A certified translation for use in New York City is a complete English translation of your foreign-language document paired with a signed Certificate of Accuracy from the translator. That is the standard USCIS, federal and state courts, universities, and employers actually require, and it’s what we produce for clients across all five boroughs. If you’re filing for a green card or naturalization with USCIS, enrolling in a university, submitting evidence in a New York court, or meeting a corporate compliance rule, the receiving institution won’t accept the foreign-language original on its own. Get the translation wrong and your application stalls, your admission slips, or your case picks up an obstacle it never needed.
At Professional Interpreting Canada, our linguists have years of experience producing certified translation services for NYC clients across every borough and across the full set of languages spoken in one of the most multilingual cities on the planet. We serve New Yorkers entirely online, with no office visit, and we deliver translations that satisfy USCIS, federal and state courts, the New York City Department of Education, universities, and employers. This page lays out what a certified translation is under United States law, what USCIS requires, which documents need one, who needs them most in New York, and how our process runs from your first message to your stamped, signed translation.
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What Is a Certified Translation in the United States?
The phrase “certified translation” has a precise meaning in the United States, and it differs in a real way from what some other countries call a “sworn” or “official” translation. In the US context, a certified translation is a translated document accompanied by a signed Certificate of Accuracy, a written declaration from the translator or agency attesting that the translation is complete, accurate, and faithful to the original source.
No government body in the United States licenses or certifies translators the way some European jurisdictions do. There is no federal or New York State license a translator must hold to produce a legally valid certified translation. The American Translators Association (ATA) runs a voluntary credentialing program, and ATA certification is a respected professional mark that signals a high standard of competency, but it isn’t legally required by USCIS, by the federal courts, or by New York State courts. What carries legal and procedural weight is the certification statement itself: who signed it, what it says, and whether it meets the requirements of the institution receiving the document.
That distinction matters before you hire any translation service. If a provider implies you must use an “ATA-certified translator” to satisfy USCIS, they’re misstating the law. What USCIS actually requires is codified in federal regulation, and it turns on the content of the certification, not on the translator’s professional membership. We explain exactly what USCIS demands in the next section.
For a closer look at the difference between certified and notarized translations, two ideas that often get tangled together, see our guide: Certified vs. Notarized Translation.
USCIS Certified Translation Requirements: What the Regulation Actually Says
The governing rule for immigration-related translations in the United States is 8 CFR § 103.2(b)(3). It states that any document containing a foreign language submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a full English language translation that the translator has certified as complete and accurate, together with the translator’s certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.
Unpack that regulation and four concrete requirements fall out:
- Full translation, word for word. The translation has to cover every element of the original: text, stamps, seals, marginal notations, headers, footers, and any handwritten additions. USCIS doesn’t accept summaries or partial translations, even for long documents. Every stamp on a birth certificate, every annotation on a court decree, every issuing-authority seal has to appear in English.
- Certification of completeness and accuracy. The translator signs a written statement declaring the translation complete and accurate. “Complete” means nothing was left out. “Accurate” means the English faithfully carries the meaning of the source-language text.
- Attestation of translator competence. That same certification has to state the translator is competent to translate from the source language into English. It’s a self-attestation. USCIS doesn’t require any external credential to back it up, though professional qualifications naturally strengthen the document.
- Individual certification per document. Each translated document carries its own certification statement. A single blanket line that says “I certify all of the above translations” won’t pass with USCIS. Submit five foreign-language documents, and each translation needs its own Certificate of Accuracy.
What USCIS does not require is just as worth knowing:
- Notarization is not required by USCIS. USCIS dropped the notarization requirement effective September 30, 2011. A signed Certificate of Accuracy from a competent translator is the standard. Some third-party institutions, certain courts, state agencies, or private employers, may ask for notarization for their own reasons, but that’s a step beyond what USCIS needs.
- ATA membership or certification is not required. No federal or New York State rule requires the translator to hold any particular professional credential.
- A government-issued translator license is not required. The United States has no national licensing regime for translators.
Every certified translation we produce for USCIS submissions includes a properly worded, individually signed Certificate of Accuracy for each document, compliant with 8 CFR § 103.2(b)(3). Read more about our translators and language expertise on our languages page.
Certified vs. Notarized Translation: Knowing When You Need Each
Plenty of New York City clients, especially people going through immigration for the first time, show up asking whether their documents need to be notarized. It’s a fair question, and the answer depends on who’s asking for the translation and why.
