How do you translate a Dominican police certificate (certificación de buena conducta)?
In the Dominican Republic, the police certificate for a US immigrant visa is the certificación de buena conducta from the Procuraduría General de la República, the Attorney General’s office. It certifies that no antecedentes penales, no criminal records, exist under your name. We translate it in full: the certifying text, your name and cédula number, the date, the digital signature, the seal and the verification codes. The certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
Who needs it and how it’s ordered
The State Department asks for a Dominican police certificate from applicants over 18 who have lived in the Dominican Republic for six months; under 18, you don’t submit one (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). You may need a police certificate from every country you have lived in; the general rules are on the State Department’s civil documents (opens in a new tab) page.
- From abroad: you apply online on the Procuraduría’s services portal (portal.servicios.pgr.gob.do (opens in a new tab)).
- In the country: at any Centro de Atención al Ciudadano of the Procuraduría, with your cédula, a copy of both sides and the receipt for the fee, paid online or at Banco de Reservas. It is usually ready the same day.
A certificate ordered online has no signature; one issued at an office is signed by the head of that center (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
What’s on the certificate
The certifying sentence says that the information system of the Ministerio Público holds no criminal records (no existen antecedentes penales) under your name and cédula number, and that the certification is issued, signed and sealed digitally at your request (Procuraduría General (opens in a new tab)). The translation has that sentence word for word, the date of issue and every code on the page.
Anyone can check a certificate on the Procuraduría portal with the cédula or passport number, the service code (Código de Identificación de Servicios, CIS) and the digital signature code. The check shows the issuing center and its country, the date, the authorized signatory and the result (Procuraduría General (opens in a new tab)). We copy every code exactly as printed, so whoever reads the translation can run the same check.
If you had a criminal case, the court documents are separate: a certified copy of the sentence, a certificate that it was not appealed or a certified copy of a resolution, issued by the court’s secretary general on a written request (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). We translate those too.
Names
The certificate gives your name next to your Cédula de Identidad y Electoral number. We keep the names in the order of the certificate, both surnames included, and spell them as in your passport. Tell us the spelling when you order.
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 the Dominican Republic or another country where Spanish is an official language (civil documents (opens in a new tab)). What NVC accepts
- USCIS: a full English translation with the translator’s certification (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (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 was ordered online and has no handwritten signature. Will you translate it?
Yes. The State Department says a certificate ordered online comes without a signature. We translate what is on it, including every code.
How much does it cost?
The certificate is usually one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so the certificate and a two-page court document are $65.
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.