Certified Translation for USCIS

If you're filing with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and any of your documents are in Spanish, you'll need a certified English translation of each one. SurePage Translations prepares complete, word-for-word English translations with a signed translator certification, ready to include with your application or petition.

What USCIS asks for

The federal regulation that governs USCIS filings, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), says that any document containing a foreign language must be accompanied by a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and accurate, along with the translator's certification that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English.

In practice, that means three things:

• Everything is translated. Not a summary. Stamps, seals, handwritten notes, margin annotations and text on the back of the page are included.
• The translator signs a certification stating that the translation is complete and accurate.
• The translator states their competence to translate from Spanish into English.

Our guide What USCIS requires from a certified translation explains each point in more detail.

How SurePage handles your USCIS translation

1. Upload your document. Take a clear photo or scan of every page, including the back if it has any writing, stamps or seals. PDF, JPG and PNG files work.
2. Tell us where you're submitting it. Choose "U.S. immigration (USCIS)" so your translation is prepared for that purpose.
3. Review your pages and see your price. You confirm that every page is included and grouped correctly, and you see your exact total before you pay. No surprises.
4. A qualified translator translates and certifies it. A human translator who has passed our Spanish-to-English assessment translates the full document and signs the certification for it.
5. Download your certified translation. You receive a PDF by email and in your account. Printed copies by mail are available if you need them.

Each document gets its own certification that names the document translated, so your translations are easy to match to your originals.

Common documents for USCIS filings

Applicants often need certified translations of:

• Birth certificates (actas de nacimiento)
• Marriage certificates (actas de matrimonio)
• Divorce decrees and annulment records
• Police and court records
• Diplomas and transcripts
• Death certificates, adoption records, identity documents and supporting letters

Which documents you need depends on the form you're filing and your situation. Your form's instructions and, if you have one, your attorney are the best guide.

Why the details matter

Translation problems are an avoidable source of delays. Common issues include translations that leave out a stamp or a handwritten note, names spelled differently from the original or from your other documents, missing certifications, and one certification covering several unrelated documents. We translate every element of the page, follow the spelling in your original, and certify each document separately.

If you need a name spelled a particular way (for example, to match your passport), you can tell us in the special instructions when you request your quote.

What we can and can't promise

We prepare translations to the standard set out in USCIS's regulation, and every certified translation is signed by a qualified human translator. We can't guarantee that USCIS, or any other office, will accept a document; that decision always belongs to the receiving office. If something in our translation needs fixing, corrections are free for 30 days after delivery.

Your documents stay private

Uploads are encrypted in storage and in transit. Translators view your document only in a secure, watermarked viewer while they're assigned to your order, and they sign confidentiality agreements.