Why does USCIS need a certified translation of my late spouse's death certificate?

Two common reasons. If you are filing an I-360 widow or widower self-petition, the citizen spouse's death certificate is core evidence. If you or your current spouse were previously married, the death certificate proves that the earlier marriage ended, which filings such as the I-130, I-129F, and N-400 require. In both cases a foreign language certificate needs a full certified English translation under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3).

The death certificate includes a cause of death section. Is that translated too?

Yes. A certified translation must be complete, so any medical cause of death section on the certificate is rendered along with everything else. The translation never adds a cause of death the certificate does not state.

Does the translation need to be notarized?

Not for USCIS, which requires the translator's signed certification of completeness, accuracy, and competence rather than notarization. Probate courts, insurers, and banks set their own rules, so confirm the specific recipient's requirements if the translation is not for USCIS.

The record is old and partly handwritten. What happens with parts no one can read?

Unreadable words are marked [illegible] in the translation. A qualified professional translator does not guess at names, dates, or medical terms, because a wrong guess creates a conflict with the other documents in your file. If a critical field is unreadable, a clearer certified copy from the issuing registry is the fix.

Spanish to English

Certified Death Certificate Translation, Spanish to English

A certified Spanish to English translation of a death certificate costs $24.95 per page, where one page is up to 250 words of the source document. A typical death 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.

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Pricing

Exact prices, shown before you pay

Most death certificates are one page of up to 250 source words; certificates with a detailed medical cause of death section or attached registry transcriptions 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 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 reviewers require for a certified death certificate translation

A foreign language death certificate submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a full English language translation certified by the translator as complete and accurate, with the translator's certification of competence to translate from that language into English (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)).
For immigrant visa processing, the Department of State requires certified translations of civil documents, including death certificates, that are not in English or in the official language of the country of application, with a signed translator statement of competence.
The translation must be complete and word for word, covering the decedent's name, the date and place of death, the registering authority and registration data, informant details, seals, stamps, signature blocks, and any medical cause of death section if the certificate contains one.
The decedent's name must be transliterated consistently and should match the name as it appears in the related file, for example the prior marriage certificate in an immigration case or the estate documents in a probate matter.
Older or handwritten death registers frequently contain hard to read script. Illegible portions are marked [illegible] in the translation; a qualified professional translator does not reconstruct unreadable names, dates, or causes of death.
Seals, stamps, and signatures on the certificate are described in brackets in the translation so every element of the original is accounted for.
USCIS requires certification of the translation, not notarization. Courts, insurers, and other recipients set their own formal requirements, which can differ.

Common reasons translations get rejected

Only the main data fields are translated and the medical section, stamps, or registry annotations are skipped, so the translation is not the full rendering the regulation requires.
Illegible handwriting in older death registers is guessed at instead of being marked [illegible], producing a name or date that conflicts with other documents in the file.
The decedent's name in the translation does not match the name on the related marriage certificate or estate papers because of inconsistent transliteration, so the reviewer cannot connect the death to the person in question.
A burial permit, funeral home document, or medical certificate of death is translated and submitted in place of the civil registry death certificate that the process actually requires.
In immigration cases, the death certificate proving a prior marriage ended is missing or untranslated, which blocks a finding that the current marriage is valid and triggers an RFE.

Good to know

About Spanish-language death certificates

Named acta de defuncion in Mexico, certificado de defuncion in Chile and Spain, and partida or certificacion de defuncion elsewhere. These records state the cause of death in clinical Spanish drawn from the physician's certificado medico de defuncion, so accurate medical terminology matters in the translation.

Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), any foreign-language document submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a full English translation that 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.

All major Spanish-speaking countries except Cuba are contracting parties to the Hague Apostille Convention: Spain (1978), Argentina (1987), Panama (1990), Mexico (1994), El Salvador (1995), Venezuela (1998), Colombia (2000), Ecuador (2004), Honduras (2004), Dominican Republic (2008), Peru (2010), Costa Rica (2011), Uruguay (2012), Nicaragua (2012), Paraguay (2013), Chile (2015), Guatemala (2017), and Bolivia (2017).

How it works

From upload to certified delivery

Step 1

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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.

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Questions

Common questions

Why does USCIS need a certified translation of my late spouse's death certificate?: Two common reasons. If you are filing an I-360 widow or widower self-petition, the citizen spouse's death certificate is core evidence. If you or your current spouse were previously married, the death certificate proves that the earlier marriage ended, which filings such as the I-130, I-129F, and N-400 require. In both cases a foreign language certificate needs a full certified English translation under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3).
The death certificate includes a cause of death section. Is that translated too?: Yes. A certified translation must be complete, so any medical cause of death section on the certificate is rendered along with everything else. The translation never adds a cause of death the certificate does not state.
Does the translation need to be notarized?: Not for USCIS, which requires the translator's signed certification of completeness, accuracy, and competence rather than notarization. Probate courts, insurers, and banks set their own rules, so confirm the specific recipient's requirements if the translation is not for USCIS.
The record is old and partly handwritten. What happens with parts no one can read?: Unreadable words are marked [illegible] in the translation. A qualified professional translator does not guess at names, dates, or medical terms, because a wrong guess creates a conflict with the other documents in your file. If a critical field is unreadable, a clearer certified copy from the issuing registry is the fix.
My death certificate was issued in Mexico. What should I know before ordering?: Named acta de defuncion in Mexico, certificado de defuncion in Chile and Spain, and partida or certificacion de defuncion elsewhere. These records state the cause of death in clinical Spanish drawn from the physician's certificado medico de defuncion, so accurate medical terminology matters in the translation.

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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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