A certified translation carries a signed statement from the translator or agency. The translator attests to two things: the accuracy of the translation and their own competency in the language pair. No government official or notary touches that attestation. The translator’s professional reputation, skill, and signature are the guarantee.
A notarized translation adds one procedural layer: a notary public witnesses the translator’s signature and verifies the signer’s identity with a notarial seal. Here’s the key point, the notary is not vouching for the quality or accuracy of the translation. They’re only confirming that the person who signed the certificate is who they say they are. Notarized translations are sometimes required by:
- Certain New York State courts or administrative tribunals for evidentiary submissions
- Financial institutions opening accounts for foreign nationals
- Some real-estate and mortgage transactions
- Specific employers for background-verification purposes
- Certain state-agency filings outside the federal immigration system
If the institution or attorney asking for the translation hasn’t specified notarization, a standard certified translation will almost always do the job. Not sure? Ask the receiving institution before you order, and we’re glad to advise when you reach out for a quote. We produce both certified and notarized translations, and we’ll point you toward the right option for your situation.
Documents We Translate for NYC Clients
New York City generates an extraordinary volume of certified translation demand. It’s home to nearly three million foreign-born residents, hosts the largest docket in the federal immigration court system, and draws tens of thousands of international students every year. The range of documents that need certified translation is just as broad. Below are the categories our translators handle most often for New York clients.
Personal Identity & Vital Records
Birth certificates are the single most requested document for certified translation. Almost every USCIS petition needs one, from I-485 adjustment of status to N-400 naturalization, along with school enrollment, Social Security applications, and passport renewals. A birth certificate from nearly any country carries official stamps, registration numbers, issuing-authority seals, and marginal notations, and all of it has to appear in the English translation.
Marriage certificates and divorce decrees come up whenever a petitioner’s marital history bears on an immigration benefit, and they surface often in family-based visa cases, spousal green-card petitions, and name-change proceedings. Divorce decrees can run long; our translators handle the full text, not excerpts.
Death certificates are sometimes required in estate proceedings, survivor-benefit applications, and dependency-based immigration cases.
Academic Credentials
Academic transcripts and diplomas need certified translation for university admissions (CUNY and SUNY institutions included), credential evaluation agencies such as WES, ECE, and NACES members, professional licensing boards in New York State, and employers verifying foreign educational qualifications. A transcript often runs several pages and lists course names, grades, credit hours, and grading-scale notes, all of which have to be rendered precisely.
Diplomas, degree certificates, and academic awards tend to be shorter, but they carry dense official language and institutional formatting that calls for careful, accurate translation.
Legal & Court Documents
Criminal record clearances and police certificates are required for many USCIS applications, including green-card and naturalization filings, and their format varies enormously from country to country. Court judgments and rulings, affidavits, powers of attorney, and contracts may need certified translation for use in New York federal or state courts or in arbitration. Adoption documents for internationally adopted children have to be translated to meet federal requirements for US citizenship applications. Our document translation services page describes our broader legal translation work.
Medical Documents
Medical examination reports and vaccination records are required for immigration medicals submitted on Form I-693. Foreign hospital records, surgical reports, and psychiatric evaluations may be needed to support asylum claims, disability petitions, or benefit requests. Medical translation demands terminological precision; our translators in life-sciences language pairs have the subject-matter background to handle clinical content accurately.
Business & Financial Documents
Companies operating in New York with international partners or foreign-incorporated subsidiaries regularly need certified translations of articles of incorporation, shareholder agreements, financial statements, contracts, and regulatory filings. These documents may be required by the New York Secretary of State, the IRS, financial institutions, or counterparties in commercial transactions.
Immigration-Specific Documents
Beyond vital records, USCIS petitions can require certified translations of foreign passports and identity cards, military service records, employment verification letters from foreign employers, tax documents, and national identity documents such as a cedula, livret de famille, or household registration. Every page that contains foreign-language text has to be fully translated.
Who Needs Certified Translation Services in New York City?
A remarkably large share of New York’s population, is the honest answer. New York City is the most linguistically diverse urban area on earth, with over 200 languages spoken across its five boroughs. Roughly 37 percent of New York City residents were born outside the United States, and hundreds of thousands are at some stage of the immigration process on any given day. Here’s a closer look at the groups most likely to need us.
Immigration Applicants & Petitioners
File an I-130 family petition, an I-485 adjustment of status, an I-751 removal of conditions, an N-400 naturalization application, an asylum claim, or a U or T visa petition, and any foreign-language document you submit to USCIS has to come with a certified English translation. The New York City immigration court and the Board of Immigration Appeals apply the same requirement to documents offered as evidence. If your immigration attorney handed you a list of documents to gather and any of them aren’t in English, certified translation is the next step.
