Certified Translation for USCIS in 2026: Requirements, Sample Certificate, Common Mistakes

Every foreign-language document submitted to USCIS must come with a translation: a full English translation plus a signed translator's certificate (certified translation), in which the translator states that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate from that language into English. A USCIS translation does not need to be notarized — neither the regulation at 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) nor USCIS guidance requires it. Below: exactly what is required, who can translate, a sample certificate, and the mistakes that trigger RFEs.

In short:

• The legal basis is 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3): a full English translation plus a translator's certificate of completeness, accuracy, and competence.
• USCIS does not require a notary. A license, association membership, or "sworn translator" status is not required either.
• Formally, anyone fluent in both languages can translate, including a relative (USCIS letter of March 19, 2024). In practice, it is better if the translator is not the applicant or a party to the case.
• A summary instead of a translation is not acceptable — the entire text is translated, including seals, stamps, and notations on the back.
• For consular cases (NVC, embassy), the rule is similar: a certified translation into English or the official language of the interview country, with a translator's statement of accuracy and competence.

What the law requires: 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)

The key provision is paragraph (b)(3) of 8 CFR 103.2. It applies to all applications and petitions filed with USCIS: I-130, I-485, I-140, I-129, I-539, I-751, N-400, and others.

The rule boils down to two requirements. First: any document containing foreign language is submitted together with a full English language translation. Second: the translator certifies that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English.

The regulation requires nothing more. It does not mention "notary," "license," "accreditation," or "translation agency." The translations section of the USCIS Policy Manual (Volume 1, Part E, Chapter 6, Section E "Translations") is marked as reserved as of October 15, 2026 — there are no additional rules there.

Important: the requirement covers any foreign-language text within a document. If an English-language diploma carries a Russian seal, or an English-language certificate has a stamp in Uzbek, those fragments must be translated too.

Related provisions in the same section: under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(4), supporting documents are submitted as originals or copies according to the form instructions, and under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(5), USCIS may request the original at any time. That is why a package usually contains a copy of the original, the translation, and the certificate, while the originals stay with the applicant — especially for the interview.

Does a translation for USCIS need to be notarized?

No. A signed translator's certificate is sufficient for USCIS. Notarization of a translation is not required by the regulation or by the form instructions.

It is important to understand what a US notary public does. A notary verifies a person's identity and signature, not the quality of a translation. A notary seal under the certificate does not make the translation "more official" for USCIS and will not fix errors in it.

So why does a notary come up in this context at all:

• Other institutions. Courts, the DMV, universities, professional licensing bodies, credential evaluators, and employers may have their own rules — sometimes they ask for a notarized translation or a translator's sworn signature (affidavit). Those are their requirements, not USCIS's.
• Affidavits and letters. A notary is often needed not for the translation but for other case documents — for example, third-party affidavits in a marriage case.
• Confusion with post-Soviet practice. In CIS countries, a "notarized translation" is the standard, so many people get one for the US out of habit. That is not a mistake, but it is not a requirement either.

Example (hypothetical): an applicant files an I-485 and is getting a US driver's license at the same time. For USCIS, she attaches a translation of her birth certificate with a standard translator's certificate. If another agency asks for a notarized translator's signature, the same translation can be signed before a notary — the translation itself does not need to be redone.

M&M has an in-house notary at the office, so if another agency requires notarization, it can be done on site together with the translation.

Who can translate: a relative, the applicant, an agency

USCIS does not keep a list of "approved" translators and does not require professional status. The letter from the USCIS Director to Congressman Robert Garcia dated March 19, 2024, states plainly: anyone can translate — paid or unpaid, including family members — as long as they certify (under penalty of perjury or in similar language) that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English.

But "allowed" does not mean "better." Comparison of options:

In cases where the credibility of evidence matters — marriage, humanitarian grounds, criteria-based petitions such as EB-1A or EB-2 NIW — it is better to have a translator with no stake in the outcome. The certificate is signed by the actual translator, who should be ready to stand behind the work if USCIS asks.

Important: document translation and interpretation at an interview are different things. For a USCIS interview, the applicant generally brings their own interpreter; the interpreter signs Form G-1256, and the attorney on the case cannot serve as the interpreter at the same time. More in our article on the USCIS interview in 2026.

