How to Get a Birth Certificate Translated and Notarized

If you are not a citizen of the United States, but you immigrate to the United States, you have to translate your important documents. One of the documents is your birth certificate. By translating it, you will be able to use it for official business in the United States. So, how to get a birth certificate translated and notarized? You are able to read everything about it here.

About a Birth Certificate

What is a birth certificate? This is a legal document where it contains your date of birth, your name and where you were born. A birth certificate is issued by the government of the country where you were born. For example, if you were born in Japan, then your birth certificate was issued by the government of Japan.

Each country may have different formats of their birth certificates. When someone lives in another country, for example, someone who was born in Japan, wants to study in the United States of America. In this case, the person needs to translate his or her birth of certificate from Japanese to English.

A birth certificate is used by someone to prove their identity for any purposes, such as for applying for a passport, school enrolment, applying for a driver’s license, etc.

When You Need to Translate Your Birth Certificate

When you live in the U.S., there will be several things that you need to do by using your birth certificate. And if your birth certificate is in foreign language, you have to translate it first. Here are some events when you need your translated birth certificate in the United States.

• • Marriage
  • Applying for a passport
  • Custody
  • School enrolment
  • Applying for driver’s license
  • Applying for social security benefits
  • Baptism
  • Applying for a visa
  • Immigration
  • Death
  • Etc.

Things to Provide for Getting a Foreign Birth Certificate Translated

The U.S. Department of State and The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are some of the government agencies that require you to have an approved translation of your foreign birth certificate. If you immigrate to the United States and you want to use your birth of certificate there, you have to translate it first.

Here are the things that you have to prepare to translate your foreign birth certificate to be accepted by the USCIS.

• • You have to use a copy of your long-form birth certificate.
  • You need to provide a birth certificate that has a seal. It proves that the birth certificate was issued by a government agency in your country of origin.
  • Make sure to have all important information on the birth certificate, such as first name, last name, date of birth, place of birth, and full names of your parents.

The Steps to Translate Your Foreign Birth Certificate

You have to make sure that the translation of your foreign birth certificate is approved by the USCIS by following the steps explained below according to the U.S. Birth Certificates site.

1. Find a Translator to Translate Your Foreign Birth Certificate

You have to make sure that you find an appropriate translator to translate your foreign birth certificate so that it can be accepted for any purposes in the U.S. The translator needs to be qualified to translate it. The translator needs to be fluent and proficient in both the language the foreign birth certificate is written and in English, the language that you want it translated into.

Let’s say that you are a bilingual person who has a basic knowledge of both languages. It does not mean that you can translate your birth certificate because to translate a birth certificate someone needs to be proficient enough so that it can be accepted by the USCIS. If your birth certificate is translated by yourself or by your friend since you think that you or your friend is very proficient in both languages, there will be problems because the birth certificate translation needs to be certified and notarized. Government bureaus usually only accept birth certificate translations which are done by certified translators.

2. Certify the Translation of Your Birth Certificate

In this step, your birth certificate has been translated by a professional. And now, you have to get it certified by the person or agency that translated it. It means that you need a sworn statement issued by the professional translator or translation agency that is signed and dated where the certificate confirms that the translation of your birth certificate is accurate and complete.

In the certification, there needs to be statements that confirm that the languages of the original birth certificate was issued in and the languages it was translated into of the translator is fluent; the company seal if the birth certificate was translated by an agency; the date when the birth certificate translation was certified; and the name, signature, and address of the certifier.

3. Notarize Your Translated Birth Certificate

After your birth certificate has been translated, in this step, you have to get a separate affidavit to notarize the birth certificate. There are translation companies that can do the three steps to complete your birth certificate translation including translation, certification and notarization. So, it is better for you to choose this agency to make it easier.

Usually a translator will need to sign a statement that verifies that the translation is accurate after it is issued in English and the translator will have their signature notarized on the certification of the birth certificate that has been translated. And then, you need to have a different Notary Public notarize your signature on the translator’s declaration where it signifies that you agree with the accuracy of the information in the translation of your birth certificate.

Can a Notary Translate a Birth Certificate?

