Certified Passport & ID Translation

An identity document is the anchor of almost every file it appears in. It is what a reviewer uses to confirm that the name on a birth certificate, a diploma, and a bank statement all belong to the same person. When that document is not in English — or when the part that matters is a visa page, a stamp, or an endorsement written only in the issuing language — it stops doing that job.

This page orders a certified translation of a passport, national ID card, residence permit, or consular ID. Pricing is per page, delivery is a PDF with a signed certificate of accuracy attached, and standard turnaround is 2–3 business days.

When a passport actually needs translating

The honest answer is: less often than people assume, and more often than they realise.

Most modern passports print the biographic page bilingually, and where every field a reviewer needs is already legible in English, a translation is redundant — we will tell you so rather than sell you one. The requirement bites in the cases people overlook:

• The passport is not bilingual. Older booklets and some national formats print in the issuing language only.
• The evidence is on a visa or stamp page. Entry and exit stamps, visa foils, and border endorsements are frequently monolingual, and they are exactly what proves presence, travel history, or lawful admission.
• A national ID or residence permit is the document in question. These are far less likely than passports to carry English.
• An old or expired document establishes a former name. A superseded passport is often the only record connecting a maiden name to a current one.

Where a translation is required, the rule is uniform. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), any foreign-language document submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a complete English translation, plus the translator’s certification that the translation is accurate and that the translator is competent to translate.

Who asks for one

• USCIS and consular filings — identity evidence, name reconciliation, travel history, and lawful-status documentation.
• Banks and financial institutions — identity verification under customer due-diligence rules where the ID is not in English.
• Universities and credential evaluators — matching an applicant to their academic records.
• Employers and HR — supporting documentation around identity and work authorisation.
• Courts, registrars, and licensing boards — anywhere a person has to be identified from a foreign record.

Every field, not just the name

The mistake we see most on identity documents is a translation that renders the name and date of birth and stops. That is not what the certification claims, and it is not what a reviewer needs.

A complete certified translation of an identity document covers:

• Full name as printed, including patronymics, second surnames, and any variant or transliterated form shown on the document.
• Date and place of birth, nationality, and sex.
• Document number and personal identification number, rendered character for character.
• Issuing authority, place of issue, and issue and expiry dates.
• Type, class, and category codes where the document carries them.
• Endorsements, observations, and restrictions — the small print that is frequently the reason the document was requested.
• Stamps, seals, and security text, described in place; illegible marks are noted as illegible rather than quietly dropped.

The layout is mirrored closely enough that an adjudicator can hold the translation beside the original and match it field for field. That is the practical test of a good certified translation, and it is the reason a partial one fails.

The transliteration problem

Names are where identity documents genuinely go wrong, and no amount of care in the translation itself fixes it after the fact.

The same Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, or Amharic name can be romanised several defensible ways. A birth certificate transliterated in 1994 by a local registrar and a passport issued in 2021 under a newer standard can legitimately disagree. To an adjudicator with no context, that reads as a discrepancy.

So we ask, at order time, for the spelling you use on your U.S. filings. The translation renders the name exactly as the document prints it — that is what accuracy requires — and flags the variant explicitly, so the reviewer sees a documented transliteration difference rather than an unexplained mismatch. It costs nothing to do at order time and is expensive to unwind after a Request for Evidence.

What you receive

• The complete translation of every page you send, formatted to reflect the original.
• A signed certificate of accuracy naming the translator and attesting to completeness, accuracy, and competence.
• Digital delivery as a PDF, with a mailed physical copy available as an add-on.
• Optional notarization, for banks, consulates, and registrars that ask for it even though USCIS does not.

Translations are produced by qualified human linguists and independently reviewed before delivery. Our work meets and exceeds ISO 17100, 9001, and 27001 standards, and our staff are trained on confidential handling — an identity document is precisely the kind of file that should not pass through an open freelance marketplace.

How ordering works

1. Scan the pages you need. Both sides of a card; for a passport, the biographic page plus any visa or stamp page that carries the evidence. Flat, in focus, all four corners visible.
2. Keep the original. Send an image, never the booklet.
3. Choose your options — special language pair, notarization, mailed copy, 24-hour rush.
4. Order and pay, or request a quote if you would rather confirm the page count and total first.

If the ID is one of several documents going into the same filing, send them together — see immigration document translation for how the full set is usually bundled, certified translation for how the certification is prepared, and the driver’s license product if that is the credential you actually need.

Our guarantee, stated honestly

If a certified translation of ours is rejected on translation grounds, we correct it free or refund it. That is what we control.

We do not promise the outcome of an application, a petition, or an account opening — those decisions belong to the agency, the bank, or the institution. What we promise is that the translation will not be the reason you are sent back for something else.