What Makes a Certified Translation USCIS-Accepted?

If your supporting documents — birth certificate, marriage certificate, school transcripts, divorce decree — are in a language other than English, USCIS requires a certified English translation to accompany every page you submit.

A certified translation is not a notarized translation, and it is not just a translation done by someone who speaks the language. It is a sworn statement from the translator attached to a translated document. Get the certification wrong, and the entire filing can be returned.

Here is what USCIS actually requires, and the most common reasons we see translations rejected.

The two pieces every certified translation needs

A USCIS-accepted certified translation always has two things stapled together:

1. The full English translation of the original document — every word, every stamp, every signature line, in the same general layout as the original.
2. A certification statement signed by the translator, attesting to the translator's competence in both languages and to the accuracy of the translation.

The certification statement must include:

• A declaration that the translator is competent to translate from the source language into English.
• A declaration that the translation is complete and accurate.
• The translator's full name, signature, address, and the date of the certification.

You do not need a notary. You do not need a "certified translator" credential. USCIS only requires that the translator certify their own competence and the accuracy of the work.

What "complete and accurate" actually means

This is where translations most often fall short. "Complete" means:

• Every page of the source document is translated, including the back side if it has content.
• Every stamp, seal, watermark, and marginal note is described in the translation (e.g. [Round red seal: Ministry of the Interior]).
• Empty fields on the original document are noted as empty in the translation, not silently skipped.
• Signatures are noted as [signed] or [signature illegible] — not omitted.

"Accurate" means the translation reflects the original document word-for-word, including:

• Dates kept in their original numeric format (re-arrange if needed for clarity, but the underlying date must match).
• Proper names spelled as they appear on the original, with the transliteration agreed in the petition.
• Numeric values — fees, registration numbers, certificate numbers — copied exactly.

Common reasons USCIS rejects a translation

After thousands of pages translated for filings in seven languages, these are the rejection reasons we see most:

• Translator did not sign the certification. An unsigned certification is treated as no certification.
• Translator wrote "I certify…" but did not state competence in both languages. The competence statement is required.
• Translation summarizes instead of translating. "Birth certificate of Mr. X, born 1985" is not a translation — it is a description.
• Stamps and seals are omitted. A page that visually contains a red seal must show that seal in the English version, even as a description.
• Translator translated only the parts that "matter." USCIS wants the whole document. If the original has a marginal stamp from a registry clerk, that stamp belongs in the translation.
• Original-language document not included. USCIS asks for the original-language copy and the English translation, stapled together. Submitting only the translation is a common rejection cause.

Can you translate your own documents?

USCIS regulations require that the translator be "competent" — they do not require the translator to be unrelated to the applicant. In practice, however, self-translation almost always raises questions at adjudication, and we strongly recommend against it.

For the same reason, family members translating for each other is risky. A neutral translator, even an inexpensive one, removes the appearance of conflict of interest.

How B308 handles certified translations

We translate documents in English, Spanish, French, Wolof, Pulaar, Bambara, and Mandingo, and the translator certification is included automatically with every page. Each translation is:

• A faithful, complete translation of the source — stamps, seals, and all.
• Accompanied by a signed certification statement that meets USCIS's stated requirements.
• Returned to you in a printable, ready-to-submit format with the original on top and the translation behind it.
• Reviewed for accuracy by a second set of eyes before delivery.

We do not notarize translations because USCIS does not require it — and adding notarization does not make a non-compliant translation compliant. We focus instead on the parts USCIS actually asks for: completeness, accuracy, and a proper signed certification.

If you have documents to translate for an upcoming filing, the consultation is free. Bring the original — even a phone photo — and we will tell you exactly what the certified translation will cost before any work begins.