A notary can translate a birth certificate and certify it as long as she or he has the relevant knowledge and experience. However, if a notary does it, she or he cannot notarize her or his own translation although she or he is a notary. A notary needs to choose whether she or he wants to issue a certified translation of the birth certificate and asks another person to notarize it or she or he wants to ask another person to issue the certified translation and notarize it by her or himself. It means that a notary cannot do both and needs to choose one role.

How Long Does It Take to Translate a Birth Certificate?

The process to translate a birth certificate is not long, but it may vary from one translator to another. So, if you need it fast, you have to ask the translator how long she or he can translate it. A translator usually can translate a birth certificate in a day. It can take less or more depending on many factors. Some translators may offer rapid priority service if you want it to be translated faster.

The Fee for Translating a Birth Certificate

When translating a birth certificate, you have to prepare for the fee that you need to pay. The fee for translating a birth certificate may be different from an agency to another or from a translator to another. Some factors that affect the fee are the length of the document, the language combination, whether it needs to be certified or not, whether you need it immediately or not, etc.

For translating a birth certificate, you will need a certified translation so that a translator or a translation company usually sets the fee per word or page. A page usually contains around 250 words. If it is charged per word, the price ranges from $0.08 to $0.50/ word. If it is charged per page, the price may range from $20 to $30 per page.

What to Do If My Name on My Birth Certificate Uses a Different Alphabet

As we know, there are certain countries that have their own alphabets. If your name on your birth certificate uses the alphabet from your country, in the process of translation, it will be translated to the alphabet used in the country where you want to translate it into, where the process of it is called transliteration. To transliterate a name, you have to explain to the translator about the preferred spelling of your names.

According to a translation provider, if there is no preferred English spelling of a name which is available, the translators will make a representation of the name in the translation which is phonetically accurate.

Where to Translate a Birth Certificate

After you know several things about a birth certificate, now you need to know where you can translate your birth certificate. If you want to translate a birth certificate for USCIS, there are some options and you can choose one of them.

• • Freelance Translators

You are able to ask a freelance translator to translate your birth certificate. However, before you hire them, make sure that they specialize in document translation, have experience, have certifications, and check their reference.

• • Online Translation Services

When you search on Google, you will find a number of online translation services. You are able to use one of the services. If you use the online translation service, usually you have to upload your birth certificate and choose the target language to translate it.

• • Notary Public Offices

You can try to ask notary public offices because some of them usually provide translation services. If not, they may make translator referrals. They may also collaborate with companies that offer translation services.

Wherever you translate your birth certificate, you have to make sure that the translator needs to be expert, experienced, certified, and fluent in both languages. It is also important for you to read or hear the review of the translator.

The Difference Between Certified Translation and General Translation

Translating important documents, such as a birth certificate and translating other documents, such as books or articles are different. A Translation of a birth certificate needs to be certified. In a general translation, certification is not needed. In translating a birth certificate, the translator needs to be a certified translator who is competent in both languages.

So, translating a birth certificate cannot be done by any people who can speak both languages, but needs to be done by a professional who usually does it and is certified. It is because in a birth certificate translation, the signature of the translator needs to be given to certify the accuracy of the translation and a statement is given that attests to the accuracy of the translation. Besides, it needs to be done by a disinterested party (not self-translation), and it needs to be typed and follow the same format.

Some Other Things That You Need to Know About Translating a Birth Certificate

Besides knowing about when a translated birth certificate is used, what you have to provide for translating it, the steps to translating it and the price of translating it, there are some other things that you need to know about translating your birth certificate as you are able to read below.

• • You are not able to translate your birth certificate. As explained earlier, you need to translate it to someone or an agency which is professional.
  • A certified translation does not have an expiration date. It means that after your birth certificate is translated, it is valid forever.
  • It is not allowed for you to change your name or correct the spelling in the translation of your birth certificate. If you want to fix some errors in your birth certificate, the thing that you have to do is to contact the office that issued your birth certificate to fix it first. It is important for you to note that a certified translation needs to be an accurate representation of the original one.
  • It is required to translate it comprehensively. If in your birth certificate there are any seals or stamps, it needs to be included. However, if there is something which is not clear, it can be stated as ‘illegible’ in the translation by the translator.
  • The translation needs to be typed, not written,  and it must follow the same format.