How do you translate a Cuban birth certificate (certificación de nacimiento) for USCIS?
USCIS asks for a full English translation of a Cuban birth certificate with the translator’s signed certification. We translate the certificación de nacimiento in full, with the tomo and folio, the marginal notes, the stamp or its code, the seal and the registrar’s signature, whether your copy is printed from the database or handwritten. A Cuban birth certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
Who issues the certificate
A Cuban birth certificate is a certificación de nacimiento from the Registro del Estado Civil. The registries belong to the Ministry of Justice (MINJUS), one in each of Cuba’s 168 municipalities, and a registrar (registrador) signs the document (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). The format varies, but every copy must have a stamp, the seal of the civil registry and the registrar’s signature (same source).
The registry issues a certificate either as an extract (en extracto) or as a literal copy of the entry, which needs the authorization of the provincial director of justice (MINJUS (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)). A Cuban birth is declared with the child’s full name, sex, date and place of birth and the parents’ names (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)), and the translation has every one of them, plus:
- the registry, the municipality and the volume (tomo) and folio where the birth is entered;
- the marginal notes (notas marginales) added to the entry later (MINJUS (opens in a new tab));
- the stamp, the registry seal and the registrar’s signature, described in brackets.
Database copies and handwritten ones
Cuban civil documents are now generated from electronic databases, while older ones are mostly handwritten or typed; both are valid under Cuban law. Most documents need a National Tax Office stamp, and a 13-digit alphanumeric code now replaces it. A certificate from the civil registry’s digital system can be verified on the MINJUS website with the case number and PIN it carries (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
The translation keeps the code, the case number and the PIN character by character. On an old handwritten copy, a word that can’t be read is marked [illegible].
Getting a copy from outside Cuba
From abroad, you can request the certificate through a Cuban consulate, a legal representative or a relative in Cuba, or online. A request made in Cuba gives the full name, the place of registration, the date and place of birth and the volume and folio (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
Names
If the certificate gives two surnames, we keep both in its order and use the spelling of your passport, the same in every document in your order.
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 Cuba or another country where Spanish is an official language (civil documents (opens in a new tab)). 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
I requested my certificate on the MINJUS portal. Will you translate it?
Yes. The Department of State notes that a copy from the portal should still be certified by the registrar, who signs and seals it and applies the paper or digital stamp. We translate it with those marks, and the case number and PIN stay exactly as printed.
How much does it cost?
A Cuban birth certificate is usually one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so certificates for three family members are $65.
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 certificate carries a legalization, 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.