Pennsylvania
Certified Translation Services in Pennsylvania
Certified translation for Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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
- Philadelphia Field Office, Philadelphia. Serves eastern and central Pennsylvania, including the Philadelphia metro, Lehigh Valley, and Harrisburg areas, and also serves Delaware. Direct uscis.gov verification was blocked this session; corroborated by current secondary listings.
- Pittsburgh Field Office, Pittsburgh. Serves western Pennsylvania. Direct uscis.gov verification was blocked this session; corroborated by current secondary listings.
Immigration courts
- Philadelphia Immigration Court, Philadelphia. Located at 900 Market Street, Suite 504, Philadelphia, PA 19107. The York Immigration Court closed on July 30, 2021 after the York County Prison lease ended, and its cases were transferred (EOIR closure notice: https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/1412706/dl).
State rules
Apostilles and notarization in Pennsylvania
Apostilles and certifications for Pennsylvania documents are prepared by the Secretary of the Commonwealth through the Department of State's Office of Notaries, Commissions and Legislation, in the North Office Building in Harrisburg.
The fee is 15 dollars per document, payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Standard mail processing takes about two to three weeks.
Diplomas, transcripts, and criminal record checks must be notarized by a Pennsylvania notary public before the state will attach an apostille. Birth certificates should not be notarized. County-issued documents must be signed by the clerk in charge of the county office, not an assistant or deputy.
Pennsylvania issues apostilles for countries in the 1961 Hague Convention and certifications for non-member countries, which may need further consular legalization. The state's redesigned apostille adds Spanish and French translations to each section of the certificate.
For USCIS filings from Pennsylvania, notarization is not required. USCIS requires a certified translation, meaning the translator signs a statement of competence and accuracy; that signed certification, not a notary seal, is what USCIS looks for.
In Pennsylvania's apostille chain, diplomas, transcripts, and criminal record checks must first be notarized by a Pennsylvania notary public, while birth certificates must not be notarized.
Pennsylvania notaries operate under the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA). When a translation is notarized for use abroad, the notarial act covers the translator's signature, not the content or accuracy of the translation.
Documents
What Pennsylvania customers translate most
Spanish is Pennsylvania's most spoken language after English. Philadelphia has one of the largest Puerto Rican communities in the nation, and Reading and Allentown both have Latino majorities.
Pennsylvania has the largest Amish population in the United States, and Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, is still spoken daily in Lancaster County and nearby areas. German-language church, birth, and property records are common in Pennsylvania archives.
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have large, long-established Italian American communities. Philadelphia's Italian Market in South Philadelphia is among the oldest continuously operating outdoor markets in the country.
Education and licensing
Universities and licensing boards
Universities receiving international documents
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park
- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh
- Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh
- Temple University, Philadelphia
- Drexel University, Philadelphia
Professional licensing
The Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing requires internationally educated nurse applicants to complete a credentials review through CGFNS, which requires official academic records and English translations of documents not issued in English. Confirm current requirements with the board, as procedures change.
The Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine, like all US state medical boards, requires international medical graduates to hold ECFMG certification, and ECFMG requires official English translations of medical education documents not issued in English.
How it works
Order online from anywhere in Pennsylvania
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
Pennsylvania questions
- Who issues apostilles in Pennsylvania?
- The Pennsylvania Department of State in Harrisburg issues apostilles and certifications for 15 dollars per document, with mail processing of about two to three weeks. Diplomas, transcripts, and criminal record checks must be notarized by a Pennsylvania notary first, while birth certificates should not be notarized.
- Which USCIS office serves my part of Pennsylvania?
- Pennsylvania has two USCIS field offices. The Philadelphia Field Office serves eastern and central Pennsylvania, and the Pittsburgh Field Office serves western Pennsylvania. USCIS assigns your interview location based on your home address, so check your appointment notice.
- Where is immigration court in Pennsylvania?
- The Philadelphia Immigration Court at 900 Market Street is Pennsylvania's EOIR immigration court. The York Immigration Court closed in 2021 and its cases were transferred, so always check your hearing notice for the current location.
- Does USCIS require notarized translations in Pennsylvania?
- No. USCIS requires a certified translation, which means the translator signs a statement attesting the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate. Notarization is a separate step that only matters if another receiving office specifically asks for it.
- Can old German records from Pennsylvania Dutch country be translated?
- Many Pennsylvania church, birth, and property records from the 1700s and 1800s are written in German. A qualified professional translator can produce a certified English translation of German-language documents for courts, agencies, or family history purposes. Older handwritten script may need review before a page count is confirmed.
- What do internationally educated nurses need for a Pennsylvania license?
- The State Board of Nursing requires internationally educated applicants to complete a credentials review through CGFNS, which asks for official records and English translations of any document not issued in English. Confirm current requirements with the board before applying, since procedures change.
- Do translated documents need an apostille to use abroad from Pennsylvania?
- It depends on the destination country. For Hague Convention countries, Pennsylvania issues an apostille; for others it issues a certification that may need consular legalization. A translation generally must be notarized by a Pennsylvania notary before the state will certify it, so confirm the chain with the receiving authority first.
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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