How do you translate a Honduran death certificate (acta de defunción) for USCIS?
A Honduras death certificate for USCIS needs a full English translation with the translator’s signed certification. We translate the certificación de acta de defunción issued by the Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP) in full: the entry, the registrar’s signature, stamps and any fingerprints. One page is $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
When USCIS asks for it
The I-130 instructions ask for proof that each earlier marriage of the petitioner or the spouse legally ended (Form I-130 instructions, p. 6 (opens in a new tab)). If a first husband or wife died in Honduras, that proof is the Honduran death record. A widow or widower of a US citizen filing Form I-360 sends a copy of the spouse’s death certificate (Form I-360 instructions, p. 2 (opens in a new tab)). In both cases a document in Spanish goes with a full English translation and the translator’s certification (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)).
Which Honduran record
For a death, the State Department lists the Certificación de Acta de Defunción issued by the Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). You request it in person at any RNP office, and the fee is L 200, about $10 (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). For a birth, the same page asks for a copy of the book folio (copia de folio); for a death, it names the certificación. The death certificate has no special seal, color or format, and a registration made more than three months after the death carries an extra penalty.
What the entry contains
The RNP law, as archived from the RNP website in 2018, says a death is recorded in the civil registry of the person’s last home, of the place of death, or of the place where the birth is registered. When there is no document proving the death, two witnesses state under oath the time, date and place of death, the person’s names, sex, age, address and nationality, the parents’ details, and the cause of death if known. The declarant, any witnesses and the civil registrar sign the entry, and someone who can’t sign leaves an index-finger print (Ley del RNP, arts. 67–70 (opens in a new tab)).
We translate all of it: every field, the stamps, the signatures, and a description of each fingerprint in square brackets. Where a word can’t be read, the translation says so instead of guessing.
Names
The entry records the person’s given names and surnames (nombres y apellidos). When there are two surnames, we keep them in the order of the record. If you need the spelling to match another document in your case, such as a marriage certificate, tell us when you order.
Where the translation goes
- USCIS: the translation and certification filed with a copy of the certificate. 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 Honduras or another country where Spanish is an official language. 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.
Sample translation
The sample has the original, the translation and the signed certificate. Personal details are blurred.
Questions
I only have the constancia de defunción from the doctor or hospital. Is that the same thing?
No. The constancia from a doctor, health center or public prosecutor is what the civil registry asks for to record the death. The record itself is the certificación de acta de defunción issued by the RNP, and that is the document the State Department lists for Honduras. We translate either one.
How much does it cost?
$25 for the first page and $20 for each further page in the same order. Three pages cost $65.
Do I need a notary or an apostille?
USCIS asks for the translator’s signed certification, and it comes with every translation. If your certificate carries an apostille, we translate that page 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.