Certified translation
Certified Document Translation for an Asylum Claim
An asylum claim is decided either by USCIS on Form I-589 or by an immigration judge, and both require a full English translation of every foreign language document in the file. A certified translation costs $24.95 per page, where one page is up to 250 words of the source document, and there is no separate certification fee. A set covering the 5 document types most often translated for an asylum claim starts at $124.75. Files vary a great deal in size, and a larger set costs proportionally more, so the figure that matters is the one measured from your own documents. That measurement happens before payment, the full price appears on screen, and nothing is charged until the order is confirmed. Delivery takes 2 to 3 business days as a PDF holding the complete translation and a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy from the qualified professional translator responsible for the work.
Pricing
Exact prices, shown before you pay
Summed from the typical length of the 5 document types most often translated for an asylum claim. Certified translation is $24.95 per page, so a typical order of 5 to 46 pages comes to $124.75 to $1,147.70. The exact total is measured from your real document and shown before payment.
Standard
$19.95 per page
3 to 5 business days
A professional translation with digital delivery.
Certified
$24.95 per page
2 to 3 business days
A certified translation accepted for official use.
Premium
$39.95 per page
1 to 2 business days
A certified translation, translated first.
One page is up to 250 words.
Requirements
What an asylum filing requires of a translation
- Any document containing a 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 that language into English (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)).
- Any foreign language document offered by a party in immigration court proceedings must be accompanied by an English translation and a certification signed by the translator, printed legibly or typed, stating that the translator is competent to translate the document and that the translation is true and accurate to the best of the translator's abilities (8 CFR 1003.33).
- The Form I-589 instructions state that a document submitted with information in a foreign language must also be submitted with a full English translation, and that the certification must carry the translator's signature, printed name, the signature date, and contact information.
- Form I-589 is the asylum application on both routes, so the same translation instruction applies whether the application is filed with USCIS or filed with the immigration court.
- The EOIR Policy Manual requires a certification of translation to be typed, signed by the translator, and attached to the foreign language document itself, with the translator's address and telephone number included.
- Where one certification covers more than one document, the EOIR Policy Manual requires that certification to specify the documents it covers.
- Both authorities call for a full English translation of the document rather than a summary or a partial rendering.
- Every certified translation Eagle Translate delivers carries a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy stating that the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate, with the translator's name, the date, and a company address and telephone number on the certificate.
Common reasons translations get rejected
- A summary or partial translation does not satisfy either authority. The requirement is a full English translation of the document as a whole.
- The EOIR Policy Manual states that filings which are illegible may be rejected or excluded from evidence, which matters for a scanned or photographed source document as much as for the translation of it.
- A single certification used across several documents has to name them. A generic certification attached to a bundle does not meet the immigration court requirement.
- A sworn statement written in English for a person who is not fluent in English needs a certificate of interpretation confirming the document was read to them in a language they understand and that they understood it before signing. That is a different document from a certificate of translation.
- Because the certification is attached to the foreign language document, the source page and its English translation travel through the filing together rather than as two separate stacks.
- The EOIR Policy Manual asks for consecutive page numbers on every page and a table of contents with page numbers for any exhibit package, so a translated bundle needs to arrive already paginated and indexed.
Good to know
Documents named in the official asylum guidance
Passports and other travel documents, which the Form I-589 instructions ask for cover to cover.
Other identification documents named in the instructions, including a birth certificate, a military or national identification card, and a driver's license.
Evidence of relationship for each family member listed, such as birth or school records of children, a marriage certificate, or proof that an earlier marriage ended.
Supporting evidence, which the instructions describe as newspaper articles, affidavits of witnesses or experts, medical or psychological records, doctors' statements, periodicals, journals, books, photographs, official documents, and personal statements.
Documents relating to arrests, prosecutions, and convictions, which the EOIR Policy Manual asks parties to attach as pertinent documentation.
Published material, internet publications, and country reports, which the EOIR Policy Manual treats as categories of evidence parties submit.
How it works
From upload to certified delivery
Step 1
Upload and get an instant quote
Send us your document, choose your languages, and see your price right away.
Step 2
A professional translator translates it
A qualified professional translator translates your document.
Step 3
Reviewed for accuracy and certified
Your translation is reviewed for accuracy and certified with a signed certificate of accuracy.
Step 4
Receive your certified translation
You receive your certified translation, ready for official use.
Questions
Common questions
- Does every foreign language document in an asylum filing need an English translation?
- Yes. Federal regulation requires a full English translation for any foreign language document submitted to USCIS, and for any foreign language document offered by a party in immigration court proceedings.
- What has to appear on the translator's certification?
- The translator states that the English translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English. The Form I-589 instructions add the translator's signature, printed name, signature date, and contact information. For immigration court filings the certification must also be typed, signed, attached to the foreign language document, and carry the translator's address and telephone number.
- Can one certification cover several documents at once?
- The EOIR Policy Manual allows it and requires the certification to specify which documents it covers.
- Do I file the foreign language document as well as the translation?
- Yes. Both regulations are written so that the foreign language document is the item filed and the English translation accompanies it. In immigration court the certification is attached to the foreign language document itself.
- Should originals or photocopies be filed?
- The Form I-589 instructions state that documents filed with the application should be photocopies, and that if an original is sent, USCIS or the immigration court may keep it. The EOIR Policy Manual likewise asks for photocopies rather than originals in the filing, while originals are brought to individual calendar hearings.
- Can USCIS ask to see an original later?
- Yes. The regulation allows USCIS to request an original document for review at any time, with a deadline set in the request, and provides that the original is returned once it is no longer required.
- Does the certification have to be notarized?
- Notarization is not named in the USCIS regulation, in the immigration court regulation, or in the sample certificate EOIR publishes. What is required is a signed statement of competence, completeness, and accuracy, with the translator's identifying details.
- Does a summary translation count?
- No. Both authorities call for a full English translation of the document rather than a summary or a partial rendering.
- What happens to stamps, seals, and signatures in the translation?
- They are not dropped. Stamps, seals, signatures, and reference codes are described in bracketed form at the position they hold in the original, and the page structure is preserved, so the translation can be set beside the source document and followed line by line.
- How is terminology from another country's legal system handled?
- A term with no exact United States equivalent is rendered to carry the meaning it has in the system that issued it, rather than swapped for an American term that would change what the document says. Where a term needs explaining, the explanation sits in brackets beside it instead of replacing it.
- What does the Certificate of Translation Accuracy attest to?
- It attests to the accuracy of the translation. It states in those words that it does not attest to the authenticity of the source document or to the truth of its contents.
- What happens if a translated exhibit is hard to read?
- The EOIR Policy Manual states that filings which are illegible may be rejected or excluded from evidence.
A translation error is ours to fix
If your certified translation is rejected because of a translation error we made, we correct it at no charge, and if the corrected translation is rejected again for that same error we refund what you paid for it. Our Refund Policy sets out the conditions and what it does not cover. Your documents are encrypted and kept confidential from start to finish.
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