How do you translate an Argentine marriage certificate (acta de matrimonio) for USCIS?

What the acta records

The Civil and Commercial Code lists what the marriage acta must contain (Código Civil y Comercial, art. 420 (opens in a new tab)), and the translation has every item:

• the date and place of the ceremony;
• for each spouse: full name, age, ID number, marital status, nationality, occupation, address and place of birth;
• the parents of each spouse, if known: names, ID numbers, nationality, occupation and address;
• the witnesses: full name, age, ID number, marital status, occupation and address;
• whether the spouses made a marriage agreement (convención matrimonial), its date and the notary’s register, and whether they chose separation of property;
• a judge’s waiver or an objection and its rejection, where there was one;
• the spouses’ declaration that they take each other in marriage, and the officer’s declaration that they are married in the name of the law;
• for a marriage at a distance, the document with the absent spouse’s consent.

Any later change to the entry is signed by the registry officer and recorded as a reference note (nota de referencia) (Ley 26.413, art. 25 (opens in a new tab)). We translate these notes as fully as the main entry, as USCIS requires (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)).

Paper and digital copies

Each act is entered in a register book, and the copies issued from it, called partidas, are public documents that must be authenticated by the competent authority (Ley 26.413, art. 5 (opens in a new tab)). The Department of State describes a copy from the book without security features, carrying a blue or black stamp reading “es copia fiel del original”, or a PDF with a digital signature. Digital copies from the City and the Province of Buenos Aires have a verification code, and other provinces may have a verification code or a scannable code (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). The libreta de matrimonio isn’t considered an official document, but it may add evidence of the marriage, according to the same page.

Divorce

From Argentina, the Department of State takes the acta de matrimonio annotated with the divorce as proof of divorce. A divorce judgment (sentencia de divorcio) without that annotated acta is not acceptable on its own and only adds evidence (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). We translate both.

Names

Names are spelled as in each spouse’s passport, and ID numbers are copied as printed. Tell us the spelling when you order.

Where the translation goes

• USCIS: for Form I-⁠130, the marriage certificate and proof that each earlier marriage ended, each with a full translation and the translator’s certification (Form I-⁠130 instructions (opens in a new tab)). What USCIS accepts
• NVC and US consulates: the Department of State doesn’t ask for a translation of a certificate in Spanish if you are applying for your visa in Argentina or another country where Spanish is an official language. What NVC accepts
• Immigration court: a typed certification with the translator’s address and phone. What the court accepts

Our Spanish documents are translated and certified by a native Spanish speaker. What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.