How do you translate a divorce decree for USCIS?
If you or your spouse were married before, USCIS asks for proof that each earlier marriage legally ended, and a document in another language needs a full English translation with the translator’s signed certification. We translate divorce decrees, court decisions and divorce certificates from Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, Romanian (including Moldovan) and Bulgarian, with every seal, stamp and note. A divorce certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
What USCIS asks for
- Family petition (Form I-130): documents showing that each prior marriage of either spouse was legally terminated; a father filing for his child adds proof, issued by civil authorities, that the parents’ prior marriages ended (Form I-130 instructions (opens in a new tab)).
- Green card (Form I-485): typically a divorce decree or certificate, or a death certificate (Form I-485 instructions (opens in a new tab)).
- Naturalization through marriage (Form N-400): any divorce decree, annulment decree or death certificate for your and your spouse’s prior marriages (Form N-400 instructions (opens in a new tab)).
A foreign-language decree needs a full English translation and the translator’s certification (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)). A summary doesn’t count (USCIS Policy Manual (opens in a new tab)).
What the Department of State asks for
For an immigrant visa: an original or certified copy of the final divorce decree, death certificate or annulment papers for every prior marriage, and, for IR1, CR1 and F2A spouses, for every prior marriage of the petitioner (civil documents (opens in a new tab)).
What proves a divorce in each country
From the State Department’s country pages:
- Russia: a certificate of divorce (svidetelstvo o rastorzhenii braka) from the ZAGS registry office (Russia (opens in a new tab)). Our page: Russian marriage and divorce certificates
- Ukraine: a divorce certificate from the civil registration office; since July 27, 2010, it goes only to couples without minor children (with narrow exceptions), and for those divorces a court decision is accepted instead (Ukraine (opens in a new tab)). Our page: Ukrainian divorce certificates
- Mexico: an acta de divorcio from the Registro Civil. Some states note the divorce on the marriage certificate, which is also accepted (Mexico (opens in a new tab)). Our page: Mexican divorce certificates
- Romania: a court judgment (sentință civilă), or a certificat de divorț from the civil status officer or a notary; a marriage certificate noting the divorce is not accepted (Romania (opens in a new tab)). Our page: Romanian divorce certificates
- Moldova: a certificat de divorț from the Public Services Agency (Moldova (opens in a new tab)).
- Bulgaria: the regional court’s decision (reshenie); a certified copy carries a seal reading “true copy” (Bulgaria (opens in a new tab)). Our page: Bulgarian divorce decisions
Other Spanish-speaking countries each have their own page in the same list (opens in a new tab). Our pages for three of them: Cuban divorce certificates, Dominican divorce certificates and Venezuelan divorce decrees.
What the translation includes
The court and case number, the parties, the reasoning and what the court ordered, including on children or property; the judge’s signature, the seal, later stamps and any apostille. Names follow your passport; an unreadable word is marked [illegible].
Where it goes
- USCIS: the translation and certification filed with a copy of the decree. 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.
Questions
Do you translate the whole court decision?
Yes, every page: the court’s reasoning, what it decided, the seals and any stamps or notes added later. USCIS asks for a full translation, and a summary isn’t accepted.
How much does it cost?
A divorce certificate is usually one page: $25. A court decree is priced by the page, $25 for the first and $20 for each additional one, so a three-page decree is $65.
Do I need a notary or an apostille?
USCIS and NVC ask for the translator’s signed certification, not a notary, and it’s included. If your decree carries 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.