How do you translate a Venezuelan divorce decree (sentencia de divorcio) for USCIS?

A decree, not a certificate

The State Department page for Venezuela says that births, marriages and deaths are recorded by the civil registry, while divorce certificates are issued by a judge (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). The document is the sentencia de divorcio:

• it comes from a civil court of first instance (Juzgado de Primera Instancia en lo Civil) and the decree is confirmed by the higher courts;
• it has no security features: it is the judge’s written decision, with the stamp and signature of the court and the judge;
• you get it at the Registro Civil or online through SAREN, the registries and notaries service (tramites.saren.gob.ve (opens in a new tab)), and certified copies are available;
• it must show a divorce (divorcio), not a separation (separación de cuerpos).

What the translation includes

We translate the decree in full, as USCIS requires (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)). That is everything on your copy: the court’s name, the parties, the text of the decision, the stamp and signature of the court and the judge, and any notes added to the copy later. If the decree runs several pages, the translation follows it page by page.

The note on the marriage certificate

Under Venezuela’s Civil Registry Law, judgments that dissolve a marriage are entered in the marriage book. The judge sends a certified copy of the final judgment to the municipal civil registry, and the registrar inserts it and adds a marginal note to the original marriage record (Ley Orgánica de Registro Civil, arts. 101 and 152 (opens in a new tab)). So a recent copy of your acta de matrimonio may carry a nota marginal about the divorce. Each copy of a Venezuelan marriage certificate also carries the words es copia fiel del original, stamped or in the text (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). We translate both.

Names

We keep the spouses’ names in the order of the decree, both surnames included, and spell them as in your passports. Tell us both spellings when you order.

Where the translation goes

• USCIS: for Form I-⁠130, if you or your spouse were married before, you submit documents showing that each prior marriage legally ended (Form I-⁠130 instructions (opens in a new tab)). What USCIS accepts
• NVC and US consulates: for an immigrant visa, you show that every prior marriage ended, and a final divorce decree is one of the accepted documents (civil documents (opens in a new tab)). Since November 1, 2025, immigrant visas for Venezuelans have been processed at the US Embassy in Bogotá (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)). The Department of State doesn’t ask for a translation of a decree 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.