How long is my police certificate valid?

Police certificates are treated as valid for two years. The exception is a certificate from a country of previous residence, which stays acceptable if you have not returned to that country since it was issued. Check the date before ordering the translation so you do not translate a certificate that will be expired at your interview.

Which countries do I need police certificates from?

If you are 16 or older, you need one from your country of nationality if you lived there at least 6 months, from your current country of residence if you lived there at least 6 months, and from any other country where you lived 12 months or more. Consular officers also require one from any country where you were arrested, regardless of how long you lived there. You should not obtain US police records for time lived in the United States.

My certificate has an apostille attached. Does that get translated too?

Yes. A certified translation accounts for everything on the document, so the apostille's fields, stamps, and signatures are translated or described in brackets along with the certificate itself. The apostille authenticates the document; it does not replace the translation.

I am adjusting status inside the US with Form I-485. Do I need a police clearance certificate?

Foreign police certificates are a consular processing requirement. For adjustment of status inside the United States, USCIS collects your biometrics and runs its own checks, so a foreign police certificate is generally not part of the standard I-485 evidence. If USCIS specifically requests one in your case, that request and its foreign-language certificate would then need a certified English translation.

French to English

Certified Police Clearance Translation, French to English

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

Almost always a single certificate page of up to 250 words; occasionally 2 when an apostille or an annex with record details is attached. 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 police clearance certificate translation

For consular processing, documents not written in English or in the official language of the country where the applicant is applying must be accompanied by certified translations that include a signed statement from the translator attesting that the translation is accurate and the translator is competent to translate.
Any foreign-language police certificate filed with USCIS must carry a full English translation certified as complete and accurate by a translator who certifies competence in the language pair (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)).
The full certificate is translated word for word, including the issuing authority header, the no-record or record-found wording, reference and file numbers, the validity statement if present, and the date and place of issue.
All seals, stamps, and official signatures on the certificate, including any apostille attached to it, are translated or described in square brackets so the English version accounts for everything visible on the source.
The applicant's name, date of birth, and any identity numbers must be reproduced exactly as they appear, with transliteration kept consistent with the passport spelling wherever the source allows, because consular officers match the certificate against the passport.
Illegible portions, such as a smudged registry stamp, are marked [illegible] in the translation rather than omitted or reconstructed.
The State Department's country reciprocity schedule specifies for each country which authority issues an acceptable police certificate and how to request it, so the certificate must come from the authority listed there.

Common reasons translations get rejected

The certificate is expired. Police certificates are considered valid for two years, unless the certificate was issued by a country of previous residence and the applicant has not returned there since it was issued.
Missing certificates for a country that meets the residence thresholds, such as a country of nationality or current residence with 6 or more months of residence, or another country with 12 or more months, which stalls the case at NVC or the interview.
Submitting US police records unnecessarily. The State Department instructs present and former US residents not to obtain police certificates covering their residence in the United States.
The certificate comes from the wrong issuing authority for that country. Consulates check it against the authority named in the reciprocity schedule, and a local station letter where a national-level certificate is required does not qualify.
The translation omits reference numbers, seals, the apostille, or the exact no-record wording, leaving a completeness gap between the source and the English version.

Good to know

About French-language police clearance certificates

France: the police clearance is the extrait de casier judiciaire, bulletin n°3, issued free of charge by the Service du casier judiciaire national in Nantes, available online regardless of nationality.

Belgium: the equivalent is also called extrait de casier judiciaire and is obtained through the applicant's commune of residence.

Most francophone African countries mirror the French model: an extrait du casier judiciaire (often bulletin n°3) issued by the tribunal of the applicant's place of birth.

US federal rule for translations: 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) states that any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS shall be accompanied by a full English language translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, and by the translator's certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.

France keeps civil status records ('état civil') locally. The mairie of the commune where the event occurred issues certified copies, and the Service central d'état civil (SCEC) in Nantes issues records for events involving French citizens that occurred abroad.

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

How long is my police certificate valid?: Police certificates are treated as valid for two years. The exception is a certificate from a country of previous residence, which stays acceptable if you have not returned to that country since it was issued. Check the date before ordering the translation so you do not translate a certificate that will be expired at your interview.
Which countries do I need police certificates from?: If you are 16 or older, you need one from your country of nationality if you lived there at least 6 months, from your current country of residence if you lived there at least 6 months, and from any other country where you lived 12 months or more. Consular officers also require one from any country where you were arrested, regardless of how long you lived there. You should not obtain US police records for time lived in the United States.
My certificate has an apostille attached. Does that get translated too?: Yes. A certified translation accounts for everything on the document, so the apostille's fields, stamps, and signatures are translated or described in brackets along with the certificate itself. The apostille authenticates the document; it does not replace the translation.
I am adjusting status inside the US with Form I-485. Do I need a police clearance certificate?: Foreign police certificates are a consular processing requirement. For adjustment of status inside the United States, USCIS collects your biometrics and runs its own checks, so a foreign police certificate is generally not part of the standard I-485 evidence. If USCIS specifically requests one in your case, that request and its foreign-language certificate would then need a certified English translation.
My police clearance certificate was issued in France. What should I know before ordering?: France: the police clearance is the extrait de casier judiciaire, bulletin n°3, issued free of charge by the Service du casier judiciaire national in Nantes, available online regardless of nationality.

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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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