Arabic to English
Certified Birth Certificate Translation, Arabic to English
A certified Arabic to English translation of a birth certificate costs $24.95 per page, where one page is up to 250 words of the source document. A typical birth certificate runs 1 to 2 pages, so most orders come to $24.95 to $49.90. Certified orders are delivered in 2 to 3 business days as a PDF containing the complete translation and a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy from the qualified professional translator who completed or reviewed the work, prepared for official use including USCIS filings.
Pricing
Exact prices, shown before you pay
Most birth certificates fit in one page of up to 250 source words; long form certificates with marginal annotations, legalization stamps, or a filled reverse side can reach two. Certified translation is $24.95 per page, so a typical order of 1 to 2 pages comes to $24.95 to $49.90. The exact total is measured from your 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 reviewers require for a certified birth certificate translation
- Any document in a foreign language submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a full English language translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, together with the translator's certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)).
- For immigrant visa processing, the Department of State requires that documents not written in English, or in the official language of the country where the applicant is applying, be accompanied by certified translations that include a statement signed by the translator confirming the translator is competent to translate. NVC asks applicants to upload the foreign language document and the English translation together in a single file, original first.
- For an immigrant visa, the birth certificate itself must be issued by the official custodian of birth records in the country of birth and must show the date and place of birth and the parentage of the applicant, based on the original registration of birth. A translation cannot substitute for a certificate that lacks this content.
- The translation must be word for word and complete. Every element on the record is rendered, including headers, form numbers, registration numbers, seals, stamps, the registrar's signature block, marginal annotations, and any entries on the reverse side.
- Seals, stamps, and signatures that cannot be reproduced are described in brackets in the translation, for example [round seal of the Civil Registry Office] or [illegible signature], so the reader knows they exist on the original.
- Illegible words or damaged portions are marked as [illegible] in the translation. A qualified professional translator does not guess at unreadable text, because a guessed name or date that later conflicts with other evidence creates a discrepancy in the file.
- Personal names are transliterated consistently throughout the translation and should match the spelling used in the person's passport and other filings wherever the source script allows. Dates are rendered unambiguously so day and month cannot be confused.
Common reasons translations get rejected
- A summary, abstract, or partial translation is submitted instead of a full word for word translation. USCIS regulation requires a full English language translation, so an extracted or condensed rendering can be rejected.
- Seals, stamps, marginal notes, or text on the reverse side are left untranslated, so the English version does not account for everything visible on the original.
- The underlying document is wrong for the purpose, for example a hospital souvenir certificate or a baptismal record instead of the civil registry certificate. Translating the wrong document does not cure the problem; consular posts and USCIS expect the record from the official custodian of birth records.
- A short form extract is submitted for a process where the country-specific guidance in the Department of State reciprocity schedule calls for a full form certificate showing parentage, leading to a request for the correct version.
- Name spellings in the translation do not match the passport or earlier filings because of inconsistent transliteration, creating an identity discrepancy the adjudicator has to question.
Good to know
About Arabic-language birth certificates
An Egyptian computerized birth certificate usually lists the child's name, national number, sex, religion, nationality, and date and place of birth, then the names, religions, nationalities and national numbers of both parents, followed by the issuing office, date and seal. Ministry of Interior self service kiosks print computerized birth certificates for the holder or a first-degree relative, along with death, marriage and divorce certificates. A translator converts the Arabic-Indic digits, keeps every national number exactly, and notes the seal and security printing in brackets.
A Moroccan birth extract (نسخة موجزة من رسم الولادة, extrait d'acte de naissance, commonly called عقد الازدياد) is issued by the civil status office of the commune where the birth is recorded, and many are bilingual Arabic and French. The header names the prefecture or province, commune and office and gives the act number with the Hijri and the Gregorian year; the body gives the name, place and date of birth with the corresponding date in the other calendar, the parents and any marginal notes (بيانات هامشية, mentions marginales). The full copy (نسخة كاملة, copie intégrale) includes all marginal notes. A translator keeps both calendar dates and translates every marginal note.
