Certified translation
Court Documents Translation for a US Passport Application
Foreign language documents submitted with a US passport application generally need an English translation, and passport acceptance facilities expect a certified translation, so confirm the requirement where you apply. A certified translation of court documents costs $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and a typical order runs 1 to 20 pages, so most cost $24.95 to $499.00. Delivery takes 2 to 3 business days and includes the complete translation with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy from the qualified professional translator responsible for the work.
Pricing
Exact prices, shown before you pay
A single disposition or judgment certificate is often 1 to 2 pages of 250 words, while complete judgments with reasoning, sentencing orders, and prison records can run 10 to 20 or more. Certified translation is $24.95 per page, so a typical order of 1 to 20 pages comes to $24.95 to $499.00. 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
US Passport Application requirements for a certified court document translation
- Any foreign-language court document submitted to USCIS must have a full English 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 visas, convicted applicants must submit each court record and any prison record regardless of a later amnesty, pardon, or other act of clemency, with English translations for all court and prison records.
- Form N-400 instructions require certified copies of the arrest record, court disposition, sentencing, and related documents for anyone ever arrested or detained, and where a record is unavailable, original or certified confirmation of unavailability from the court or agency.
- Two separate certifications are involved. The copy of the court record itself must be certified by the issuing court, and the translation carries its own translator certification. One does not substitute for the other.
- The translation must cover the complete document word for word, including the caption, case and docket numbers, statute citations, procedural stamps, filing stamps, and the disposition and sentencing sections. Statute numbers are reproduced as written and offense names are translated accurately without recasting them as US crime categories.
- Court seals, clerk stamps, judge and clerk signatures, and handwritten registry entries are translated or described in square brackets, and unreadable passages are marked [illegible] rather than omitted.
- Names of parties, dates of hearings and judgments, and case numbers must be reproduced exactly, and each translated document needs its own translator certification or a certification that specifically lists the documents it covers.
Common reasons translations get rejected
- Incomplete records. Submitting the judgment without the disposition or sentencing pages, or only one document from a multi-document case file, leads to RFEs because USCIS and consular officers require the complete arrest and court record.
- Records withheld because the conviction was pardoned, amnestied, or expunged. Immigrant visa applicants must submit court and prison records regardless of clemency, and USCIS naturalization applicants must disclose and document arrests even when charges were dismissed or expunged under state law.
- The underlying copy is not court-certified. A certified translation of an uncertified photocopy does not satisfy the requirement for certified court records.
- Translating only the operative verdict instead of the full judgment. The full-translation rule applies to the entire document, including reasoning and procedural history.
- Mistranslated legal terminology, such as forcing a foreign offense into the name of a US crime or misrendering disposition terms like conditional discharge, which can misstate the severity or outcome of the case.
Good to know
Who asks for translated court documents
The National Visa Center and US consulates during immigrant visa processing. Applicants who have ever been convicted of a crime must submit certified court records and any prison records for each conviction, even if they later benefited from an amnesty, pardon, or other act of clemency, and English translations must be provided for all court and prison records.
USCIS, Form N-400 naturalization. Applicants who have ever been arrested or detained must provide certified copies of the arrest record, court disposition, sentencing, and related documents, with certified English translations for foreign-language records.
USCIS, Form I-485 adjustment of status, where applicants with any arrest or charge history submit certified court dispositions as part of the record.
USCIS waiver filings such as Form I-601, where complete translated court records document the underlying conviction.
Federal and state courts in civil litigation, where foreign-language evidence such as judgments, contracts filed as exhibits, and orders generally must be submitted with a certified English translation under court rules and local practice.
How it works
From upload to certified delivery
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.
Questions
Common questions
- Do I need the court to certify the copy if I am already getting a certified translation?
- Yes, these are two different certifications. The issuing court certifies that the copy is a true copy of its record, and the translator certifies that the English translation is complete and accurate. Immigration authorities expect both for foreign court records.
- The judgment is 15 pages, mostly legal reasoning. Can just the verdict be translated?
- No. USCIS regulations require a full English translation of the entire document certified as complete. A translation limited to the verdict is a partial translation and a common RFE trigger. Pricing is by volume, at 24.95 USD per page of up to 250 source words for certified translation.
- Will the translation state the US equivalent of my foreign offense?
- No. A certified translation renders the foreign offense name and statute citation accurately as written. Determining what the offense corresponds to under US law is legal analysis for your attorney, not something a translation may add or decide.
- Part of my court record is handwritten and hard to read. How is that handled?
- The qualified professional translator translates the legible handwritten portions and marks unreadable text as [illegible], which is the accepted standard for certified translations. If key content is unreadable, a fresh certified copy from the court is the better fix.
- How long does a certified translation of court records take?
- Certified delivery is 2 to 3 business days. Every certified translation is reviewed and approved by a qualified professional translator before delivery, and it ships with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy and a QR verification page.
- My conviction abroad was pardoned years ago. Do I still need the court records translated for my immigrant visa?
- Yes. The State Department requires each court record and any prison record for every conviction even if you later received an amnesty, pardon, or other act of clemency, and English translations must be provided for all court and prison records.
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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