How do you translate a Nicaraguan marriage certificate for USCIS?
For a marriage-based petition, USCIS asks for your marriage certificate with a full English translation and the translator’s signed certification. We translate the Nicaraguan certificado de matrimonio in full, with the Civil Registrar’s signature and seal, and also divorce certificates and certificates of a stable common-law union (unión de hecho estable). A Nicaraguan marriage certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
Who issues it
The certificado de matrimonio is issued by the Central Registry of Nicaragua, which belongs to the Consejo Supremo Electoral in Managua, and carries the signature and seal of the Civil Registrar. Municipal governments can issue marriage certificates too, but for immigrant visa cases the US Embassy accepts only those issued by the Central Registry (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
The Central Registry keeps records for the whole country on microfilm, and they survived the 1972 earthquake and the civil strife of 1979. A certificate can be requested by one of the spouses or by a person 21 or older with the required documents. Documents issued by church authorities are not considered government documents in Nicaragua (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
What the translation includes
We translate the certificate in full, as USCIS requires (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)): every field of the record, the Civil Registrar’s signature and seal, and any stamps or handwritten notes on your copy. Spouses’ names keep both surnames in the order of the certificate, spelled as in your passports.
Divorce and common-law union certificates
For a spouse, Form I-130 asks for the marriage certificate and, if either spouse was married before, documents showing that each prior marriage legally ended (USCIS (opens in a new tab)). The Central Registry also issues these related certificates (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)), and we translate each of them:
- divorce certificate (certificado de divorcio), requested with the original court order, the marriage certificate and an ID card; for immigrant visas, only the Central Registry’s certificate is accepted;
- stable common-law union certificate (certificado de unión de hecho estable);
- certificate of dissolution of a common-law union (certificado de disolución de unión de hecho estable).
The one-year rule for visa interviews
For an immigrant visa, every Nicaraguan civil document except the birth certificate must be within its one-year validity at the time of the interview (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). A newly issued marriage certificate has its own date of issue, so it gets its own translation.
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 Nicaragua 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.
Questions
My marriage certificate is from a municipal office. Is that a problem?
For an immigrant visa, the US Embassy accepts only marriage certificates issued by the Central Registry of the Consejo Supremo Electoral. We translate the copy you send us; which one to file is for you or your attorney to decide.
How much does it cost?
A Nicaraguan marriage certificate is usually one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so a marriage certificate and two divorce certificates are $65.
Do I need a notary or an apostille?
Not for USCIS: it asks for the translator’s signed certification, and you get it with the translation. If your certificate has 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.