Getting your birth certificate translation right matters when you file with USCIS. The agency checks that the details you submit line up with everything else on record, so the document needs to be handled by people who do this work every day.
U.S. translators do not need any federal or state credential to deliver a certified translation. Anyone fluent enough in both languages can sign off on the work.
Understanding Birth Certificates
Issued by your government, a birth certificate confirms who you are and how old you are. You will find your name on it, along with the day you were born and the place it happened. Both the layout and the office that issues one will look different depending on the country.
People often use a birth certificate to prove identity when they apply for a passport or a driver's license.
When to Translate a Birth Certificate
A birth certificate written in another language has to be translated before any official body in your destination country will accept it.
In the U.S., immigration applicants often need a translated copy when they pursue a resident visa. Schools abroad may ask for one too if you plan to study overseas.
A handful of life events and filings call for a translated birth certificate:
- Passport application
- Driver's license application
- Custody
- Death
- Marriage
- Social security benefits
- School enrollment
Is Birth Certificate Translation for USCIS Necessary?
As noted above, anyone seeking permanent residence in the U.S. will be asked for a birth certificate by the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). When the original is in a language other than English, you must include a translation as well. The agency reads it to confirm your identity, settle which visa applies, and check for anything that could block approval.
USCIS Requirements
USCIS sets clear rules for these translations. Type the text rather than writing it by hand, mirror how the original is laid out, and have the work certified. A certified version should sit on the provider's letterhead and carry a statement of certification.
From your birth certificate, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services looks mainly for these details:
- Your full name
- Place and date of birth
- Your parents' full names
- A seal showing it is an official record from the issuing authority
Meeting every requirement keeps your translation from being held up, so review them carefully before you submit anything to USCIS.
What is a Certified Translation?
For official use, a certified translation reproduces every piece of visible text exactly as it appears, word for word. Whoever receives it, USCIS here, asks for certification so they can trust that the rendering is faithful.
Along with the translated text comes a signed declaration from the translator or company stating that the work fully and faithfully matches the source. People often call this a "Certificate of Translation Accuracy."
Worth remembering: U.S. translators do not need any federal or state credential to deliver a certified translation. Anyone fluent enough in both languages can sign off on the work.
Can I Translate My Birth Certificate Myself?
USCIS will not accept a birth certificate that you translated yourself and mailed in. The same goes for a friend or relative doing it for you, even a professional one, because the agency treats that as a conflict of interest and grounds for refusal. That said, if you or someone else has already done the translation, you can hand it to us to review, edit, and certify under our company for USCIS. We do this for as little as $11.99 on a 2-page birth certificate. Click here for details or to send your request.
Does My Translated Birth Certificate Need Notarization for USCIS?
For USCIS, certification is required and notarization is not. Notarizing a translation simply means a Notary verified the identity of whoever signed the Certificate of Translation Accuracy.
Other situations do call for both translation and notarization together. That combination shows up often with U.S. passport filings, school transcripts, and work contracts.
Do Notaries Translate Birth Certificates?
A Notary who has the right language skills and background can translate a birth certificate and certify it. What they cannot do is notarize a translation they produced themselves.
So they pick one role or the other: either they create the certified translation and let another person notarize it, or they hand off the translation and take care of the notarization step on their own.
What is the Cost of Birth Certificate Translation?
What you pay depends on a few things, including how long the document runs, which two languages are involved, and whether certification is needed. Expect an added fee as well if you want a birth certificate turned around fast.
For this article, let's say you want a certified birth certificate translation. Pricing usually runs per word or per page, with one "page" coming out to roughly 250 words. Per-word rates land anywhere from $0.08 to $0.30, while per-page rates fall between $15 and $140.
ABC Translations handles certified birth certificate translation in 120+ languages at $24.10 per page, with delivery inside 48 hours and USCIS approval guaranteed. Already have a translation in hand? We can check, edit, and certify it for USCIS for just $11.99, frequently the same day. Click here to learn about the $11.99 option or to submit your request.
How to Translate a Birth Certificate
Here is how the translation process plays out, laid out step by step:
- Send us your translation together with the original document and you can use our USCIS pre-translated certification service. If you go another route, you will need a qualified translator with no personal tie to you, or a translation company, to handle the birth certificate. For immigration work, confirm the company does immigration translation and reaches a 100% acceptance rate with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. We hold a 100% acceptance rate at ABC Translations, and a few other companies report the same.
- Ask for a price and an estimated turnaround. How long a birth certificate takes can shift with its length, its layout, the language pair, whether certification applies, and how urgently you need it. Even so, most birth certificates are finished within a day.
- Send a digital copy of the certificate to whichever provider you pick. Getting a quote means sharing a little about the document and what you need: how to reach you, the language it is written in, and the language you want it in.
- Once the translation is done, its accuracy is confirmed. After that you get a digital copy, plus any physical copies you need sent through the mail.
For most people the whole thing moves quickly and without fuss.
Other Important Information
A few more points worth knowing:
- A certified translation has no expiration date. It stays good for as long as you need it unless the agency asking for it sets a limit, which almost never happens.
- Translating your own birth certificate is off the table, and leaning on Google Translate will not work either. Beyond the accuracy problems it can introduce, Google Translate falls short of what USCIS asks for.
- The translation has to mirror the original, so you cannot rename anyone or fix a spelling slip in the translated copy. A certified version reflects the source faithfully and will carry over any mistakes it contains. To repair those, reach out to the office that issued the certificate and request a corrected one.
- Everything on the original birth certificate has to appear in the translation, seals and stamps included. When part of the document is too faint or unclear to read, the translator marks it "illegible."
Conclusion
Plenty of moments beyond a USCIS filing can prompt the need to translate a birth certificate. Whoever is asking for it, confirm their exact rules first so you know whether certification, notarization, or both apply.
We hope this guide gave you a solid grasp of how to translate a birth certificate and cleared up most of what you were wondering. Stick to every rule and guideline along the way, and you will keep your immigration case, or any other process that needs a translated certificate, from stalling.
