How do you translate a birth certificate from Spanish for USCIS?
USCIS asks for a full English translation of a Spanish-language birth certificate with the translator’s signed certification. Each country calls the document by its own name and issues it from its own registry: a certificado from RENAP in Guatemala, a partida in El Salvador, a registro civil in Colombia. We translate them in full, marginal notes and QR codes included. A birth certificate is usually one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.
What the certificate is called in each country
Each country has its own registry and its own name for the document. The Department of State lists what a US consulate expects from each country (reciprocity schedule (opens in a new tab)):
- Guatemala: certificado de nacimiento from RENAP, with a barcode, a verification number, a QR code and the registrar’s digital signature; front and back.
- El Salvador: partida de nacimiento from the city hall’s family registry, sometimes handwritten, with a round seal and changes written as marginal notes.
- Honduras: a copy of the folio from the birth register book, issued by the Registro Nacional de las Personas.
- Colombia: registro civil de nacimiento, the full copy of the folio, with the parents’ ID numbers, witnesses and notes.
- Cuba: certificación de nacimiento from the municipal civil registry, with a stamp, the registry seal and the registrar’s signature.
- Venezuela: partida de nacimiento from the municipal civil registry, certified as a true copy of the original.
- Dominican Republic: acta de nacimiento from the civil registry office, in one format since July 2025. For an acta issued earlier, the US Embassy asks for the full form (acta inextensa).
- Spain: certificado de nacimiento, an extract (extracto) or a full copy (literal), on paper with stamps or digital with a verification code.
For Mexico: Mexican birth certificate.
What the translation includes
We translate the certificate in full, as USCIS requires (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)): every field, the seals and signatures, the barcodes and verification numbers as they are printed, and every marginal note. A marginal note often records what happened later, such as a recognition by a parent or a corrected name, so it matters to the officer as much as the main entry.
Old handwritten folios, faded stamps and copies of copies are routine. If a word can’t be read, the translation marks it [illegible] instead of guessing.
Names with two surnames
Spanish-language certificates usually give two surnames. We keep both in the order of the certificate and spell names as in your passport. Tell us the spelling when you order, and it will be the same in every document of your order.
Where the translation goes
- USCIS: the translation and certification filed with a copy of the certificate. What USCIS accepts
- 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 a 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
3 samplesEach sample has the original, the translation and the signed certificate. Personal details are blurred.
Questions
My certificate has a QR code that expires. Is the translation still valid?
The translation shows the code and the dates as they are on your copy. Whether you need a fresher copy depends on the recipient: the Department of State notes, for example, that a Guatemalan code works for six months or three checks, whichever comes first.
How much does it cost?
A birth certificate is usually one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so three certificates are $65.
Do I need a notary?
Not for USCIS, immigration court or NVC: they ask for the translator’s signed certification, and it’s included.
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.