How do you translate a DUI from El Salvador for USCIS?
USCIS asks for a full English translation of any document in Spanish, with the translator’s signed certification. We translate the DUI from El Salvador, the Documento Único de Identidad issued by the RNPN, front and back: names, number, dates, the optional fields and the signature. Both sides of the card fit on one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
Who issues the DUI
The DUI is the national ID card of El Salvador. The National Registry of Natural Persons (Registro Nacional de las Personas Naturales, RNPN) issues it to Salvadorans aged 18 and older. Outside El Salvador you book an appointment at dui.gob.sv or by phone, and the card costs $35 at a consulate, compared with $10.31 in El Salvador. The registry doesn’t issue certified copies of the card (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
Optional fields on the card
Besides the name and the photo, a DUI can carry data that the holder asks to add when applying or renewing (RNPN, dui.sv (opens in a new tab)):
- profession (profesión), added on showing a diploma;
- blood type (tipo de sangre), from a lab result or a valid driver’s license;
- marital status (estado civil) and “known as” (conocido por), which the RNPN checks against its own records. Both must first be entered in the family registry (Registro del Estado Familiar) of the municipality.
We translate both sides of the card in full, as USCIS requires (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)): every field that’s on your card, the number, the dates of issue and expiration, and the signature.
Names and “conocido por”
We keep both surnames in the order of the card and spell names as in your passport. If your DUI has a conocido por line, the translation renders it as “known as” and keeps the other name letter for letter. Tell us the spelling when you order, and it will be the same in every document of your order.
Other records that start with the DUI
Salvadoran offices ask for the DUI when you request other papers. For a police record, the National Civil Police (PNC) wants the original DUI and a photocopy, and the criminal records office asks for the original DUI as well (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). We translate those records too.
Where the translation goes
- Green card (Form I-485): the instructions ask for a copy of a government-issued identity document with your photograph (Form I-485 instructions (opens in a new tab)). What USCIS accepts
- TPS (Form I-821): to prove identity and nationality, the instructions list a national identity document from your country of origin with your photo or fingerprint (Form I-821 instructions (opens in a new tab)).
- 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 translation
The sample has the original, the translation and the signed certificate. Personal details are blurred.
Questions
My DUI has expired. Will you translate it?
Yes. We translate the card as it is, expiration date included. Whether an expired card works for your filing is for you or your attorney to decide.
How much does it cost?
Both sides of a DUI fit on one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so a DUI with a one-page birth certificate and a one-page marriage certificate is $65.
Do I need a notary or an apostille?
Not for USCIS: it asks for the translator’s signed certification, and it’s included. Send clear photos or a scan of both sides of the card.
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.