How do you translate a Chilean police certificate (certificado de antecedentes) for a US visa?
For a US immigrant visa, the State Department names one police certificate from Chile: the certificado de antecedentes para fines especiales from the Civil Registry. We translate it in full, both sides, with the folio number, the verification code and the electronic signature. A certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
Which certificate the consulate names
The State Department’s page for Chile lists one police certificate: the Certificado de Antecedentes para fines especiales, issued by the Civil Registry (Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación) and signed electronically by the head of its General Archive department (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). Chile’s government portal describes a second type, para fines particulares, used for example when looking for a job (ChileAtiende (opens in a new tab)).
Who can get one, and how
According to the same State Department page:
- the certificate is available to anyone aged 14 or older who has a Chilean ID number (RUN);
- in Chile, you apply in person at the Civil Registry with your ID card, online with your ClaveÚnica, or at a self-service kiosk;
- from abroad, you apply through the nearest Chilean consulate;
- a foreign resident who never had a Chilean RUN can’t get one.
It is free online and CLP 1,050 at a Civil Registry office (ChileAtiende (opens in a new tab)). A certificate can be checked online for up to 60 days after you get it, with its folio number and verification code (ChileAtiende (opens in a new tab)).
For an immigrant visa, the State Department says police certificates expire after two years, unless the certificate comes from a country of previous residence you haven’t returned to (civil documents (opens in a new tab)).
What the translation includes
We translate the certificate in full, as USCIS requires (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)):
- the seal of the Chilean coat of arms with the huemul and the condor, described in brackets;
- the heading, the type of certificate and your personal details as printed;
- the result: no records, or each entry as it is written;
- the reverse side, where any prison record is noted (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab));
- the folio number, the verification code and the electronic signature.
We spell your name as in your passport, with both surnames in the order of the certificate.
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 Chile or another country where Spanish is an official language. What NVC accepts
- USCIS: the green card instructions ask for certified police and court records of any arrests or convictions, including abroad (Form I-485 instructions (opens in a new tab)). 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.
Sample translation
The sample has the original, the translation and the signed certificate. Personal details are blurred.
Questions
My certificate says “para fines particulares”. Is that the right one?
The State Department page for Chile names the certificate para fines especiales. If yours is the other type, we translate it just the same; which one to file is for you or your attorney to decide.
How much does it cost?
A certificate is usually one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so a certificate with an apostille on a separate sheet is $45.
Do I need a notary or an apostille?
Not for USCIS or NVC: they ask for the translator’s signed certification, and it’s included. If your certificate has an apostille, we translate it 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.