What a translator's certificate must contain

The regulation essentially requires two statements: the translation is complete and accurate, and the translator is competent. Everything else is standard practice that makes the certificate verifiable and reduces the risk of questions. A good certificate includes:

1. The title of the translated document (for example, "Birth Certificate, series and number, date of issue").
2. The language pair: from which language into English.
3. A statement of the translator's competence.
4. A statement that the translation is complete and accurate.
5. The translator's full name in print.
6. Signature and date of signing.
7. Address and contact details (phone, email).

The phrase "under penalty of perjury" is often added — it is appropriate in light of the USCIS letter, although the regulation does not prescribe exact wording.

Sample certificate (Certificate of Translation)

CERTIFICATE OF TRANSLATION

I, [Full Name of Translator], certify that I am fluent in the Russian
and English languages and competent to translate from Russian into
English.

I further certify that the attached English translation of the
[Birth Certificate of Ivan Ivanov, No. ___, issued on ___] is a
complete and accurate translation of the original document.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States
of America that the foregoing is true and correct.

Signature: ______________________
Printed name: [Full Name]
Date: [Month Day, Year]
Address: [Street, City, State, ZIP]
Phone / Email: [___]

In plain terms: "I, [name], certify that I am fluent in Russian and English and competent to translate from Russian into English. I certify that the attached English translation of [the document] is a complete and accurate translation of the original. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true." Below that come the signature, name, date, address, and contact details.

The certificate is attached to each translated document or to a package with a list of documents. A separate certificate for each document is more practical: that way the translation does not get "lost" if the officer reshuffles the pages.

Full translation or summary: what counts as a "full translation"

USCIS requires a full translation. A summary prepared by a translator is not the same as a translation and may be rejected.

What "full" means in practice:

• the entire text of the document is translated, including the header, fields, and notes;
• seals, stamps, the apostille (if it is in a foreign language), handwritten notations, and text on the back are translated;
• illegible fragments are marked, for example "[illegible]", rather than skipped;
• a signature is marked as "[signature]", a seal as "[seal: text of the seal]";
• in bilingual documents (for example, Kazakh documents in Kazakh and Russian), all foreign-language text is translated.

A separate question is voluminous documents such as a multi-page employment record book (trudovaya knizhka), statements, or publications for O-1, EB-1A, or NIW. The regulation makes no exception for them, so the safe approach is a full translation of whatever is submitted. If you want to submit only part of a document, that decision is best discussed with the immigration attorney handling the case.

Important: do not confuse a translator's "extract" with an official extract issued by an authority. For example, a long-form certificate or an extract from the civil registry office (ZAGS) issued by the authority itself is a separate official document, and it is translated in full.

Apostille vs. translation: what is the difference

An apostille certifies the authenticity of an official's signature and seal on a document for use in another country that is party to the Hague Convention. A translation makes the content of the document understandable in English. These are different procedures; one does not replace the other.

For USCIS, an apostille on foreign civil documents is generally not required: a copy of the document, the translation, and the certificate are sufficient. For consular cases, document requirements depend on the country and are listed in the State Department's Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country. If an apostille is affixed anyway, its foreign-language text is translated too.

Translations for NVC and the embassy: State Department rules

In consular cases (an immigrant visa through NVC and an interview at the embassy), State Department rules apply. On its Civil Documents page, the State Department states: documents that are not in English or in the official language of the country where the interview takes place must be accompanied by certified translations. The translation must include a statement signed by the translator that the translation is accurate and that the translator is competent to translate.

There are two differences from USCIS:

• Language. For the consulate, a translation into the official language of the interview country is acceptable. In practice, for cases going through NVC, it is simpler to do an English translation from the start — NVC, the consulate, and USCIS in later proceedings will all accept it.
• Document origin. The State Department requires documents from the official issuing authority and, for each country, lists which documents are available, who issues them, and what they look like. That is the Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country reference — worth opening before ordering certificates and translations.

The State Department's civil documents page does not mention notarization of translations. If a particular embassy publishes its own additional requirements, follow them.

