Certified Chinese (Traditional) marriage certificate translation services

What the receiving authority requires

The single most useful thing you can do is find out who will read your translation and what they ask for. The rule comes from the office that receives the document, not from the translator. Here is what some of the most common authorities state in their own words.

For United States immigration, the requirement is built around a certification. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) states: "Any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS shall be accompanied by a full English language translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, and by the translator's certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English." (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)). Every certified translation we deliver carries exactly this kind of signed statement.

For Canada, the rule points to who does the work. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) states: "If your documents are not in English or French, you must send a translation from a certified translator with your application." (IRCC Help Centre - Applying - General).

For the United Kingdom, the focus is on what the translation must show. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) states that the translation must confirm "that it's a 'true and accurate translation of the original document', the date of the translation, their full name and contact details" (GOV.UK 'Certifying a document' - 'Certifying a translation' section). Our certification includes each of these details.

For Australia, the rule names a specific body. Department of Home Affairs (Australia) states: "Translations in Australia must be performed by a translator who is accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI)." (Australian Government document translation policy administered by the Department of Home Affairs). If your file is bound for Australia, tell us before you order so we can confirm we can meet this requirement for your case.

When you also need an apostille or legalization

Some authorities want more than a translation. They want proof that the original certificate is genuine, which is where an apostille comes in. An apostille is a certificate that confirms the document's origin for use in another country.

Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) explains the purpose this way: "The purpose of the Convention is to abolish the traditional requirement of legalisation, replacing the often long and costly legalisation process with the issuance of a single Apostille certificate by a Competent Authority in the place where the document originates." (Hague Apostille Convention (HCCH Convention of 5 October 1961) - Apostille Section).

An apostille and a translation are two separate steps. The apostille is issued by the competent authority in the country where the certificate was created, and the translation is what makes the document readable for the office that receives it. If your destination asks for both, plan for the apostille first and the translation after, since the translation can then cover the apostille as well.

What a certified translation looks like

You receive a digital PDF paired with a signed, stamped certificate of accuracy. We clean up the layout so it reads well, though we do not recreate the exact look of your original.

Your certification statement includes:

• A formal attestation that the translation is accurate.
• A short description of the document and its language pair.
• A company representative's name, contact details, and signature.
• Company letterhead that binds every page together.