Algeria's special birth certificate number 12 (شهادة الميلاد الخاصة رقم 12خ, extrait d'acte de naissance spécial 12S) is printed by the commune of birth from the civil status register on secure paper and carries the national identification number (رقم التعريف الوطني, NIN) that is unique to each Algerian. It is the version used for passports and ID cards, alongside the ordinary birth extract number 12. Algerian extracts are often bilingual Arabic and French with names in French spelling, and a translator keeps the NIN and the act number exactly.
In Iraq the hospital or midwife birth certificate (شهادة الولادة) is a temporary document used to enter the child in the central civil register, after which the identity card carries the official birth details; these certificates were issued in colour-coded copies. Births before 1958 were often registered later with the conventional date of 1 July, and Sudanese substitute age documents similarly show 1 January with an estimated year. A translator renders such conventional dates exactly as written and does not try to correct them.
In the United Arab Emirates, birth certificates are issued in Arabic and English by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, and all emirates have issued digital certificates since 30 December 2021. Saudi birth certificates come from the Civil Affairs department of the Ministry of Interior and give dates in the Hijri calendar, and Kuwaiti birth certificates have no middle name column, so all forenames appear in one field. For a bilingual certificate a translator translates the Arabic-only text, notes which parts were already in English, and checks that the Arabic and English parts agree.
Official Arabic-language civil records come from each country's civil status (civil registry) authority, usually part of the interior ministry. In Egypt this is the Civil Status Organization (مصلحة الأحوال المدنية, Maslahat al-Ahwal al-Madaniyya) of the Ministry of Interior, which issues the national ID card, birth, death, marriage and divorce records, and family and individual registry extracts (قيد عائلي, qaid a'ili, and قيد فردي, qaid fardi). Comparable bodies are Jordan's Civil Status and Passports Department (دائرة الأحوال المدنية والجوازات), the civil status and national card directorates of Iraq's Ministry of Interior, Lebanon's Directorate General of Personal Status (المديرية العامة للأحوال الشخصية), Saudi Arabia's Civil Affairs (الأحوال المدنية), and in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia the civil status office (الحالة المدنية, état civil) of the commune or town hall. Marriages and divorces are usually concluded before a religious official or court (a ma'zoun in Egypt, sharia or church courts in Jordan and the Levant, adouls in Morocco) and then registered with the civil authority.
Egypt issues birth certificates in two forms, a handwritten certificate from the Health Office (مكتب الصحة) of the district where the birth was registered, and a computerized certificate (شهادة ميلاد مميكنة, shahadat milad mumayakana) printed by the Civil Status Organization of the Ministry of Interior from the national civil registry database. Computerized birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates are printed at civil status offices and self service kiosks from the same database, and they show the 14 digit national number (الرقم القومي, al-raqam al-qawmi). An older handwritten certificate and a newer computerized printout of the same birth can differ in layout and spelling, so a translator translates the document actually supplied and does not merge the two.
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 USCIS require a certified translation of my birth certificate?
- Yes. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), any foreign language document submitted to USCIS must come with a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and accurate, plus the translator's certification of competence to translate that language into English.
- Can I translate my own birth certificate for USCIS?
- The regulation does not name who may translate, but a translation made by the applicant or a family member is commonly questioned because the certifier has a personal stake in the case. A certification signed by a qualified professional translator avoids that objection.
- Does the translation need to be notarized?
- No. USCIS requires a signed certification statement from the translator, not notarization. Some non-USCIS recipients, such as certain courts or foreign authorities, have their own rules, so check the specific recipient if the translation is not for USCIS.
- Do the stamps, seals, and handwriting on my birth certificate get translated too?
- Yes. A complete translation accounts for everything on the document, including seals, stamps, the registrar's signature, marginal annotations, and any entries on the back. Items that cannot be read are marked [illegible] rather than guessed.
- My birth certificate was issued in Egypt. What should I know before ordering?
- An Egyptian computerized birth certificate usually lists the child's name, national number, sex, religion, nationality, and date and place of birth, then the names, religions, nationalities and national numbers of both parents, followed by the issuing office, date and seal. Ministry of Interior self service kiosks print computerized birth certificates for the holder or a first-degree relative, along with death, marriage and divorce certificates. A translator converts the Arabic-Indic digits, keeps every national number exactly, and notes the seal and security printing in brackets.
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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