How do you translate a diploma from El Salvador for WES or USCIS?
WES asks for a word-for-word translation by a professional translator, and USCIS for a full translation with the translator’s signed certification. We translate El Salvador diploma documents in full: the university título, the certification of its registration and auténtica by MINEDUCYT, the notas globales with the CUM, and the apostille. A título is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
Registration and auténtica by MINEDUCYT
In El Salvador, a título from a university or other higher education institution is registered and authenticated by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MINEDUCYT). The ministry reviews the documents and issues a certificate meant as official recognition of studies at a legally established institution in the country (mined.gob.sv (opens in a new tab)). The request goes through the SIGOB SOL online platform (mined.gob.sv (opens in a new tab)).
For that certificate, the ministry asks for the título, the certificación de notas globales authenticated by the institution, the high school título (título de bachiller), a DUI or passport, and a birth certificate if the names don’t match (MINEDUCYT requirements, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
Other academic documents
MINEDUCYT also authenticates other documents issued by universities, after comparing their signatures with the ones registered at the ministry: overall and partial grade reports (notas globales, notas parciales), the título certification, study programs and plans, the pensum, student status letters and the coeficiente de unidad de mérito (CUM) (mined.gob.sv (opens in a new tab)).
What the translation includes
We translate the título as it reads: the institution, the degree, your name, the date, the signatures and seals, and any registration or auténtica notes on it. The MINEDUCYT certificate, the notas globales and an apostille are translated in full as separate documents of the same order. On grade reports, every subject keeps its grade and units as printed.
If your name appears differently on the título and in your passport, tell us the spelling you use; we keep both surnames in the order of the título.
Where the translation goes
- WES: a word-for-word translation by a professional translator; WES needs to read every course title and grade (wes.org (opens in a new tab)). What WES and ECE accept
- ECE: a word-for-word translation in the same format as the original (ece.org (opens in a new tab)).
- USCIS: a full translation with the translator’s certification (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)). What USCIS accepts
Our Spanish documents are translated and certified by a native Spanish speaker. Which documents your evaluation needs is up to the evaluator. What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.
Sample translation
The sample has the original, the translation and the signed certificate. Personal details are blurred.
Questions
What is the CUM, and will you convert it?
The CUM (coeficiente de unidad de mérito) is one of the university records MINEDUCYT authenticates. We translate it exactly as printed and don’t convert it to a US GPA: that’s the evaluator’s job.
How much does it cost?
A título is usually one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so a título, its MINEDUCYT certificate and an apostille are $65. Notas globales with every subject take more pages.
Do I need a notary or an apostille?
Not for USCIS: it asks for the translator’s signed certification, and it’s included. WES and ECE don’t list a notary among their translation requirements. If your título has an apostille, we translate it in the same order.
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.