How do you translate an Ecuadorian police certificate (certificado de antecedentes penales)?
Ecuador’s police certificate is the certificado de antecedentes penales, a free certificate you print from the Ministry of the Interior website. We translate it in full: the heading, your name and ID or passport number as printed, the Posee antecedentes answer and everything else on the page. The certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
Where the certificate comes from
Since June 4, 2012, Ecuador has had no printed police certificate: anyone can look up a police record online with an Ecuadorian ID number or a passport number and print the result. The certificate is available from age 18 and costs nothing (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). The State Department page names the Ministry of Government as the issuer; Ecuador’s official guide to public services lists the same online service under the Ministry of the Interior (gob.ec (opens in a new tab)).
A foreign citizen uses a passport number, and that passport has to be registered in Ecuador’s migration system, SIMIEC. Otherwise the site answers “persona no encontrada” (“person not found”) (gob.ec (opens in a new tab)).
What the Posee antecedentes box means for a visa
The State Department page explains how the US consulate reads the certificate (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)):
- if the box “Posee antecedentes” says SI, you bring your complete court records to the interview, with an English translation;
- if it says NO, that doesn’t necessarily mean there is no record: records can be purged at the person’s request;
- the certificate shows only cases that ended in a sentence; pending cases don’t appear;
- in Ecuador the certificate is valid for 90 days, but for a US immigrant visa it is accepted for two years, and a copy goes to NVC.
Court records come from each court separately: a lawyer files a written request with the criminal or civil court, and the answer takes about three business days. If you served in the military, the Ministry of National Defense issues an online certificate, the Certificado de Pertenecer o No a Fuerzas Armadas, valid for 30 days (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). We translate all of these.
Names
The website shows the names linked to your ID number; if they are wrong, you ask the Registro Civil to correct them (gob.ec (opens in a new tab)). In the translation we keep both surnames in the order of the certificate and spell the names 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 Ecuador or another country where Spanish is an official language (civil documents (opens in a new tab)). For Ecuadorian court records brought to the interview, the reciprocity page asks for an English translation. What NVC accepts
- USCIS: a full 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.
Questions
I printed the certificate myself from the Ministry website. Will you translate it?
Yes. Ecuador issues this certificate only online, so a printout from the Ministry of the Interior website is the standard copy.
Do you translate Ecuadorian court records too?
Yes, in full, with the judge’s or secretary’s signature and the court seal. Court records usually run longer than the certificate and are priced by the page.
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 two pages of court records 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 carries an apostille, we translate the apostille as well.
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.