How do you translate an Ecuadorian marriage certificate for USCIS?

Which marriage records the Department of State lists

Marriages in Ecuador are recorded by the national Civil Registry (Dirección General de Registro Civil, Identificación y Cedulación) or, in Guayaquil, by the Corporación Registro Civil de Guayaquil. For a US visa, the Department of State accepts three marriage records (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)):

• Inscripción de Matrimonio from the national registry;
• Acta de Matrimonio en Sede from the national registry;
• Libro de Matrimonios from the Guayaquil registry.

A Certificado de Matrimonio is not on the list. The record must be obtained in person or by a representative with a power of attorney signed by you (same source). Ecuadorians abroad can also get a copy of a marriage entry at a consulate (gob.ec (opens in a new tab)).

How a divorce appears

In Ecuador, a divorce is registered on the marriage record itself: the registry enters it on presentation of the court’s decree, and the divorce amendment appears on the left side or the back of the page. For a US visa, the Department of State lists the Inscripción de Matrimonio or the Libro de Matrimonios with that amendment as proof of divorce, and says the court’s Acta de Divorcio is not accepted (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). That is why we always translate the margins and the back of an Ecuadorian marriage record.

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, with both spouses’ names in the order of the record, spelled as in your passports;
• on national registry records, the “República del Ecuador” header, the barcode, the Director’s electronic signature, the QR code and the legalization stamp on the reverse;
• on Guayaquil records, printed on security paper with watermarks, the dry seal over the delegate’s signature and the certification stamp on the left side;
• any amendment, such as a divorce, and an apostille if there is one.

Where the translation goes

• USCIS: for Form I-⁠130, the marriage certificate and proof that any earlier marriage legally ended, each with a full translation and the translator’s signed certification (Form I-⁠130 instructions (opens in a new tab)). 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.