Virginia
Certified Translation Services in Virginia
Certified translation for Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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
- Washington Field Office, Fairfax. Located at 2675 Prosperity Avenue, Fairfax, VA. Serves Northern Virginia and the Washington DC area per USCIS office data.
- Norfolk Field Office, Norfolk. Located at 5678 East Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk, VA. USCIS office data also assigns some southwest Virginia ZIP codes to the Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham offices in North Carolina, so residents there should check their appointment notice.
Immigration courts
- Annandale Immigration Court, Annandale
- Sterling Immigration Court, Sterling
State rules
Apostilles and notarization in Virginia
Apostilles for Virginia documents are issued by the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Authentication Division, in Richmond. Depending on the destination country, the office issues either an Apostille for Hague Convention countries or a Great Seal certification for others. The office recently relocated to 400 East Cary Street, Richmond.
The fee is $10.00 per document, not per page, payable to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. When several documents are signed by the same official or notary, the fee is $10.00 for the first document and $5.00 for each additional one. Drop-box submissions are processed and returned within 5 to 7 business days.
The authentication verifies only that the Virginia notary, Virginia clerk of court, or Virginia Deputy State Registrar is in good standing and handled the document correctly. Out-of-state documents cannot be certified in Virginia, and federal documents, including FBI records, must go to the US Department of State instead.
Virginia affixes the apostille to the document by staple, a method the office notes is expressly permitted under the Hague Convention, and the office does not require a document to be translated before it is submitted for authentication.
For immigration filings from Virginia, whether through the Washington Field Office in Fairfax or the Norfolk Field Office, USCIS requires a certified translation, not a notarized one. The translator's signed certification of accuracy and competence is the federal standard.
For a Virginia apostille, documents in languages other than English are accepted, but the notarization itself must be in English. The Secretary of the Commonwealth's office does not provide notary or translation services.
For notarized documents used within the United States rather than abroad, Virginia's state-level authentication does not apply. Instead, a Notary Certification of Good Standing comes from the circuit court where the notary took their oath.
Virginia was the first state to authorize remote online notarization, with legislation passed in 2011 that took effect in 2012, so remotely notarized Virginia documents are an established part of the state's practice.
Documents
What Virginia customers translate most
Spanish is the most widely spoken language other than English in Virginia, with especially large Spanish-speaking communities in Northern Virginia jurisdictions such as Fairfax, Prince William, and Arlington counties and the city of Alexandria.
The Washington DC metropolitan area, which includes Northern Virginia, is home to one of the larger Turkish American communities in the United States, alongside sizable French-speaking and Portuguese-speaking populations tied to the region's international and diplomatic workforce.
Education and licensing
Universities and licensing boards
Universities receiving international documents
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville
- Virginia Tech, Blacksburg
- George Mason University, Fairfax
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond
- William & Mary, Williamsburg
- Old Dominion University, Norfolk
Professional licensing
The Virginia Board of Nursing requires internationally educated licensure applicants to obtain an independent credential review from an approved evaluation agency such as TruMerit (formerly CGFNS), which evaluates and verifies credentials earned from international programs, for example through a Credentials Evaluation Service Professional (CES) report.
How it works
Order online from anywhere in Virginia
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
Virginia questions
- Who issues apostilles in Virginia?
- The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Authentication Division, at 400 East Cary Street in Richmond. The fee is $10 per document, not per page, with a $5 rate for additional documents signed by the same official. Virginia issues an apostille for Hague Convention countries and a Great Seal certification for others, and attaches the certificate by staple.
- Which USCIS offices serve Virginia?
- Two field offices are located in Virginia. The Washington Field Office in Fairfax serves Northern Virginia and the Norfolk Field Office serves the Hampton Roads region. USCIS assigns some southwest Virginia ZIP codes to offices in North Carolina, so always check your appointment notice for your assigned office.
- Are there immigration courts in Virginia?
- Yes. EOIR lists the Annandale and Sterling immigration courts in Northern Virginia, plus immigration adjudication centers in Falls Church and Richmond where judges hear cases by video. EOIR headquarters is also in Falls Church. Documents in a foreign language filed in immigration proceedings need certified English translations.
- Do certified translations for USCIS in Virginia need to be notarized?
- No. USCIS requires certification, not notarization. The translator signs a statement certifying that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate. If a Virginia court, school, or agency separately asks for notarization, confirm that requirement with the receiving office.
- Does a document need to be translated before getting a Virginia apostille?
- No. The Secretary of the Commonwealth's office accepts documents in other languages and does not require translation before authentication, but the notarization on the document must be in English. Whether the destination country wants a translation of the document or the apostille is up to that country, so confirm with the receiving authority.
- What do internationally educated nurses need to get licensed in Virginia?
- The Virginia Board of Nursing requires an independent credential review from an approved agency such as TruMerit, formerly known as CGFNS. That review evaluates and verifies education completed abroad, and evaluation agencies generally require official records that are not in English to be accompanied by English translations. Confirm the current requirements with the board and the evaluation agency.
- Can Virginia apostille out-of-state or federal documents?
- No. Virginia can only authenticate documents handled by a Virginia notary, Virginia clerk of court, or the Virginia Deputy State Registrar. Documents from other states must be authenticated by the issuing state, and federal documents, including FBI background checks, go to the US Department of State.
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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