California
Certified Translation Services in California
Certified translation for California costs $24.95 per page, where one page is up to 250 words of the source document, delivered in 2 to 3 business days as a PDF with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy from the qualified professional translator who completed or reviewed the work. The entire service is online. Upload your document, see the exact price before paying, and order from anywhere in California with no appointment and nothing to mail. Translations are prepared for official use, including USCIS filings, courts, universities, and licensing boards.
Pricing
Exact prices, shown before you pay
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.
Filing locally
Where California filings are handled
Your certified translation is delivered as a PDF you file yourself, so it works with every office below. Nothing needs to be picked up and there is no local counter to visit, because the whole service is online.
USCIS field offices
- Los Angeles Field Office, Los Angeles. 300 North Los Angeles Street.
- Los Angeles County Field Office, Los Angeles. Shares the federal building at 300 North Los Angeles Street with the Los Angeles Field Office.
- San Fernando Valley Field Office, Chatsworth. 19809 Prairie Street in Chatsworth.
- Santa Ana Field Office, Santa Ana. 34 Civic Center Plaza.
- San Bernardino Field Office, San Bernardino. 995 Hardt Street.
- San Diego Field Office, San Diego. 1325 Front Street.
- Imperial Field Office, Imperial. 509 Industry Way, serving the Imperial Valley.
- Fresno Field Office, Fresno. 744 P Street, serving the Central Valley.
- San Jose Field Office, Santa Clara. Listed by USCIS as the San Jose Field Office, physically located at 1450 Coleman Avenue in Santa Clara.
- San Francisco Field Office, San Francisco. 630 Sansome Street.
- Sacramento Field Office, Sacramento. 650 Capitol Mall.
Immigration courts
- Adelanto Immigration Court, Adelanto
- Concord Immigration Court, Concord
- Imperial Immigration Court, Imperial
- Los Angeles - N. Los Angeles Street Immigration Court, Los Angeles
- Los Angeles - Van Nuys Boulevard Immigration Court, Los Angeles (Van Nuys)
- Los Angeles - West Los Angeles Immigration Court, Los Angeles
- Otay Mesa Immigration Court, San Diego (Otay Mesa)
- Sacramento Immigration Court, Sacramento
- San Diego Immigration Court, San Diego
- Santa Ana Immigration Court, Santa Ana
State rules
Apostilles and notarization in California
The California Secretary of State issues apostilles for California documents, with public counters in Sacramento at 1500 11th Street and in Los Angeles at 300 South Spring Street.
The fee is $20 per apostille, plus a $6 special handling fee for each different public official's signature on in-person requests.
Private documents must be original notarized or certified documents. Photocopies are not accepted, and requests need a cover sheet identifying the country where the document will be used.
The Sacramento office offers same-day counter service, and mail requests are processed in the order received.
USCIS does not require notarized translations from California applicants. The federal standard is a certified translation, meaning a complete English translation with the translator's signed statement of accuracy and competence.
California law prohibits notaries from advertising as notario or notario publico, under Government Code section 8219.5, a consumer protection aimed at immigration services fraud. A first violation can suspend or revoke a notary's commission.
A California notary does not certify translations. When an agency asks for a notarized translation, the notary notarizes the translator's signature on the certification statement, not the content of the translation.
Documents
What California customers translate most
California has the largest Spanish-speaking population of any state. Roughly 10 million residents speak Spanish at home, making it by far the most common language in the state after English.
The Central Valley and the Bay Area are home to some of the country's largest Portuguese-American communities, rooted in generations of Azorean immigration, alongside sizable Brazilian communities in Los Angeles and the San Francisco area.
San Francisco's North Beach is a historic center of Italian-American life, and long-established French, German, and Turkish communities are present in the Los Angeles and San Francisco metro areas.
Education and licensing
Universities and licensing boards
Universities receiving international documents
- Stanford University, Stanford
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles
- University of California, San Diego, La Jolla
- University of California, Irvine, Irvine
Professional licensing
The Medical Board of California requires academic documents in a language other than English to be accompanied by an original, official certified English translation that includes the translator's signed declaration of fluency, mailed to the board together with a copy of the original-language document.
The Medical Board of California accepts translations from known translation agencies that affix an official seal. Otherwise the translator must sign the translation and declaration before a notary public. The board points applicants to the American Translators Association directory as a resource for finding qualified translators.
How it works
Order online from anywhere in California
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.
$24.95 per page, certified, delivered in 2 to 3 business days.
Questions
California questions
- Does USCIS in California require notarized translations?
- No. USCIS requires certified translations, meaning a complete English translation with the translator's signed statement of accuracy and competence. Notarization is not required for USCIS filings. If a different receiving office asks for notarization, confirm its exact requirement before ordering.
- Which USCIS field office serves my part of California?
- California has 11 USCIS field offices: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, San Fernando Valley in Chatsworth, Santa Ana, San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial, Fresno, San Jose in Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Sacramento. Your appointment notice names your assigned office, so always follow the notice.
- Where are California's immigration courts?
- The Executive Office for Immigration Review operates courts in Adelanto, Concord, Imperial, Los Angeles (North Los Angeles Street, Van Nuys Boulevard, and West Los Angeles), Otay Mesa, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Ana. Your hearing notice lists your assigned court.
- Who issues apostilles in California and what does it cost?
- The California Secretary of State issues apostilles, with public counters in Sacramento and Los Angeles. The fee is $20 per apostille, plus a $6 special handling fee for each different public official's signature on in-person requests. The Sacramento office offers same-day counter service.
- Can a California notary certify my translation?
- No. A California notary cannot certify the accuracy of a translation. A notary can only notarize the translator's signature on a certification statement. For USCIS and most agencies, what you need is a certified translation prepared by a qualified professional translator.
- What translation rules apply to foreign-trained physicians licensing in California?
- The Medical Board of California requires foreign-language academic documents to come with an original certified English translation that includes the translator's signed declaration of fluency, sent to the board with a copy of the original-language document. Review the board's current instructions before submitting.
- How do I get an apostille on a certified translation in California?
- The translator's signed certification is typically notarized by a California notary first, and the Secretary of State then apostilles the notary's signature for $20. Requirements vary by destination country, so confirm the expected order of steps with the receiving authority before you start.
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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