What kind of translation do NVC and US consulates accept?

What NVC and consulates require

An immigrant visa case goes through the National Visa Center (NVC) and then to a US embassy or consulate. The State Department page on civil documents (opens in a new tab) says that every document not written in English, or in the official language of the country where you apply, must come with a certified translation. The translation must include the translator’s signed certification: the translation is accurate, and the translator is competent to translate.

The page doesn’t require a licensed or accredited translator, or a notary.

What the translation must include

• An English translation of a document that isn’t in English or in the language of the country where you have your visa interview (scanning documents (opens in a new tab)).
• The translator’s signed certification that the translation is accurate and that they are competent to translate (civil documents (opens in a new tab)).
• One file with the document. The translation is scanned together with the foreign-⁠language document into a single file (scanning documents (opens in a new tab)). The document goes first, then the English translation (civil documents FAQ (opens in a new tab)).
• A clear scan. Scans are in color, easy to read, and nothing is cut off (scanning documents (opens in a new tab)).

Which documents people usually translate

The State Department lists the civil documents applicants collect: birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees and other proof that a marriage ended, police certificates, court and prison records, military records and adoption documents (civil documents (opens in a new tab)). What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.

How we translate them: birth certificate, marriage and divorce certificates, police certificate, military ID.

A family case starts with a petition to USCIS: which documents to translate for Form I-⁠130. DV lottery cases are handled by the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) (9 FAM 502.6-⁠4 c(1)(a) (opens in a new tab)), not NVC: which documents to translate for the DV lottery.

Why NVC asks for corrections

If NVC decides after its review that the documents you submitted aren’t correct, it sends a notice asking you to correct them and submit the case again (uploading documents (opens in a new tab)). If the translation is to blame, one of the rules above was broken:

• a document that needs a translation doesn’t have one;
• the translator’s certification is missing, isn’t signed, or lacks one of its two statements;
• the translation is uploaded separately from the document, not in one file;
• the scan is hard to read or cut off.