How do you translate an Ecuadorian birth certificate for USCIS?
USCIS asks for a full English translation of an Ecuadorian birth certificate with the translator’s signed certification. We translate any birth record from the Registro Civil del Ecuador or the Guayaquil civil registry in full: the Inscripción de Nacimiento, a partida íntegra, the Libro de Nacimientos, with the barcode, QR code, electronic signature and the legalization stamp on the back. A birth certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
Which Ecuadorian birth records the Department of State lists
Ecuador has two civil registries: the national one, the Dirección General de Registro Civil, Identificación y Cedulación, and the city registry of Guayaquil, the Corporación Registro Civil de Guayaquil. For a US visa, the Department of State accepts only three birth records (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)):
- Inscripción de Nacimiento from the national registry;
- Nacimientos-Definitivas from the national registry;
- Libro de Nacimientos from the Guayaquil registry.
The same page says a Partida de Nacimiento and a Certificado de Nacimiento are not accepted for a visa. Ecuador’s procedures guide uses “partida íntegra” for a full copy of the registry entry, which Ecuadorians abroad can request at a consulate (gob.ec (opens in a new tab)). We translate whichever record you have, and the translation keeps its title exactly as printed.
What the translation includes
We translate the record in full, as USCIS requires (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)): every field of the entry, the marginal notes, and the details that show where the record came from. These differ by registry (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)):
- National registry records have “República del Ecuador” at the top and a barcode, the Civil Registry Director’s electronic signature and a QR code at the bottom. They are not printed on security paper, so they must be legalized and stamped by the Civil Registry on the reverse. The translation covers that stamp.
- Guayaquil’s Libro de Nacimientos is printed on security paper with watermarks, with a dry seal over the registry delegate’s signature and the certification stamp and signature on the left side.
The Department of State also warns that Ecuadorian civil documents may contain errors even when issued by the right office. A translation renders the record as printed and doesn’t correct it.
Names with two surnames
If the record gives two surnames, we keep both in its order and use your passport spelling. Tell us the spelling when you order, and every document in the order will match it.
Where the translation goes
- USCIS: the translation and certification filed with a copy of the record. 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 Ecuador or another country where Spanish is an official language (civil documents (opens in a new tab)). In Ecuador, immigrant visas are handled by the US Consulate General in Guayaquil; the Embassy in Quito issues nonimmigrant visas only (U.S. Department of State (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
What is a partida íntegra?
It’s the name Ecuador’s official procedures guide gives to a full copy of the registry entry (acta registral). Ecuadorians abroad can request one at an Ecuadorian consulate. We translate it like any other birth record, under the title printed on it.
My certificate has a stamp on the back. Do you translate it?
Yes. The Department of State says records printed by the National Civil Registry must carry its legalization stamp on the reverse, so the back is part of the document. We translate both sides.
How much does it cost?
A birth certificate is usually one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so three birth records 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. For US visas, the Department of State notes that an Ecuadorian birth certificate doesn’t need an apostille or notarization. If yours has one, 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.