How do you translate foreign court records for USCIS?

What USCIS asks for

Green card (Form I-⁠485). Certified police and court records of any charges, arrests or convictions (Form I-⁠485 instructions (opens in a new tab)):

• arrest without charges: the arrest report and an official statement or court order with the final disposition;
• charges: certified copies of the charging document and the final disposition of each charge, such as a dismissal order;
• conviction or alternative sentence: also any plea agreement and proof the sentence or program was completed;
• a record vacated, sealed or expunged: a certified copy of that order.

If certified copies can’t be obtained, they ask for the custodian’s letter explaining why, your statement and secondary evidence.

Naturalization (Form N-⁠400). Charging documents, court dispositions and sentencing records, and proof that you completed the sentence or probation; originals or court-⁠certified copies go to the interview (Form N-⁠400 instructions (opens in a new tab)).

Waivers (Form I-⁠601). Complete court records of any conviction or charge from any country, as certified court documents (Form I-⁠601 instructions (opens in a new tab)).

A record in another language needs a full translation and a signed certification (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)).

What the Department of State asks for

If you were convicted of a crime, you need a certified copy of each court and prison record, even if you were later pardoned or granted amnesty (civil documents (opens in a new tab); 22 CFR 42.65(b) (opens in a new tab)). A police certificate is a separate document: police certificate translation.

What the courts issue

From the State Department’s country pages:

• Ukraine: a court decision (sudove rishennya) with a wet seal, the date it took effect and the signatures of the judge and the secretary. There are no prison records; the court record with its translation is used (Ukraine (opens in a new tab)).
• Mexico: a certified copy of the trial, with numbered pages signed by the court’s certifier; the prison issues a carta de liberación or constancia de salida (Mexico (opens in a new tab)).
• Romania: a criminal judgment (sentință penală); the prison gives a bilet de liberare on release (Romania (opens in a new tab)).
• Moldova: a court decision (hotărâre, decizie or sentință), with certified copies from the courts (Moldova (opens in a new tab)).
• Bulgaria: a conviction status certificate (svidetelstvo za sadimost) from a regional court, which shows convictions not yet cleared but not arrests or charges; the judgment itself may be requested (Bulgaria (opens in a new tab)).
• Russia: only the Interior Ministry’s police certificate is listed (Russia (opens in a new tab)).

What the translation includes

Every page: the court, case number and judge, the charges with their article numbers, the reasoning, the verdict and sentence, the date it took effect, and the court’s certification of the copy. An unreadable word is marked [illegible].

Where it goes

• USCIS: each record with its translation and certification. What USCIS accepts
• NVC and US consulates: the Department of State doesn’t ask for a translation of a document in a language that is official in the country where you are applying for your visa. What NVC accepts
• Immigration court: a typed certification with the translator’s address and phone. What the court accepts

Russian documents are translated and certified by our Russian translator. Ukrainian, Spanish, Romanian and Bulgarian documents are translated and certified by a native speaker of that language, under their own name.

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