Certified translation
Police Clearance Translation for a Marriage Green Card
A marriage based green card, filed either as an adjustment of status inside the United States or as an immigrant visa through consular processing, requires an English translation of every foreign language civil document in the file, each carrying 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 police clearance 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
Almost always a single certificate page of up to 250 words; occasionally 2 when an apostille or an annex with record details is attached. 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
Marriage Green Card requirements for a certified police clearance certificate translation
- For consular processing, documents not written in English or in the official language of the country where the applicant is applying must be accompanied by certified translations that include a signed statement from the translator attesting that the translation is accurate and the translator is competent to translate.
- Any foreign-language police certificate filed with USCIS must carry a full English translation certified as complete and accurate by a translator who certifies competence in the language pair (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)).
- The full certificate is translated word for word, including the issuing authority header, the no-record or record-found wording, reference and file numbers, the validity statement if present, and the date and place of issue.
- All seals, stamps, and official signatures on the certificate, including any apostille attached to it, are translated or described in square brackets so the English version accounts for everything visible on the source.
- The applicant's name, date of birth, and any identity numbers must be reproduced exactly as they appear, with transliteration kept consistent with the passport spelling wherever the source allows, because consular officers match the certificate against the passport.
- Illegible portions, such as a smudged registry stamp, are marked [illegible] in the translation rather than omitted or reconstructed.
- The State Department's country reciprocity schedule specifies for each country which authority issues an acceptable police certificate and how to request it, so the certificate must come from the authority listed there.
Common reasons translations get rejected
- The certificate is expired. Police certificates are considered valid for two years, unless the certificate was issued by a country of previous residence and the applicant has not returned there since it was issued.
- Missing certificates for a country that meets the residence thresholds, such as a country of nationality or current residence with 6 or more months of residence, or another country with 12 or more months, which stalls the case at NVC or the interview.
- Submitting US police records unnecessarily. The State Department instructs present and former US residents not to obtain police certificates covering their residence in the United States.
- The certificate comes from the wrong issuing authority for that country. Consulates check it against the authority named in the reciprocity schedule, and a local station letter where a national-level certificate is required does not qualify.
- The translation omits reference numbers, seals, the apostille, or the exact no-record wording, leaving a completeness gap between the source and the English version.
Good to know
Who asks for a translated police clearance certificate
The National Visa Center and US consulates for immigrant visas (DS-260 civil documents stage). Police certificates are required for each applicant aged 16 or older from the country of nationality and the country of current residence if the applicant lived there at least 6 months, and from any other country where the applicant lived for 12 months or more. Foreign-language certificates need certified English translations unless written in the official language of the country where the applicant is applying.
US consulates for K-1 fiance(e) visa applicants, who must bring police certificates from their present country of residence and all countries where they have lived for 6 months or more since age 16.
The Kentucky Consular Center and consulates for Diversity Visa (DV lottery) winners, who follow the same police certificate rules during visa processing.
Consular officers who also require a police certificate from any country where the applicant was arrested, regardless of how long the applicant lived there.
USCIS intercountry adoption suitability filings (Forms I-600A and I-800A), where the home study process documents criminal history and typically includes police clearances from places the prospective adoptive parents have lived.
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
- My certificate is one short paragraph saying no records were found. What does the translation cost?
- A page is up to 250 source words, so a standard police clearance certificate is one page, which is 24.95 USD for certified translation. The count includes the header, seals, stamp descriptions, and reference numbers, since the full certificate must be translated.
- The certificate spells my name differently from my passport. Can the translation fix that?
- No. A certified translation must render the document exactly as issued, so the translator cannot correct the source spelling. If you have a passport-matching transliteration preference for names written in a non-Latin script, tell us before work begins and the translator applies it consistently. If the source itself is wrong, ask the issuing authority for a corrected certificate.
- How fast can I get the certified translation, and what comes with it?
- Certified delivery is 2 to 3 business days. The translation is reviewed and approved by a qualified professional translator and delivered with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy carrying the translator's name and signature, plus a QR verification page the receiving officer can use to confirm the certificate.
- My police certificate is in Spanish and my interview is in Mexico. Do I need a translation at all?
- For the consular stage, the State Department requires certified translations only for documents not written in English or in the official language of the country where you are applying, so a Spanish certificate used at a consulate in Mexico may not need one. Any filing with USCIS inside the United States always requires a full certified English translation, and many applicants translate the certificate anyway so one set of documents works everywhere.
- How long is my police certificate valid?
- Police certificates are treated as valid for two years. The exception is a certificate from a country of previous residence, which stays acceptable if you have not returned to that country since it was issued. Check the date before ordering the translation so you do not translate a certificate that will be expired at your interview.
- Which countries do I need police certificates from?
- If you are 16 or older, you need one from your country of nationality if you lived there at least 6 months, from your current country of residence if you lived there at least 6 months, and from any other country where you lived 12 months or more. Consular officers also require one from any country where you were arrested, regardless of how long you lived there. You should not obtain US police records for time lived in the United States.
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.
Start an order