USCIS requires two things for any foreign language document: a full English translation, and the translator’s signed certification stating the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate. That is the whole rule. No notary, no license, no approved list.
“Translations. 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.”
Read it yourself, it is four lines long. Two requirements come out of it:
No. The regulation asks for a signed certification, not a notarised one, and adding a notary changes nothing about how USCIS treats the document. Some consulates and some state agencies do want notarisation, so read the checklist of whoever is receiving the paperwork. Where it is genuinely needed we add it for $19.95 per order.
Court proceedings have their own rule, 8 CFR 1003.33, which additionally requires the certification to be printed legibly or typed. If your document is for an EOIR filing rather than a USCIS benefit application, tell us and we format for the stricter standard.
There is no official USCIS template. A certification that covers the rule contains: the translator’s full name, a statement of competence in both languages, a statement that the translation is accurate and complete, the document it covers, and the translator’s signature, date, and contact information. One certificate per document, never one blanket certificate for a stack. Every translation we deliver carries exactly this, signed by the human translator who did the work. You can see the format on the samples page.
That list is our internal QA checklist, published. It is also, in order, the list of things that cause a Request for Evidence.
We re-check the rules on this page monthly. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it the same day.
That is the service. Send it on WhatsApp and it comes back certified the same business day, at $24.95 per page.
No. The regulation requires the translator to certify they are competent, not to hold any license or ATA membership. There is no USCIS-approved translator list. What gets translations questioned is quality: missed stamps, summarized text, or names spelled differently than the passport.
It is risky and most attorneys advise against it. The rule does not explicitly ban self-translation, but an applicant certifying their own document invites extra scrutiny, and an RFE costs you weeks or months. A third-party translator who signs the certification is the safe path.
No. USCIS requires the signed certification only. Notarization adds nothing for USCIS filings. Some consulates and state agencies do want it, so read your recipient’s checklist. We offer it as a $19.95 option when needed.
USCIS typically issues a Request for Evidence, which pauses your case for weeks or months while you fix and resubmit. The common triggers are missing stamps or margin notes, summarized instead of full translation, and name spellings that do not match the passport.
Yes, everything on the page. A proper translation accounts for every stamp and seal at its position, translates handwritten entries and margin notes, and marks anything illegible as illegible instead of dropping it silently.