Documents applicants from the CIS translate most often

The set depends on the category, but Russian-speaking applicants most often need:

• Birth certificate — including old Soviet-era ones; needed for I-130, I-485, consular cases, and a green card for parents.
• Marriage certificate, divorce certificate, court divorce decree, spouse's death certificate — for all cases where marital history matters, including a marriage-based green card.
• Police certificate — for consular cases; the requirements for each country are in the State Department reference.
• Diplomas and transcripts — for F-1, H-1B, EB-2, NIW, EB-1A; often together with a credential evaluation.
• Employment record book and employment letters — to document experience in employment-based categories and O-1.
• Name change documents, adoption certificates, military ID.
• Substantive evidence — articles, awards, contracts, letters — in O-1, EB-1A, and NIW cases.

Name transliteration: how to avoid discrepancies

The most common technical mistake is the same name spelled differently across the case: "Yuliya" in the passport, "Iuliia" in the birth certificate translation, "Julia" on the form. For the officer, this is a reason to verify identity, and sometimes grounds for an RFE.

Rules that resolve most questions:

1. The international passport is the benchmark. The applicant's names are spelled as in their international passport, and consistently across all translations and forms.
2. Patronymic. In the translation, it is rendered as it appears in the document; on USCIS forms, a patronymic is usually not listed as a middle name if it is not in the passport. What matters is a consistent approach across the entire package.
3. Third parties' names (parents, former spouses) — in a single transliteration system across all documents; if the person has a passport, as in the passport.
4. Surnames with gendered endings (Ivanov / Ivanova) — as in each person's documents, without "harmonizing" them.
5. Names of cities and authorities — the commonly accepted spelling is acceptable; if a name has changed (for example, former Soviet place names), both versions can be given.

Example (hypothetical): in a child's birth certificate, the mother is recorded as "Гульнора," her passport says "GULNORA," and the translator wrote "Gulnara." One letter — and the officer sees two different people in the file. Fixing it after filing means an explanation letter and a new translation; before filing, it is five minutes of checking against the passport.

Common mistakes in translations for USCIS

• A translation without a certificate, or a certificate without a signature and date.
• A certificate is present but lacks a statement of the translator's competence — only "the translation is correct."
• A "gist" translation or a summary instead of a full translation.
• Seals, stamps, notations on the back, or the apostille text are not translated.
• Different spellings of the same name in different documents.
• Date errors: day and month swapped (the US format is month/day/year).
• Unproofread machine translation, especially in names of authorities and professions.
• An original is submitted instead of a copy, and then it is hard to get back.

If a request for evidence has already arrived because of a translation, the response follows the same rules: a new full translation with a proper certificate. How to handle the request in general — see our article on USCIS RFEs.

What to do now

1. Make a list of all documents for filing and mark those with even one word in a foreign language, including seals.
2. If your case is consular, open your country's page in the State Department's Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country and check which documents are needed and from which authorities.
3. Check the spelling of all names against the international passports and lock in a single version for the translator.
4. Make high-quality copies of the originals on all sides, including the back.
5. Order a full translation from someone with no stake in the case, with a certificate of completeness, accuracy, and competence, including signature, date, and contact details.
6. Review the translation: all fields, dates, seals; date format; no omissions.
7. Get notarization only if another agency requires it, not USCIS.
8. Keep electronic copies of the translations — you will need them at the interview and in later cases.

How M&M can help

• Certified translation. We prepare full translations from Russian, Ukrainian, Uzbek, and other CIS languages into English with a certificate that complies with 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) and consistent passport-based transliteration.
• In-house notary. If another agency asks for notarization, it can be done at our office at 1944 Coney Island Ave in Brooklyn.
• Preparation of the full package. We prepare filing documents — I-130, I-485, I-140, I-539, and others — together with partner licensed attorneys. You can start with a free assessment or through our contact page.

Sources

• 8 CFR § 103.2 — Submission and adjudication of benefit requests (Cornell LII)
• USCIS — letter from Director Ur M. Jaddou to Congressman Robert Garcia on translations, 03/19/2024
• USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 1, Part E, Chapter 6 — Evidence
• USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 5 — Interview Guidelines (interpreters at interviews)
• U.S. Department of State — Civil Documents (Step 7)
• U.S. Department of State — U.S. Visa: Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country
• Lehigh Valley Immigration Lawyers — Translated Documents at Your AOS Interview (2026)

This material is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. M&M Document Preparation is not a law firm. Information is current as of October 15, 2026.