International Students
New York City is home to Columbia University, NYU, Fordham, The New School, Pace, and dozens of other higher-education institutions. Applicants from abroad, and admitted students completing enrollment, routinely need certified translations of secondary school transcripts, high-school diplomas, national exam results, and university transcripts from institutions overseas. The credential evaluation agencies that universities work with require certified translations as part of the evaluation too.
Legal Professionals & Their Clients
Immigration attorneys, family-law practitioners, and civil litigators in New York rely on certified translations to put foreign-language documents in front of a court or a regulatory body. If you’re working with a New York attorney on any matter that involves foreign documents, an estate, a business dispute, a custody case with international elements, your attorney may send you to us, or we may work directly with their office.
Employers & HR Professionals
New York employers in finance, healthcare, academia, and professional services increasingly hire talent from outside the United States. Verifying a candidate’s foreign educational credentials, confirming a professional license issued abroad, or onboarding a sponsored employee can all require certified translations of academic or professional documents. HR teams handling I-9 compliance for foreign-national employees may also need translations of identity documents not issued in English.
Government & Public-Sector Agencies
New York City agencies, including the Administration for Children’s Services, the Human Resources Administration, the NYC Housing Authority, and the Department of Health, deal constantly with clients whose documents are in foreign languages. Certified translations let these agencies process applications and confirm eligibility for services.
Individuals Navigating Life Events
Not every certified translation request ties back to an institutional process. Sometimes people just need to prove a relationship, confirm a date of birth, or establish a legal fact recorded in a document from another country, for a pension claim, a name change, a dual-citizenship application, or a benefits enrollment. We work with private individuals on exactly these requests, and we give every document the same care we give high-volume institutional clients.
Languages We Translate for New York Clients
New York City’s foreign-born population speaks a staggering range of languages. Spanish leads, with large communities from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, and Puerto Rico. Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Bengali, Russian, Haitian Creole, Korean, Polish, Tagalog, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Punjabi, Urdu, and dozens of others are part of the city’s everyday linguistic life. Our network of professional translators covers over 500 languages, including:
- Spanish (all regional variants, Mexican, Dominican, Ecuadorian, Colombian, Argentine, and more)
- Chinese, Simplified and Traditional (Mandarin, Cantonese)
- Portuguese (Brazilian and European)
- French (Metropolitan and Haitian Creole)
- Arabic (Modern Standard and regional dialects)
- Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, and other Slavic languages
- Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, and other South Asian languages
- Tagalog and other Philippine languages
- Korean and Japanese
- Amharic, Tigrinya, Somali, Swahili, and other African languages
- Romanian, Italian, German, and other European languages
- Burmese, Khmer, Vietnamese, Thai, and other Southeast Asian languages
- Haitian Creole, Wolof, Fula, and other Caribbean and West African languages
If your document is in a language not listed here, ask anyway. Our network is broad, and we regularly handle less common language pairs on request. Visit our languages page for a full overview, or contact us for a quote and we’ll confirm availability for your specific language pair right away.
Our Process: From Document to Certified Translation, Remotely
You don’t need to be physically present anywhere to use our certified translation services. The whole workflow is built for remote delivery, which suits New York City clients who are busy, who may be running an immigration case from abroad, or who simply prefer to handle documents online. Here’s how it works.
Step 1: Request a Quote
Use our free quote form to describe your documents. Tell us the source language, the document type, the page count, and the intended use (USCIS, court, university, employer, and so on). The more detail you give, the faster we can return an accurate quote and a confirmed turnaround time. You’ll usually hear back within a few hours during business hours.
Step 2: Submit Your Documents
Once you approve the quote, send us your documents electronically. A clear scan or high-resolution photograph is enough for most documents. If the original is damaged, faded, or in an unusual script, tell us and we’ll advise on the best way to submit it. We use secure file-transfer methods and treat all personal documents with strict confidentiality.
Step 3: Translation & Quality Review
A qualified translator who specializes in the relevant language pair and document type produces the translation. We run a quality-review process that checks the translation against the original for completeness and accuracy before the Certificate of Accuracy is prepared. For technical documents, medical records, legal rulings, academic transcripts with subject-specific terminology, we assign translators with subject-matter expertise in those fields.
