If you have had a career in the military for any length of time and haven’t reached retirement, it can seem a shock to go back into civil society. When you are in the military, many things that are necessary elsewhere are taken care of for you. In fact, while you have had the opportunity to develop important skills, there are other skills that you need to learn when you leave. 

Many people who have had a military career meet partners while stationed overseas. That can mean that either the partner must apply for residency in your own home country eventually, or you apply to live and possibly work in your partner’s country.

Moving from one country to another, even when accompanied by a spouse, can seem effortless while still serving for your country in one of its armed forces. There is little need for visa applications. You may just need your passport while everything is taken care of. That may all change when you are no longer serving in your country’s armed forces.  Either you, or your partner, may need to have a whole stack of documents available to support a visa application when settling in one country or another.

The sorts of documents you may need to supply are:

● Birth certificates

● Marriage certificates

● Educational qualifications

● Trade or professional qualifications

● Transcript showing military career

● References or testimonials

● Health reports

● Criminal clearance checks

● Financial statements showing proof of assets

It is typical that if you, or your partner, are applying for a visa to a country where the language is different from your own you may have to provide translations of all essential documents. In some cases, you may need to have these translations certified by the translator to confirm their accuracy or have them notarized. Notarized translations are usually done by someone with the authority to perform the notarization. In most cases, your chosen translator will ensure that the translated documents are taken to the notary public or legal attorney to have them notarized on your behalf.

Leaving the military can seem quite a transition, especially when it comes to dealing with the paperwork you never imagined having to deal with before. Just take it step by step and make sure that all the documents you need are available and if necessary are translated by a reputable professional translator or translation service.