How do you translate a Nicaraguan police certificate (certificado de conducta)?
Nicaragua’s police certificate is the certificado de conducta, issued by the Policía Nacional online or at a local police district. We translate it in full: the Policía Nacional heading, your name and cédula number as printed, the result, dates, signatures, seals and any verification code. The certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
Who issues it
The State Department lists one police document for Nicaragua: the certificado de conducta, issued by the Policía Nacional. You can get it online at tramitesenlinea.policia.gob.ni or at your local police district; the fee is C$30, about one US dollar (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
The police portal lists conduct certificates among its online services, next to driver’s licenses and vehicles, and has a separate service for verifying a certificado de conducta (Policía Nacional (opens in a new tab)).
The cédula rule
The certificate is available from age 16, and the police issue it only to holders of a Nicaraguan national ID card, the cédula de identidad. If you left Nicaragua before age 16, you need to get a cédula before you can request the certificate (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
For immigrant visa processing, a Nicaraguan police certificate is valid for two years after it is issued (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). The general State Department rule is the same: police certificates expire after two years, unless the certificate comes from a country where you used to live and you haven’t been back since (civil documents (opens in a new tab)).
Other Nicaraguan records
The same page marks prison records and military records as unavailable in Nicaragua and gives no details on court records (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). If you have court papers from a case in Nicaragua, we translate them in the same order as the certificate, page by page, with stamps and handwritten notes.
Names
We copy your names in the order the certificate prints them, both surnames included, and spell them as in your passport. Tell us the spelling when you order, and every document in the order will match. If a word can’t be read, the translation marks it [illegible] instead of guessing.
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 Nicaragua or another country where Spanish is an official language (civil documents (opens in a new tab)). The visa issuing post for Nicaragua is the US Embassy in Managua (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). What NVC accepts
- USCIS: a full English translation with the translator’s certification that it is complete and accurate (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 got my certificado de conducta from the police website. Is that the right document?
The State Department page for Nicaragua names the certificado de conducta from the Policía Nacional and says it is available online. We translate the copy you have, printed or downloaded.
How much does it cost?
The certificate is usually one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so certificates for three family members 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 has 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.