Step 4: Certification & Delivery
The finished translation is paired with a properly worded, individually signed Certificate of Accuracy for each document. We deliver the certified translation by email as a PDF. Most receiving institutions, including USCIS for most filing types, universities, and employers, accept PDF-format certified translations. If you need a physical hard copy with a wet signature for a specific proceeding, we can arrange that too. Just let us know when you request your quote.
Turnaround Times
Standard turnaround for most single-document certified translations is one to three business days. Complex multi-document packages, long legal transcripts, or requests spanning multiple language pairs may take longer, and we’ll spell out the timeline clearly when you get your quote. If you’re up against an urgent deadline, a USCIS response deadline, a court date, an application cutoff, tell us and we’ll do our best to accommodate you. Rush turnaround is available for many requests.
Notarization: When You Need It and How We Arrange It
As noted above, USCIS doesn’t require notarization of certified translations. But if the institution receiving your translation has specifically asked for a notarized one, and this happens with some New York State courts, certain government agencies, financial institutions, and specific employers, we can help you get it.
Notarization means a licensed notary public witnesses the translator’s signature on the Certificate of Accuracy and affixes a notarial seal. The notary verifies the identity of the signer, not the content of the translation. For New York clients, notarization is typically obtained locally, and we can advise on the most efficient path for your situation. In some cases we work with notaries directly; in others we prepare the certification in a format that makes it simple for you to have notarized locally.
If you’re unsure whether notarization is required for your submission, the safest move is to ask the institution directly, or ask us. We’ve worked across a wide range of NYC-area institutions and can often tell you from experience what they typically expect. See our related resource on certified vs. notarized translation for more context.
Why Choose Professional Interpreting Canada for Your NYC Certified Translation?
You have no shortage of translation providers to pick from in New York City. Here’s what sets us apart for clients who need certified translations that hold up to scrutiny.
Compliance-Focused Certification
Every Certificate of Accuracy we produce is written to satisfy 8 CFR § 103.2(b)(3) and the equivalent standards of New York courts and educational institutions. We don’t lean on generic boilerplate that can fail on a technicality; our certificates are tailored to each document and each intended use. Our approach to document translation is built around the specific requirements of the institutions that receive the work.
Qualified Translators
We work with professional translators who have direct experience in the document categories they handle. A translator on a medical record has a background in medical or life-sciences translation. A translator on a legal ruling knows legal terminology in both the source and target languages. Subject-matter competency isn’t optional when a certified translation can affect a legal case, an immigration benefit, or an academic career. For guidance on what to look for when hiring a certified translator, see our FAQ: Avoid Mistakes When Hiring Certified Translators.
Over 500 Languages
New York City’s linguistic diversity is extraordinary, and our language coverage matches it. Major world language or a less commonly spoken one, we almost certainly have the capacity to help. See our full language list or ask us directly; our response time is fast.
Fully Remote, Secure & Convenient
There’s no office to visit. You submit documents electronically and receive your certified translation by email. We handle clients across all five boroughs, in Westchester, on Long Island, and anywhere else you happen to be when you need the work done. The process is identical when you’re in Manhattan or running a US immigration case from outside the country entirely.
Accepted by USCIS, Courts & Universities
Our certified translations are prepared to the standard required by USCIS, federal and state courts, credential evaluation agencies, New York-area universities, and employers. We stand behind the accuracy of our work and will address any institutional query about a translation we’ve produced. For context on why professional translator qualifications matter, see our FAQ: The Importance of a Licensed Translator for Your Documents.
Also Serving Toronto & Canadian Clients
This page focuses on NYC, but we also provide certified translation services across Canada, with deep expertise in the Canadian regulatory context and credentialing through bodies such as the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario and its national counterpart, the Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council. If you have a cross-border need, documents going from Canada to the US for an immigration matter, or US documents needed for a Canadian application, we’re set up to handle both sides. Canadian applications follow their own rules, and IRCC’s translation requirements differ from the USCIS standard described above, so we prepare each document to the standard of the country it’s headed for. See our certified translator Toronto page for our Canadian service offering, or our guide to getting documents translated for IRCC.
Frequently Asked Questions About Certified Translation Services in NYC
Does USCIS require a notarized translation?
No. Under 8 CFR § 103.2(b)(3), USCIS requires a certified translation, a full English translation accompanied by a signed Certificate of Accuracy from a competent translator. Notarization isn’t required for USCIS submissions; USCIS removed that requirement in 2011. If a translation provider tells you that you need a notarized translation specifically for USCIS, that’s not accurate. You may need notarization for other institutions (certain courts, state agencies, some employers), but not for USCIS.
Do I need an ATA-certified translator for USCIS?
