How do you get and translate a police certificate from Argentina for a US visa?
For a US immigrant visa, the police certificate from Argentina is the certificado de antecedentes penales of the Registro Nacional de Reincidencia, issued “con excepción al artículo 51 del Código Penal”. Without that annotation, the certificate doesn’t give the full list of arrests and charges. We translate the certificate in full, with the annotation, the result and the digital signature details. A certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
What the Department of State asks for
The reciprocity page for Argentina names the document: Certificado de Antecedentes Penales con excepción al artículo 51 del Código Penal, issued by the Registro Nacional de Reincidencia. Every certificate for the visa must carry that annotation; without it, a full list of arrests and charges won’t be provided (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
How you get it depends on where you are, according to the same page:
- in Argentina: request and pay for the certificate at argentina.gob.ar (opens in a new tab), then ask for the Article 51 exception through the registry’s user service, choosing “Reclamo – Tramitación” and “El trámite no fue entregado con excepción al Art. 51”;
- outside Argentina: go to the nearest Argentine consulate or embassy with your passport or Argentine ID card and say you need the record “con excepción al artículo 51 del Código Penal”; you are fingerprinted, pay a fee, and receive an email the same day with a code to view and print the certificate online.
If you were convicted, court records come from the court that handled the case; prison records are not available (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
What the registry says
The Registro Nacional de Reincidencia explains (questions and answers (opens in a new tab)):
- if you are 18 or older, only you can request it, and without an Argentine DNI you can only apply in person;
- the certificate is digitally signed; the registry emails you download codes, and you can download it for 90 days from the date of issue;
- its legal validity is five business days from issue, and the registry tells you to check with the office where you will present it;
- you have 15 calendar days from issue to ask for a correction; if the records don’t match how a case ended, it asks for a court certification of the final decision.
For an immigrant visa, NVC’s rule is different: a police certificate expires after two years, unless it comes from a country of previous residence you haven’t returned to since (civil documents (opens in a new tab)). Who needs one: police certificate guide.
What the translation includes
We translate the whole certificate (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)): the registry’s heading, your name and ID number, the Article 51 annotation, the result, the date and the digital signature details. Your name is spelled as in your passport.
Where the translation goes
- 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
- USCIS: a full translation with the translator’s signed certification. What USCIS 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.
Questions
My certificate doesn’t mention Article 51. Will you translate it?
Yes, we translate what the certificate says. But the Department of State says a certificate for a visa must carry the Article 51 annotation, so for a visa you may need a new one that has it.
How much does it cost?
A certificate is usually one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so a certificate and two pages of court records are $65.
Do I need a notary or an apostille?
Not for NVC or USCIS: they ask for the translator’s signed certification, and it’s included. If your certificate has an apostille, we translate it too.
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.