How do you translate Mexican school records for USCIS, WES or a US school?
We translate Mexican school records in full: the report card (boleta de calificaciones, officially boleta de evaluación), the certificado de secundaria and the certificado de bachillerato, with every subject, grade and average, the CURP, the school code and the QR code. Grades stay on the Mexican scale, exactly as printed, and the translator’s signed certification is included. The first page is $25 and each additional page in the same order is $20. Ready within 24 hours after payment.
The report card
The boleta de evaluación is the official document that reports a student’s results for each grade of preschool, primary and secondary school; the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) sets its content for the whole country (SEP Agreement 10/09/23, arts. 6–7 (opens in a new tab)). It shows:
- the student’s name, the level and the grade;
- the school’s identification details and the teacher who records the grades;
- attendance, as the number of days the student came to school;
- for each subject or learning area, three partial grades, one per evaluation period, and a final one.
SEP’s report card template adds the student’s CURP, the school’s work-center code (CCT), the group and the shift (SEP report card template, 2022–2023 (opens in a new tab)).
The grade scale
Under the rules in force since September 2023, secondary school grades each subject in whole numbers from 5 to 10, with averages to one decimal place. A student passes a subject with a final average of 6 or higher, and 5 is a failing grade. Preschool gets written remarks without numbers, the first and second grades of primary school use a 6 to 10 scale, and grades three to six use 5 to 10 (SEP Agreement 10/09/23, art. 9 (opens in a new tab)). Older report cards, like our 2017 sample, follow the rules of their year. We translate each grade and remark as it appears.
School certificates
At the end of primary and secondary school, the education authority issues a certificate in electronic form (SEP Agreement 10/09/23, art. 11 (opens in a new tab)). SEP’s template for these certificates names the student and the CURP, the school and its CCT and the final average. It carries an advanced electronic signature, the education authority’s digital seal, SEP’s digital seal and a QR code to check the document online (SEP certificate template (opens in a new tab)).
The certificado de terminación de estudios for upper secondary school (bachillerato) lists the name and both surnames, the CURP, the student number, the school’s CCT, the official recognition of the program (RVOE or the decree that created the school), credits earned out of the total, the average and the completion date. It can be checked by its QR code or on SEP’s SIGED site (SEP bachillerato certificate template (opens in a new tab)). The translation keeps the folio, the seals and the verification link as printed.
Where the translation goes
- USCIS: any document in Spanish comes with a full English translation and the translator’s signed certification (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)). What USCIS accepts
- WES and ECE: WES asks for a word-for-word translation by a professional translator, made from the official documents (wes.org (opens in a new tab)); ECE sets its own rules (ece.org (opens in a new tab)). What WES and ECE accept
- A US school or district: ask which records it needs to place the student and whether it wants a certified translation.
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 translations
5 samplesEach sample has the original, the translation and the signed certificate. Personal details are blurred.
Questions
Will you convert the grades to US letter grades or a GPA?
No. We translate the grades exactly as printed, on the Mexican scale. Converting them is the work of a credential evaluator such as WES or ECE.
How much does it cost?
$25 for the first page and $20 for each additional page in the same order, so a secundaria certificate and a two-page report card come to $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 WES or a school, follow the rules of that office; if your certificate already carries an apostille, 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.