Which documents need to be translated for a K-⁠1 fiancé(e) visa?

What USCIS asks of a translation for Form I-⁠129F

The first stage of a K-⁠1 visa is a petition to USCIS for a fiancé or fiancée, Form I-⁠129F. The Form I-⁠129F instructions (opens in a new tab) (edition 01/20/25, p. 2) say that every document with information in a foreign language must come with a full English translation. The translator signs a certification that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English. The certification includes the translator’s signature, printed name, the date of signing and contact information. The same rule for every document filed with USCIS is in 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab).

The instructions don’t require a licensed or accredited translator, and they don’t mention a notary. More on the rule: What USCIS accepts.

Documents usually translated for Form I-⁠129F

The Form I-⁠129F instructions list the documents that go with the petition. If a document is in Russian, it needs a translation. People usually translate:

• Proof that earlier marriages ended, if either partner was married before: a divorce certificate or court divorce decree, an annulment, or a spouse’s death certificate (p. 10 (opens in a new tab)).
• Proof of a name change, if either partner uses a name other than the one on the documents filed: a marriage certificate, an adoption decree or a court order (p. 11 (opens in a new tab)).
• The marriage broker consent form, if the couple met through an international marriage broker (IMB): the fiancé(e)’s signed consent to release their contact information. If it isn’t in English, the instructions expressly require a certified English translation (p. 6 (opens in a new tab)).
• Court and police records, if the US citizen was ever arrested for or convicted of one of the crimes the instructions list: certified copies of all those records (p. 6 (opens in a new tab)).

How we translate them: marriage and divorce certificates.

What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.

Proof you met: chats, emails, tickets

For a K-⁠1 visa, the Form I-⁠129F instructions ask for evidence of two things (p. 11 (opens in a new tab)):

• The intention to marry within 90 days of entry. The instructions name, for example, statements of intent to marry signed by both partners.
• An in-⁠person meeting within the two years before the petition was filed. The instructions name a written statement about the meeting, copies of airline tickets, passport pages, or other evidence.

Anything here that isn’t in English gets translated in full: a fiancé(e)’s statement written in Russian, messenger chats, emails, ticket bookings and receipts, passport pages with stamps.

Which evidence to file is for you or your attorney to decide.

Documents for the embassy

The second stage is the visa application at a US embassy or consulate. The State Department’s manual for consular officers (the Foreign Affairs Manual) lists the documents for it in 9 FAM 502.7-⁠3(C)(3) (opens in a new tab). Of these, people usually translate:

• a birth certificate;
• police certificates, for applicants aged 16 or older;
• proof that earlier marriages ended, if it wasn’t filed with the petition;
• proof of the relationship with the US citizen, brought to the interview.

For a child traveling with the fiancé(e), the same section names a birth certificate and, from age 16, police certificates.

That section says nothing about translation. Check the translation requirements for the embassy stage on your embassy’s or consulate’s website. How the State Department describes translations for immigrant visas: What NVC accepts.

How we translate these documents: birth certificate, police certificate, divorce certificate. Sample translations of these documents are further down the page.

What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.

After the wedding: the green card

A K-⁠1 visa lets a fiancé(e) enter the United States, marry, and then apply for a green card, which the instructions call adjustment of status (p. 1 (opens in a new tab)). If that stage calls for translations of Russian documents, we make them under the same USCIS rules.

How we translate

• In full. We translate every document completely: every field, seal, stamp, handwritten note and mark on the back, as USCIS requires (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)). A summary doesn’t count (USCIS Policy Manual (opens in a new tab)). If a word can’t be read, the translation marks it [illegible] instead of guessing.
• The same names in every document. We spell names as they appear in your international passport. Include the spelling in your request, and we’ll use it in every document in your order.
• With the translator’s certification. Every translation comes with a signed certification: the translation is complete and accurate, and the translator is competent to translate. It has the translator’s signature, printed name, the date and contact information: everything the Form I-⁠129F instructions list.
• By email. We send the finished translation by email.

Price

We charge by the page: $25 for the first page and $20 for each additional page in the same order. A birth certificate, a divorce certificate and a police certificate are usually one page each, $65 together. Chats and emails are priced the same way, by the page.