No. The ATA (American Translators Association) credential is a respected voluntary professional certification, but it isn’t legally required by USCIS, by federal courts, or by New York State courts. The governing regulation requires a competent translator to certify the translation; it doesn’t specify that the translator hold any particular credential. Using an ATA-certified translator can add reassurance about quality, but its absence doesn’t invalidate a properly certified translation.
What should the Certificate of Accuracy say?
The Certificate of Accuracy must state, at minimum: (1) that the translation is complete and accurate, (2) that the translator is competent to translate from the source language into English, and (3) it must be signed by the translator. A typical formulation reads: “I, [name], am competent to translate from [language] into English and certify that the attached translation of [document title] is true and accurate to the best of my abilities.” The certificate has to be prepared individually for each document; a blanket certification covering several documents won’t pass with USCIS.
Can I translate my own documents for USCIS?
USCIS policy says a petitioner or applicant cannot certify the accuracy of their own translation. The translator has to be someone other than the applicant. Nothing prohibits a qualified friend or family member from translating your documents, as long as they’re genuinely competent in both languages and can honestly attest to that competency, but in practice, using a professional service removes any risk that USCIS will question the translation’s reliability.
How long does a certified translation take?
Standard turnaround for a single-document certified translation is typically one to three business days. A simple, one-page birth certificate can often be finished in 24 hours. Longer documents, multi-page transcripts, court records running many pages, or packages of several documents, take more time. Rush service is available for urgent deadlines. When you submit your quote request, we’ll confirm the turnaround time for your specific documents before you commit to the order.
Do courts in New York accept certified translations?
Federal courts and New York State courts accept certified translations for documentary evidence. Requirements can vary by court and by the nature of the proceeding; some courts may request notarization, and evidentiary rules can add requirements for authentication of foreign public documents (such as apostilles). If you’re submitting a translation to a New York court, confirm the specific requirements with the clerk’s office or your attorney, and pass those requirements to us when you request the translation.
Are your certified translations accepted by CUNY, SUNY, and other NYC universities?
Our certified translations are prepared in line with the standards most New York universities and credential evaluation agencies require. Institutions such as CUNY and SUNY generally require translations by a professional translator accompanied by a certification of accuracy. We recommend confirming the specific submission format with the admissions office of the institution you’re applying to, since requirements can differ between programs and between evaluation agencies.
What is the difference between a certified translation and a document translation?
Any translation of a document could loosely be called a “document translation.” The term “certified translation” specifically means the translation comes with a signed Certificate of Accuracy. A general document translation produced without that certificate usually isn’t accepted for official purposes, immigration, court, or educational. For most formal institutional submissions, you need the certification. For internal use, understanding a foreign-language contract, reviewing correspondence, personal reference, a non-certified translation may be enough. See our document translation page for a broader overview of our translation services, and our FAQ on the three main types of translators for context on how translation professionals are categorized.
Do you handle confidential documents securely?
Yes. The documents our clients send, birth certificates, passports, medical records, legal filings, hold sensitive personal information, and we treat them accordingly. We use secure channels for file submission and don’t retain copies of client documents beyond what’s operationally necessary to complete the translation. We don’t share client documents or personal information with third parties.
Can you handle large volumes, many documents at once?
Yes. Law firms, immigration practices, corporate HR departments, and universities sometimes send us batches of documents needing certified translation across several language pairs at once. We have the capacity to handle multi-document, multi-language projects with consistent quality and on agreed timelines. Contact us to discuss volume requirements when you request your quote.
I need a translation from English into another language, can you help?
Yes. Many certified translation requests involve translating into English for US official use, but we also produce certified translations in the other direction, English into Spanish, Chinese, French, Arabic, and other languages, for submissions to foreign institutions, international courts, embassies, or overseas government agencies. Tell us the target language and the intended use when you request a quote.
Get Your Certified Translation Started Today
If you’re in New York City and you need a certified translation, for a USCIS immigration application, a court filing, a university application, or any official purpose, we’re ready to help. Our remote workflow means you can get your documents to us and receive your certified translation without leaving your home or office. Our translators are experienced, our certifications comply with USCIS and other US institutional standards, and we cover over 500 languages.
Tell us about your documents and we’ll turn around a free quote, usually within a few hours. No commitment required to request one, just the information we need to give you an accurate answer on scope, timeline, and cost.
Questions before you submit? Review our FAQ resources on why translator qualifications matter, common mistakes to avoid when hiring, and the three main types of translators, or just reach out directly.