Certified Translation for USCIS

USCIS requires a full English translation of every foreign-language document you submit with an immigration application or petition. The Law Office of Elena Vlady, PLLC prepares certified translations for USCIS filings for clients in Texas and nationwide, and as an immigration law office, we can also help with the case itself.

What USCIS Requires

The requirement comes from federal regulation 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3):

“Any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS shall be accompanied by a full English language translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, and by the translator’s certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.”

In practice, this means:

• Full translation. The entire document is translated, including stamps, seals, handwritten notes and marginal annotations. Summaries or partial translations are not enough.
• Translator’s certification. The translation comes with a signed statement that the translator is competent in both languages and that the translation is complete and accurate, with the translator’s name, signature and date (and usually an address).
• Copy of the original. Submit a copy of the foreign-language document together with its English translation.
• No notarization required. USCIS asks for a certified translation, not a notarized one.
• No special license. There is no official “USCIS-certified translator” credential. What matters is the translator’s competence and certification.
• No machine translation. Raw output from Google Translate or AI tools is not a certified translation.

USCIS does not say who may act as the translator, but we recommend not translating your own documents or using a family member. An independent translator avoids questions about accuracy and helps prevent a Request for Evidence (RFE) that delays your case.

Documents We Commonly Translate for USCIS

• Birth and marriage certificates
• Divorce decrees and death certificates
• Police and court records
• Passports and national identity documents
• Military records
• School diplomas and transcripts
• Bank statements, employment letters and other evidence

Which Filings Need Certified Translations

Certified translations are needed whenever a foreign-language document is part of a USCIS filing, including family-based petitions (Form I-130), green card applications (Form I-485), naturalization (Form N-400), fiancé(e) petitions (Form I-129F), waivers, and humanitarian filings such as VAWA self-petitions and humanitarian parole requests. Documents for a visa interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate may follow different rules set by the Department of State and the specific consulate.

Translation and Legal Help in One Place

Because we are an immigration law office, we can also review your filing and help with the case itself. See our immigration services or, for Russian-speaking clients, our Russian-speaking immigration lawyer page.

Languages

We translate to and from English in many languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Dari, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Kazakh, Korean, Kurdish, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Uzbek and Vietnamese.

Get Started

Book a consultation or contact our office to request a USCIS translation. For birth, marriage and divorce records, see certified birth and marriage certificate translation.