Part of our certified translation guide: Certified Translation for USCIS — Requirements, Cost and Turnaround.
A birth certificate is the single most requested document in U.S. immigration filings. It appears in green card applications, adjustment of status, consular processing, naturalization, and almost every family-based petition. If yours is not in English, USCIS requires a certified translation to accompany it — and the rules for that translation are narrower than most people expect.
The governing rule is 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3): any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a full English translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, together with the translator’s certification that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English.
Three things follow from that, and each one trips people up:
For USCIS, generally no. Notarization verifies the identity of the person signing the certification — it says nothing about translation accuracy. USCIS requires certification, not notarization.
That said, some receiving bodies do ask for it: certain state agencies, some universities, some foreign consulates, and courts in particular jurisdictions. If a notarized version is requested, it is straightforward to add. Check the requirement of the body receiving the document rather than assuming.
No. USCIS does not accept translations prepared by the applicant, the petitioner, or a beneficiary of the petition. Even a fluent bilingual applicant cannot certify their own document, because the translator must be a disinterested party. A friend or relative who is competent in both languages may translate and certify, but using a professional service avoids questions about competence and completeness later.
| Element | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Full name as written on the original | Transliteration must be consistent across every document in the filing |
| Date and place of birth | Must match the petition exactly |
| Parents’ full names | Establishes the qualifying relationship in family-based cases |
| Registration number and date | Identifies the civil record |
| Issuing authority and registrar | Shows the document is government-issued |
| Every seal and stamp, described | Omitting these makes the translation incomplete |
| Signed certificate of accuracy | Required by 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) |
Where a name can be transliterated more than one way — common with Arabic, Cyrillic, Chinese and Korean records — the spelling on the translated birth certificate should match the spelling on the passport and on the petition. Inconsistent spellings across documents in the same filing invite a Request for Evidence, even when every document is genuine.
If the original record itself contains an error or an older spelling, translate it faithfully as written. Do not silently correct it; the discrepancy is handled with an explanatory note or an amended civil record, not by altering the translation.
Certified translation is normally priced per page, and a birth certificate is almost always a single page. Turnaround for a one-page civil document is typically same-day to two business days, with rush options where a filing deadline is close.
GEO Credential Services has prepared certified translations for immigration filings for more than 9 years, in 65+ languages, with a signed certificate of accuracy that meets the 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requirement on every order.
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