How do you translate an apostille on a foreign document?
An apostille is a certificate under the 1961 Hague Convention that confirms the signature and seal on a public document, not its content. If your document already has one, it is part of the document: USCIS asks for a full translation, so we translate the apostille together with the certificate it is attached to. We don’t issue apostilles. A one-page document is $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
What an apostille confirms
The Hague Apostille Convention of 1961 (opens in a new tab) replaced the chain of consular legalization with one certificate. An authority of the country where the document was issued, often a ministry of justice or foreign affairs, confirms that the signature and seal on the document are genuine and that the person who signed held that office.
An apostille says nothing about whether the content of the document is true, and it doesn’t replace a translation.
What is on it
The form is set by the Convention: the title “Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)” and ten numbered fields. They name the country, the person who signed the document, their position, the seal, the place and date of the apostille, the authority that issued it, its number, and its own seal and signature.
Countries often print the field names in their own language next to the French title: Russian and Ukrainian apostilles are in Russian or Ukrainian, Mexican ones in Spanish. Newer apostilles may be electronic, with a code to check them online.
How we translate it
We translate the apostille in full, field by field, in the same translation as the document, and we note where it is: on the back of the page or on a separate sheet. Handwritten entries and the numbers are kept as they are. If a stamp or a word can’t be read, the translation marks it [illegible] instead of guessing.
We translate apostilles on documents in Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, Romanian and Bulgarian.
Does USCIS need an apostille?
The USCIS rule for foreign documents (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)) asks for a full English translation and the translator’s certification, not an apostille. But if the document you file has an apostille, a full translation includes it. What USCIS accepts
What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.
Questions
Do you issue apostilles?
No. An apostille is issued by an authority of the country where the document was issued. We translate the document together with its apostille.
Does USCIS require an apostille?
The USCIS rule for foreign documents asks for a full English translation with the translator’s certification. It doesn’t ask for an apostille. Some other recipients do, so check with yours.
Does translating the apostille cost extra?
No. It is translated as part of the document, priced by pages like the rest: $25 for the first page, $20 for each additional page in the same order.
How long does it take?
1–4 documents: within 24 hours after payment; faster, within 12 hours (+$15 a page) or 3 hours (+$30 a page, paid between 8 am and 6 pm Pacific time). For 5 or more, we give you the date with the quote.
How we do it
- Full translation
every stamp, signature and handwritten line
- Signed certificate
with the translator’s name, address and phone
- A PDF, ready to file
original, translation and certificate, translation pages numbered
- Price
$25 for the first page up to 250 words, $20 for each additional page, in the same document or another one.
- Turnaround
1–4 documents: within 24 hours after payment; faster, within 12 hours (+$15 a page) or 3 hours (+$30 a page, paid between 8 am and 6 pm Pacific time). For 5 or more, we give you the date with the quote.
This is a summary of what the agency publishes, not legal advice.