Which documents need to be translated for an asylum application (I-⁠589)?

What USCIS asks of a translation

USCIS sets out the translation rule in the Form I-⁠589 instructions (opens in a new tab) (edition 07/28/26, p. 8, the Translations paragraph): a document in a foreign language comes with a full English translation. The translator signs a certification that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English. The certification also includes the translator’s signature, printed name, the date of signing and contact information. The instructions don’t require a notary. For the general USCIS rule for any document, see What USCIS accepts.

If the case is before an immigration court, the court’s own rule applies to translations (8 CFR 1003.33 (opens in a new tab)). For what it requires, see What the court accepts.

Identity and family documents

In Section VI of the instructions (Required Documents, p. 8), USCIS lists:

• copies of all passports and other travel documents, cover to cover;
• evidence of relationship for each family member included in the application, such as birth or school records of the children, a marriage certificate, or proof that an earlier marriage ended;
• other identity documents, if you have them, such as a birth certificate, a military or national ID card, or a driver’s license. The instructions recommend including a copy.

What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.

In a passport, we translate every page you send, with its stamps and notes. How we translate each of these documents: passport, birth certificate, marriage and divorce certificates, military ID.

Evidence for the case: articles, letters, records

In Section VII (Additional Evidence, p. 8), the instructions list what supporting evidence may include:

• newspaper articles, periodicals, journals and books;
• affidavits of witnesses or experts, and personal statements;
• medical and psychological records, and doctors’ statements;
• official documents.

What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.

A document that isn’t in English needs a full translation with the certification, just like a passport or a certificate. We translate an article in full: the headline, the date, the author if named, the text and any comments on the page. Records, statements and letters are translated in full too, with seals, stamps and signatures. The instructions don’t name chats or social media posts; if they are in your package, we translate them with sender names and message times.

How we translate them: articles and publications, chats and posts.

Documents for family members (Form I-⁠730)

For a relative petition (Form I-⁠730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition), USCIS has separate instructions (opens in a new tab) (edition 01/20/25). The translation rule on page 4 is the same: a full English translation, and the translator signs a certification that it is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate. For Form I-⁠730, the instructions recommend, rather than require, the translator’s printed name, the date and contact information. Our certification always has them.

On page 4, the instructions list relationship documents:

• for a spouse: the marriage certificate, the spouse’s birth certificate, proof that any earlier marriage ended, such as a divorce or death certificate, and proof of any legal name change;
• for a child: the birth certificate; for a stepchild, also the certificate of the stepparent’s marriage to the child’s parent; for an adopted child, the adoption decree.

What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.

How we translate them: birth certificate, marriage and divorce certificates.

The same names in every document

An asylum package can hold documents from different years and offices: Soviet certificates, Russian passports, a military ID, records. We spell names as they appear in your international passport. Include the spelling in your request, and we’ll use it in every document in your order. If the package has family members’ documents, send the spelling of each name; if someone has no international passport, we agree on the spelling with you.

We translate the names of offices the same way across the order too, so one registry office (ZAGS), military commissariat or police department reads the same in every document. How we spell names from an international passport: see passport translation.

How we translate

We translate every document in full, as USCIS requires (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)), with seals, stamps and handwritten notes. If a word can’t be read, the translation marks it [illegible] instead of guessing. The signed certification with the translator’s name, address and phone is included in the price. We send the translation by email.

Sample translations of these documents are further down the page; the rest are on the samples page.

Price

We charge by the page: $25 for the first page of up to 250 words and $20 for each additional page, in the same document or another one. For example, a marriage certificate and two children’s birth certificates of one page each are $65. Articles, records and chats are priced by the page too, so the total depends on their length. Send photos of your documents, and we’ll give you the exact price.