How do you translate a Peruvian marriage certificate for USCIS?
With a marriage-based petition, USCIS asks for a copy of your marriage certificate and, if it isn’t in English, a full English translation with the translator’s signed certification. We translate the Peruvian marriage certificate (partida or acta de matrimonio) in full: the council or RENIEC copy, the RENIEC seal on the back and any note that the marriage was dissolved. A Peruvian marriage certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
Where a Peruvian marriage is registered
Civil marriages in Peru take place at the district or provincial council and are performed by the mayor or an officer the council authorizes. Where the council’s civil registry has been incorporated into RENIEC, the council sends the whole marriage file to RENIEC, which registers the marriage in the national civil registry. The certificate (partida de matrimonio) is issued by the council or by RENIEC (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). If the record is in RENIEC’s system, a certified copy can be ordered online or at a RENIEC office; if not, from the municipality where the marriage was registered (gob.pe (opens in a new tab)).
The RENIEC seal on the back
For an immigrant visa, the US Embassy in Lima asks that a marriage certificate establishing the relationship between the petitioner and the beneficiary be certified by RENIEC. The certification is a seal on the back of the certificate. A copy issued by RENIEC itself, as in many areas of Lima, needs nothing more (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
Some rural councils copy the entry from their handwritten marriage books onto a pre-printed form, sealed and signed by the head of the civil registry and sometimes by the mayor. The embassy asks for a RENIEC certification on those forms too (same source). We translate the form, both signatures and the seal as they appear.
Divorce: the annotated marriage certificate
If you or your spouse were married before, USCIS asks for documents showing that each earlier marriage legally ended (Form I-130 instructions (opens in a new tab)). For a divorce in Peru, the Department of State accepts only one document as proof for immigration purposes: a RENIEC-certified marriage certificate annotated with the dissolution of the marriage. The divorce has to be registered with RENIEC for the annotation to appear (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). We translate the annotation together with the original entry, so the officer sees both the marriage and how it ended.
Both spouses’ names
We spell both spouses’ names as in their passports and keep each surname in the order the certificate gives it. Send us the spellings when you order, and they will match across the marriage certificate, the birth certificates and any other document in the order.
Where the translation goes
- USCIS: the translation and certification filed with a copy of the certificate (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)). Form I-130
- 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 Peru 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.
Sample translations
2 samplesEach sample has the original, the translation and the signed certificate. Personal details are blurred.
Questions
Do you translate the back of the certificate?
Yes, always. The RENIEC seal is placed on the back, and NVC asks for a scan of both sides even if one is blank.
How much does it cost?
A Peruvian marriage certificate is usually one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so a marriage certificate and two birth certificates are $65.
Do I need a notary or an apostille?
Neither is required by USCIS, which asks for the translator’s signed certification; it’s part of every translation we deliver. If the certificate carries an apostille, the apostille is translated 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.