How do you translate a Bolivian birth certificate for USCIS?
USCIS asks for a full English translation of a Bolivian birth certificate with the translator’s signed certification. We translate the certificado de nacimiento issued by SERECI and the civil registry offices in full: the certificate number, the registry office, the officer’s stamp and signature, the QR code and every field of the record. A Bolivian birth certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
Who issues it
Bolivian birth certificates are issued by the civil registry offices (Oficialías de Registro Civil) and by SERECI, the Servicio de Registro Cívico (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). SERECI is part of the Tribunal Supremo Electoral and keeps the register of names, civil status, filiation, births and deaths. Besides duplicate birth certificates, it issues certifications of filiation and of whether a birth record exists (Órgano Electoral Plurinacional (opens in a new tab)). We translate those certifications too.
What the translation includes
We translate the certificate in full, as USCIS requires (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)). Birth, marriage and death certificates in Bolivia share one pre-printed security format (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)), and the translation describes each of its elements:
- the paper: pale gray, with micro printing that reads Servicio de Registro Cívico Tribunal Supremo Electoral and the coat of arms as a watermark;
- the top: the SERECI logo in the upper left corner, the series and year in the upper right, the certificate number in the center (usually seven digits after N°);
- the bottom: a serial number in the lower left corner, the stamp with the civil registry officer’s name, ID number and signature, and the number of the registry office (Oficialía).
Between them is the record itself. We translate every field, note and stamp on your copy, and if a word can’t be read, the translation says [illegible].
The one-year rule for visa interviews
For an immigrant visa, a Bolivian birth certificate must be issued within the last year before the interview. It must be computerized and have a QR code; handwritten certificates are not accepted (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). The same one-year limit applies to Bolivian marriage, divorce and death certificates.
People born before 1940 could have their birth entered later through a petition to a judge. The former Municipal Statistical Office, which registered births in La Paz, closed in 1940; for those records, an updated computerized certificate comes from the main SERECI office in La Paz (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
Where the translation goes
- USCIS: the translation and certification filed with a copy of the certificate. 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 Bolivia 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.
Questions
My certificate was issued years ago. Can I use it with the translation?
For an immigrant visa interview, probably not: the Department of State asks for a Bolivian birth certificate issued within the last year, computerized and with a QR code. A new copy has its own number and date of issue, so it needs its own translation.
How much does it cost?
A Bolivian birth certificate is usually one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so a birth certificate, a marriage certificate and a death certificate are $65.
Do I need a notary or an apostille?
Not for USCIS: it asks for the translator’s signed certification, which comes with the translation. SERECI apostilles its own documents for use abroad; if your copy 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.