What "certified translation" means in the United States

The federal regulation governing this is 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). It requires that any document in a foreign language submitted to USCIS be accompanied by a full English translation, and that the translator certify the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate from that language into English. That is the entire requirement. There is no government-licensed translator registry in the United States, and no separate accreditation is needed.

A certified translation does not need to be notarized

This is the most common misunderstanding we correct. USCIS does not require translations to be notarized. The translator's signed certification is what carries the weight. If a specific court, consulate, or foreign authority asks for a notarized translator signature, we can add that, and we are a notary, so it is handled in one place. But do not pay anyone extra for notarization you do not need.

A related note for Russian-speaking clients: the word "заверенный" in Russian implies notarization, so it is worth being precise about which one you actually need. If an American agency asked for a "certified translation," they are asking for the translator's certification, not a notary stamp.

Documents we translate

Languages: English, Russian, Ukrainian.

• Birth, marriage, divorce, and death certificates
• Passports and internal passports
• Diplomas, transcripts, and academic records
• Police clearance certificates and criminal case files
• Court judgments, summonses, protocols, and resolutions
• Military records
• Powers of attorney
• Medical records
• Employment and pension records
• Property and civil registry documents
• Immigration case documents and other

How we work

We produce a translation that mirrors the original document's layout, not a loose summary. Stamps, seals, signatures, handwritten entries, and marginal notes are all accounted for and marked. Where the original contains an error, an inconsistency, or an illegible passage, we preserve it and flag it in a translator's note rather than quietly fixing it. Silently correcting a source document is how translations get rejected, because the reviewing officer compares the translation to the original and finds a discrepancy.

Turnaround

Most civil records, such as birth, marriage, and death certificates, passports, and diplomas, are ready in 1 to 5 business days. Rush service is available if you need it sooner, just tell us when you send the scans. Longer court files, criminal case records, and multi-page medical or pension files are quoted individually with a firm date. If you have a filing deadline, tell us the date when you send the scans.

Ukrainian and Russian translation

We translate from Ukrainian as well as Russian. If your documents are a mix of both languages, which is common with older Soviet-era records and with documents issued in Ukraine after 1991, we handle both in one file with the languages identified.

We also translate handwritten documents, including older records, notes, and forms completed by hand. Handwritten material takes longer to read and transcribe accurately, so it is usually quoted at a higher rate than printed text.