Can a translation look like the original form?
Yes. On request we make a translation laid out like the original form: the same boxes and lines in the same places, the small print under the lines, the seal and the stamps where they are on the original. It costs $65 a document. USCIS doesn’t require this layout: a standard full translation with a signed certificate meets its rule. Some clients and attorneys prefer the form layout because it is easier to compare with the original.
What “the original layout” means
A standard translation goes field by field, in the order of the form: “Surname — Ivanov”, “Place of birth — City of Minsk”, and so on, with the stamps and the seal described where they appear. It is complete and easy to check, but it doesn’t look like the certificate.
A translation in the original layout mirrors the form itself. The boxes and lines are where they are on the original, each entry on the same line, the small print under the lines translated in small print, the round seal and the stamps placed where they are on the document. Someone holding the original and the translation side by side sees the same page.
Both formats are full translations. The difference is only in how the page looks.
When people choose it
- An attorney asks for it. Some attorneys prefer a translation that can be compared with the original line by line, especially for old handwritten certificates.
- An agency asked a question about an earlier translation. After a Request for Evidence (RFE), clients sometimes want a translation that leaves no doubt about which field is which. See the case of a Belarusian birth certificate, where the client ordered both formats.
- The form is bilingual or unusual. Soviet Belarusian and Ukrainian certificates have field labels in two languages; in the original layout it is easy to see that nothing was left out.
USCIS doesn’t require any particular layout. Its rule is a full English translation with the translator’s certification that it is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)). What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.
What stays the same
- every word on the form is translated, empty fields are marked [blank], and an unreadable word is marked [illegible];
- names are spelled the way you give them from your international passport;
- the signed certificate with the translator’s name, address and phone is attached;
- you get one PDF with the original, the translation and the certificate.
Price and how to order
A translation in the original layout costs $65 a document. Send photos of the document and write that you want it laid out like the original. We reply with the price and the date. If you need both formats, as the client in the case above did, the standard translation is priced as usual.
The samples below are the same Soviet Belarusian birth certificate from a public source, translated both ways.
Sample translations
2 samplesEach sample has the original, the translation and the signed certificate. Personal details are blurred.
Questions
How much does a translation in the original layout cost?
$65 a document. If you also want the standard translation of the same document, it is priced as usual: $25 for the first page and $20 for each additional one.
Does USCIS require the translation to look like the original?
No. USCIS asks for a full English translation with the translator’s certification that it is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate. A standard translation meets that rule. The original layout is a matter of convenience.
Which documents can be laid out like the original?
Certificates and other one- or two-page forms: birth, marriage and divorce certificates, police clearance certificates, diplomas. For a long document, such as a work record book, the standard format is easier to read.
How long does it take?
Usually a day longer than a standard translation. We name the date with the quote.
This is a summary of what the agency publishes, not legal advice.