificate cannot demonstrate this on its own. The document that actually shows it is a transaction history covering the full period, not a snapshot of one date.

Which account qualifies

FIN 8.1 allows "any form of personal bank or building society account (including current, deposit, savings, pension from which the funds can be withdrawn or investment account) provided the account allows the funds to be accessed immediately," and a joint account in your name qualifies. FIN 8.2 rules out funds that cannot be withdrawn immediately: shares, bonds, a credit card's available limit, and a pension that cannot be drawn on demand are not accepted as evidence, regardless of the notice period involved.

If your account holds Japanese yen, as most personal accounts in Japan do, we have not found a GOV.UK page or Immigration Rules clause stating exactly how the conversion to pounds is calculated for this assessment. Giving yourself a margin comfortably above £2,530 for the full 28 days is a reasonable way to absorb exchange-rate movement, but check GOV.UK's current guidance for the conversion method itself.

What a Japanese bank issues, and what it is called

Japanese banks do not issue a document called a "bank statement" in English. The transaction history that covers a 28-day period goes under different names depending on the bank, and all of them are issued in Japanese. Documents we have translated for this purpose include Japan Post Bank's 通常貯金預払状況調書 (ordinary savings transaction statement), a shinkin bank's 預金取引履歴照会票 (deposit transaction history inquiry form), MUFG Bank's 取引推移一覧表 (transaction summary list), and passbook printouts showing entries recorded through 通帳記入 (passbook updating) at an ATM or counter.

A separate document, 預金残高証明書 (certificate of deposit balance), confirms the balance as of one specific date rather than a running history. Japan Post Bank will issue this certificate of balance in English at the counter for a fee of 1,100 yen, with the balance stated in Japanese yen, but as noted above it shows only a single date and cannot by itself demonstrate 28 consecutive days of holding. Whether a printed copy of an online banking statement is accepted in place of a branch-issued document is not addressed on GOV.UK, so we cannot confirm it either way; requesting a document at a branch counter is the safer route.

What UKVI requires of the translation

The Youth Mobility Scheme documents page states plainly: "You'll need to provide a certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh." GOV.UK's "Certifying a document" guidance sets out what that certification must contain: the translator's written confirmation that it is "a true and accurate translation of the original document," the date of the translation, and the translator's full name and contact details. The Home Office's own supporting-document guidance for visitor visas, which describes the same certification standard used across UK visa categories, adds that the translation must also carry "the translator's full name and signature."

Separately from the wording above, several applicants who have ordered from us have sent this checklist before ordering, drawn from their own research rather than quoted from a single GOV.UK page. It overlaps with the requirements above but is not identical to them, so we list it on its own terms alongside how our certificate addresses each point:

Confirmation that the translation is a true and accurate translation of the original document The certificate carries this confirmation in the wording GOV.UK asks for.
The date of the translation The date the translation was completed is stated on the certificate.
The full name and signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company The translator’s full name and handwritten signature appear on the certificate.
The contact details of the translator or translation company Reachable contact details are on the certificate, so the Home Office can verify the translation independently.

Whether a submission is accepted is always the decision of the authority receiving it. Confirm the current requirements on GOV.UK before you apply.

What you receive, and what it costs

Translation of a Japanese bank document is $24.95 per original page. Every order includes the full translation plus a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy, delivered by email in PDF and Word formats within 48 hours of payment confirmation.

On the order form, give us the spelling of your name exactly as it appears in your passport. We use that spelling throughout the translation so the account holder named on the statement reads as the same person as the applicant on your visa. What we do not do is alter how the original document itself is printed: names, memo fields, and any other entries are translated exactly as they appear on the original, even where the phrasing looks inconsistent, because changing the original's content would contradict the accuracy our certificate is signed to confirm.

Ordering a translation for a YMS application

Because the 31-day window runs from the moment your bank issues the statement, the practical approach is to request the document from the bank once your 28 days are up, then send it to us immediately rather than waiting. On the order form, select United Kingdom as the destination country, "UKVI / Home Office — applying from outside the UK" as the receiving authority (or the inside-the-UK option if that applies to you), Bank statement as the document type, and No for notarization, since UKVI's standard requirement is a certified translation rather than a notarized one.

Start your order on the order form.

Common questions

Do the 28 days have to be the 28 days immediately before I apply? Not exactly. Under Appendix Finance FIN 7.2, the 28-day holding period is counted back from the closing balance date on your most recently dated piece of financial evidence, and that evidence must itself be dated within 31 days of applying (FIN 7.1). In practice this means the last day covered by your bank statement needs to fall within 31 days of your application date, and the balance cannot have dropped below £2,530 at any point in the 28 days counting back from that closing date.
My bank account is jointly held with a family member. Does that still count? Yes. FIN 8.1 allows funds held in a personal account "including current, deposit, savings" that can be accessed immediately, and a joint account held with someone else qualifies. The applicant still needs to be able to show control of the funds, so keep the statement showing your name on the account.
Will a printout from my online banking app work instead of a branch-issued document? We do not know. GOV.UK's Appendix Finance sets the rules for the funds themselves, but it does not list which specific document formats it will accept as evidence, and we have not found a page that says whether a self-printed statement is treated the same as one issued and stamped at a branch. Check GOV.UK's current guidance, or ask UKVI directly, before relying on a printout alone.
Should I keep more than £2,530 in the account because of the exchange rate? Most Japanese bank accounts eligible for this hold yen, not pounds, and your statement will show a yen balance. We have not found the specific Immigration Rules clause covering how a yen balance gets converted for this assessment, so we cannot state the exact method here. Giving yourself a comfortable margin above £2,530 for the full 28 days is a reasonable precaution against exchange-rate movement, but confirm the conversion approach against GOV.UK's current guidance if you are close to the threshold.
Does the translation need to cover every line of the statement, or just the closing balance? GOV.UK asks the translator to confirm that the translation is "a true and accurate translation of the original document," not of a summary or an extract. We translate every entry on the pages you submit, in the same layout as the original, so a reviewing officer can check the running balance across the full 28-day period rather than trusting a single figure.
How soon after getting the statement from my bank should I order the translation? As soon as you have it. Because the most recent piece of financial evidence must be dated within 31 days of your application (FIN 7.1), waiting to arrange the translation eats directly into that window. We deliver within 48 hours of payment confirmation, which normally leaves comfortable room, but ordering promptly avoids any risk of the 31-day window closing before you can submit.

Sources (last reviewed September 2026)

Amounts, allocations, and fees can change. Check GOV.UK's current guidance before you apply.

Bank statement translation is $24.95 per original page, delivered in PDF and Word formats within 48 hours of payment. Get a fixed quote.