Certified Translation for the USCIS Houston Field Office

The Office of the Texas Secretary of State is the only agency in Texas that can issue certificates and apostilles authenticating Texas public records for use outside the United States. Requests are handled by its Authentications Unit.

Texas issues a single universal Apostille certificate that acts as both an apostille for Apostille Convention countries and an authentication for non-member countries. For non-member countries the document also needs further authentication from the Office of Authentications at the U.S. Department of State.

The fee is 15 dollars per universal Apostille. For international adoption proceedings the fee is 10 dollars per document, with total fees capped at 100 dollars per child.

Recordable documents such as birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, and judgments must be certified copies issued by state or county officials, must be less than five years old, and cannot be notarized copies made by a notary public.

Notarization is a prerequisite for private, non-recordable documents. They must include a typed or written statement from the issuer or signer, and the signature must be properly notarized with a complete notarial certificate before the Secretary of State will apostille them.

To apostille a translation, Texas requires a typed or written statement from the translator about the translation, signed and properly notarized, and the notarized translation must be submitted together with a copy or the original of the source document.

The Texas Secretary of State does not apostille federal documents such as FBI background checks or Certificates of Naturalization, and does not apostille records issued by other states or countries. Federal documents go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications.

In-person services for the Office of the Texas Secretary of State are located at 400 W. 15th Street in Austin. Mailed requests are paid by check or money order payable to the Secretary of State of Texas, and walk-in requests can also pay exact cash.

The Texas Secretary of State apostille FAQ states that if a document needs to be translated, a notary must witness the translator signing the translation, and the source document must be submitted with the notarized translation for authentication. So for apostille purposes in Texas, a translation must be notarized.

USCIS itself does not require notarized translations. Federal regulation requires a full English translation with the translator's certification of completeness, accuracy, and competence. Notarization only becomes relevant when a Texas office such as the Secretary of State, or a specific receiving office, asks for it.

Texas rejects apostille submissions containing the term Notario Publico or statements by a notary acting beyond their authority. Texas notaries may only witness signatures, administer oaths, take depositions, make certified copies of non-recordable documents, and protest instruments. They cannot verify a signer's legal capacity or draft documents.

Texas accepts online remote notarization (RON) documents for apostille if presented with a notarization ledger and a notarial certificate stating the document was notarized by two-way audio and visual communication, but some destination countries do not accept RON notarizations, so the receiving office should be consulted.