How do you translate a Colombian diploma and acta de grado for WES or USCIS?
WES asks for a word-for-word English translation by a professional translator when your WES account lists one as required, and USCIS asks for a full translation with the translator’s signed certification. We translate the Colombian diploma (título), the acta de grado, the certificado de notas, and the Ministry of Education certificate and the apostille if your documents have them. We charge by the page: $25 for the first page and $20 for each additional one. The translation is ready within 24 hours after payment.
The documents of a Colombian degree
Among the higher-education documents the Ministry of Education (MEN) verifies for use abroad are the acta de grado (the graduation record), the certificado de notas (the transcript) and the título (the diploma) (mineducacion.gov.co (opens in a new tab)). We translate each of them as a separate document, in full:
- the título and the acta de grado: every line of text, the numbers and dates, the registration notes, the seals and the signatures;
- the certificado de notas: every subject and grade in the order of the original, with the credits, periods and grading scale if the document prints them;
- added pages: the MEN verification certificate and the apostille, if your copies have them.
Grades stay exactly as printed. We don’t convert them to a US GPA or evaluate the degree: that’s the evaluator’s job.
The Ministry of Education and the apostille
For use abroad, MEN verifies actas de grado, transcripts and diplomas issued by Colombian universities. The institution and the program must be registered in SNIES, the national higher-education information system. The procedure has been online and free since October 2019, and MEN answers within 24 business hours with a verification certificate in PDF (mineducacion.gov.co (opens in a new tab)).
The apostille is the next step and is also online: in the Cancillería (Foreign Ministry) system you choose the electronic documents signed by MEN and enter the filing number printed at the bottom of the MEN certificate (cancilleria.gov.co (opens in a new tab)). Colombia has been a party to the Apostille Convention since 2001 (HCCH (opens in a new tab)).
We translate these pages with their filing numbers and verification codes. Whether your recipient needs the MEN certificate or the apostille at all is for the recipient to say.
Where the translation goes
- WES: whether you need translations is shown in your WES account. If you do, WES wants an exact, word-for-word translation made from the official documents by a professional translator, not by the applicant (wes.org (opens in a new tab)). What WES and ECE accept
- ECE: a word-for-word translation in the same format as the original, or ECE’s paid Translation Waiver (ece.org (opens in a new tab)).
- USCIS: a full translation and the translator’s signed certification (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)). What USCIS accepts
Which documents your evaluation needs is up to the evaluator. 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
Do I need to translate both the diploma and the acta de grado?
That depends on the evaluator or agency: check the document list in your WES or ECE account. We translate each document you send, and each one is priced by its pages.
How much does it cost?
We charge by the page: $25 for the first page and $20 for each additional one in the same order. A diploma, an acta de grado and a one-page certificado de notas are $65; a longer transcript adds pages.
Do I need a notary or an apostille?
Not for USCIS: it asks for the translator’s signed certification, and it’s included. If your documents carry the Ministry of Education certificate or an apostille, we translate those pages 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.