Certified translation for USCIS: Spanish documents

The rule, word for word

“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.” — 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)

Three things follow from that sentence, and they're where most Requests for Evidence come from:

• FullEvery word on the page, including stamps, seals, marginal notes and the apostille. A summary or “extract” isn't enough.
• CertifiedA signed statement that the translation is complete and accurate.
• CompetentThe same statement says the translator is competent to translate from Spanish into English.

A certification you can copy

Put it on its own page, after the translation, and fill in every bracket.

CERTIFICATION OF TRANSLATION

I, [full name], certify that I am competent to translate from Spanish into English, and that the attached English translation of the [document, e.g. "birth certificate of Juan Pérez, record no. 123"] is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and ability.

Signature: ______________________
Name: [full name]
Address: [street, city, state, ZIP]
Phone / email: [contact]
Date: [month day, year]

Submit three things together: a copy of the original document, the English translation and this certification. Don't send the original unless the form instructions ask for it.

Translating a Venezuelan acta de nacimiento

Venezuelan civil records have parts that people skip, and those are exactly what an officer checks.

1. Keep the layout

   Mirror the original: same order, same blocks, so the officer can match each line. Put things that aren't text in brackets: [seal of the Civil Registry], [signature], [illegible].

2. Translate every marginal note

   A nota marginal can record a later recognition by the father, a correction or a name change. Leaving it out can change who the document says your parents are.

3. Don't translate names, do explain terms

   Names stay exactly as written, accents included. Institutions can be translated with the original in brackets: “Civil Registry Office [Registro Civil] of the Parish of …”.

4. Translate the apostille too

   If the certificate carries an apostille, it is part of the document. Translate it, verification code included.

Who should translate

Prices read on each service's site on October 22, 2026. We don't receive anything from these companies.

Before you translate

Make sure the document itself is right and complete: a recent certified copy, and the apostille if the office asks for one. See how to get a Venezuelan birth certificate and apostille it from the U.S. If you're preparing a new case after TPS, read what you can do now that TPS has ended.