How do you translate a Ukrainian passport for USCIS?
USCIS asks for a full English translation of any document containing a foreign language, with the translator’s signed certification. We translate every kind of Ukrainian passport: the ID card, the old passport book with its residence and marriage stamps, and the foreign passport with any Ukrainian entries. We charge by the page: $25 for the first page and $20 for each additional one. The translation is ready within 24 hours after payment.
Three documents called a passport
- The ID card. Since 2016, people getting a national ID for the first time receive a plastic card instead of the old booklet (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). By law the card shows the name, sex, citizenship, date and place of birth, the unique number of your record in the state demographic register, the document number, the dates of issue and expiry, the code of the issuing office, the photo, the signature and the tax number, with labels in Ukrainian and English (Law No. 5492-VI, Art. 21 (opens in a new tab)).
- The passport book. The older passport of a citizen of Ukraine is a 16-page booklet. Pages 1–2 hold the name, the date and place of birth, the photo, the sex, the date of issue, the issuing office and the official’s signature; pages 3–6 take new photos added at 25 and 45; pages 7–9 hold special notes such as children and blood type; page 10 is for marital status and pages 11–16 for registration of residence (Regulation No. 2503-XII (opens in a new tab)). Holders of a book who need a new document still get a book, and it remains in wide use, particularly among older people (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).
- The foreign passport (pasport dlia vyizdu za kordon), the blue passport for travel abroad, with the name in Ukrainian and in Latin letters (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). From age 16 it is issued for 10 years and has 32 pages plus the data page (Law No. 5492-VI, Art. 22 (opens in a new tab)).
Stamps and residence
In a passport book we translate every stamp and handwritten note. After a name change, the registry office notes on the first page that the passport must be exchanged within a month (Rules of State Registration of Civil Status Acts (opens in a new tab)); our sample is that page. The ID card has no pages for residence. On request, the registration office issues an extract from the territorial community register (Resolution No. 265 of 2022 (opens in a new tab)), and we translate that extract as a separate document.
How we spell names
Ukrainian law puts the name into passports in Ukrainian and in Latin letters under the official transliteration rules, and on request the Latin spelling can follow your earlier documents (Law No. 5492-VI, Art. 10 (opens in a new tab)). We use the Latin spelling from your foreign passport. If your green card or visa spells your name differently, tell us when you order.
Where the translation goes
- USCIS: the Form I-485 instructions ask for a copy of a government-issued photo ID and name a passport, even an expired one, as an example (Form I-485 instructions (opens in a new tab)). The translation and our certification go with the copy. What USCIS accepts
- Immigration court: a typed certification with the translator’s address and phone. What the court accepts
Our Ukrainian documents are translated and certified by a native Ukrainian speaker. What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.
Sample translations
6 samplesEach sample has the original, the translation and the signed certificate. Personal details are blurred.
Questions
My passport is a Soviet one, or filled in in Russian. Is there a separate guide for that?
We translate it either way. Soviet and Russian passports have their own page: [Russian or Soviet passport](/en/guides/passport/).
My ID card already has English on it. Does it still need a translation?
Yes. USCIS asks for a full English translation of any document containing a foreign language, and the card still carries Ukrainian text.
How much does it cost?
$25 for the first page and $20 for each additional one. A passport book with stamps on many pages costs more than an ID card. Send photos of the pages, and we’ll give you the exact price.
Do I need a notary or an apostille?
USCIS doesn’t ask for either: its rule asks 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.