Part of our certified translation guide: Certified Translation for USCIS — Requirements, Cost and Turnaround.
Certified, notarized, sworn, apostilled — four words used almost interchangeably online, describing four different things. Ordering the wrong one wastes money and, when a filing deadline is close, wastes time you do not have. Here is what each actually means and which one U.S. immigration authorities require.
A certified translation is a complete translation accompanied by a signed statement from the translator attesting that it is accurate and complete and that they are competent to translate between the two languages. That signed statement is the certification.
This is what USCIS requires. The rule is 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), and it asks for exactly this and nothing more. No notary, no government registration, no apostille.
A notarized translation is a certified translation where a notary public has additionally witnessed the translator signing the certification. Worth understanding clearly: the notary attests to the identity of the signer, not to the accuracy of the translation. A notary who speaks no Portuguese can notarize a Portuguese translation.
USCIS does not require notarization. Some universities, state licensing boards, courts and foreign consulates do. Order it when the receiving body asks for it — not by default.
A sworn translation is produced by a translator who has been formally authorized by a government body or court to produce legally valid translations, and who applies their own seal and registration number. The concept exists in civil-law countries — Spain (traductor jurado), France (traducteur assermenté), Germany, Italy, Brazil, Mexico and others.
The United States has no system of sworn translators. There is no U.S. government register, no official appointment, no seal. So a request for a “sworn translation” for a U.S. filing is nearly always a request for a certified translation, phrased in the language of the requester’s home country. If you are submitting to Spain or Brazil, however, a genuine sworn translator in that country may be required.
An apostille is not a translation at all. It is a certificate under the Hague Convention that authenticates the origin of a public document so it can be recognised in another member country. It authenticates the original document — a birth certificate, a court record — not its translation.
You may need both: an apostille on the original civil document and a certified translation of it. They are separate steps obtained from different places. Apostilles come from the issuing country’s designated authority, usually a Secretary of State or foreign ministry.
| Type | What it certifies | Required by USCIS? |
|---|---|---|
| Certified | The translation is complete and accurate | Yes |
| Notarized | The translator’s identity when signing | No |
| Sworn | Translator authorized by a foreign government | No — does not exist in the U.S. |
| Apostille | Authenticity of the original document | No — and it is not a translation |
Ask the body receiving the document what it requires, in writing where possible, and order to that. Paying for notarization nobody asked for is a small waste; discovering at the counter that you needed it is a much larger one.
GEO Credential Services provides certified translations meeting the 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) standard in 65+ languages, with notarization available where the receiving body requires it.
Back