Certified translation
Marriage Certificate Translation for USCIS
USCIS requires a full English translation of every foreign language document, with the translator's certification that the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)). A certified translation of a marriage certificate costs $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and a typical order runs 1 to 2 pages, so most cost $24.95 to $49.90. 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
Most marriage certificates are one page of up to 250 source words; civil registry acts with witness details, marginal annotations, or legalization stamps can reach two. 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
USCIS requirements for a certified marriage certificate translation
- Any foreign language marriage certificate submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a full English language 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 visa processing, the Department of State requires certified translations of documents not in English or in the official language of the country of application, including a statement signed by the translator that the translator is competent to translate, uploaded together with the original document in one file.
- The translation must be complete and word for word, covering the spouses' names, the date and place of marriage, the registering authority, registration numbers, officiant and registrar signature blocks, seals, stamps, and any marginal annotations, which in many countries are where divorces, name changes, and corrections are recorded on the marriage record.
- Where the country of marriage requires civil registration, US immigration authorities expect the civil marriage record, not only a religious ceremony certificate. The translation must be of whichever document the process actually requires.
- Seals, stamps, and signatures are described in brackets in the translation, and illegible portions are marked [illegible] rather than reconstructed.
- Both spouses' names must be transliterated consistently and should match their passports, birth certificates, and prior filings. Maiden and married name forms are rendered exactly as they appear on the record.
- USCIS requires certification of the translation, not notarization.
Common reasons translations get rejected
- Marginal annotations on the marriage record are left untranslated. In many civil law countries divorces and corrections are annotated in the margin of the original act, so an untranslated margin can hide legally decisive information and undermines the claim that the translation is complete.
- Only a religious ceremony certificate is submitted and translated when the country of marriage requires civil registration, leading to a request for the civil record.
- Prior marriage termination documents are missing or untranslated, so the file cannot establish that the current marriage is legally valid.
- Spouses' names in the translation do not match their passports or birth certificates because of inconsistent transliteration, creating identity discrepancies across the file.
- A partial or summary translation is submitted instead of the full word for word rendering the regulation requires.
Good to know
Who asks for a translated marriage certificate
USCIS, Form I-130 spousal petitions, where the marriage certificate is required initial evidence of the marriage
USCIS, Form I-485 marriage-based adjustment of status
USCIS, Form I-751 petition to remove conditions on residence, as part of the bona fide marriage record
USCIS, Form N-400 naturalization under the three-year rule for spouses of US citizens, and to document name changes
Department of State National Visa Center, the civil documents stage of immigrant visa consular processing for spouses
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
- There are handwritten notes in the margin of our marriage certificate. Do those get translated?
- Yes, and they matter. In many countries divorces, name changes, and corrections are recorded as marginal annotations on the marriage act, so a complete translation must include them. Anything unreadable is marked [illegible] rather than guessed.
- Can my spouse translate our marriage certificate for the petition?
- The regulation does not prohibit it, but a translation certified by one of the spouses is a translation certified by an interested party, and adjudicators can question it. A qualified professional translator's certification removes that doubt.
- I was married before. Do my old divorce decree or my late spouse's death certificate need translation too?
- Yes. Proof that every prior marriage ended is a separate required document in spousal petitions and visa processing, and each foreign language document needs its own complete certified translation.
- For NVC, how do I submit the translation of my marriage certificate?
- The Department of State requires a certified translation with a statement signed by the translator confirming competence to translate, and NVC asks you to upload the foreign language document and its English translation together in a single file, with the original first.
- Which USCIS filings need a certified translation of my marriage certificate?
- Any filing where the certificate is evidence and it is not in English, most commonly the I-130 spousal petition, marriage-based I-485, I-751 removal of conditions, and N-400 naturalization under the three-year rule or to document a name change. The regulation requiring the certified translation, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), applies to every foreign language document submitted to USCIS.
- We married in a religious ceremony abroad. Is a translation of the church certificate enough?
- Usually not on its own. Where the country requires civil registration of marriages, USCIS and consular posts expect the civil registry record, and a translation cannot substitute for the correct underlying document. Confirm which record your process requires, then have that document translated.
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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