Acta / partida de nacimiento → Birth certificate
Birth certificate translation for USCIS (Spanish → English)
A birth certificate in Spanish — acta, partida or certificado de nacimiento — goes to USCIS with a full English translation and a signed certificate of translation. This page shows what the rule asks for, how each field of a Spanish-language civil registry record reads in English, and where the country-specific parts are. Free; nothing to upload.
What USCIS requires
Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), a document in a foreign language goes to USCIS with a full English translation, certified by the translator as complete and accurate, together with the translator's certification that they are competent to translate from that language into English. The rule names no credential and does not mention notarization.
Translate it yourself, or have it translated?
The regulation does not say who may not sign the certificate; it asks the person who signs to certify their own competence and the completeness and accuracy of the translation. Common practice is to have someone who is not a party to the case sign: a bilingual relative or friend, a colleague, or a professional translator. Whether an officer will weigh a self-signed translation the same way is a judgment we cannot make for you.
If you would rather have a person translate and sign it, this site takes manual quote requests; the form is in Spanish and nothing is charged on it.
What a full translation of a birth certificate includes
- ✓Translate the whole document: headings, every field, seals, folio and record numbers, marginal annotations and handwritten text. Mark what cannot be read as [illegible].
- ✓Proper names stay exactly as they appear on the original; they are not translated, corrected or adapted.
- ✓Dates are transcribed in the document's own format, noting the format (DD/MM/YYYY) when it differs from the US convention.
- ✓Keep the layout recognizable: one line of the original per line of the translation, in the same order, so the officer can match them.
Field-by-field glossary: Spanish → English
Labels that commonly appear on Spanish-language birth records and how they read in English. Formats differ by country and by year; translate the labels your document actually has.
| Español (as printed) | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Acta de nacimiento / Partida de nacimiento / Certificado de nacimiento | Birth certificate (civil registry record of birth) | Keep the Spanish name in brackets the first time it appears. |
| Copia certificada | Certified copy | |
| Extracto | Extract (abstract of the record) | |
| Registro Civil | Civil Registry | |
| Oficialía / Oficina del Registro Civil | Civil registry office | |
| Oficial del Registro Civil / Juez del Registro Civil | Civil registry officer / civil registry judge | |
| Entidad / Estado / Departamento / Provincia | State / department / province | Keep the place name; translate only the label. |
| Municipio / Alcaldía | Municipality / mayor's office | |
| Localidad | Locality | |
| Libro / Tomo | Book / volume | |
| Foja / Folio | Page / folio | |
| Acta No. / Partida No. / Asiento | Record no. / entry | |
| Fecha de registro | Date of registration | |
| Fecha de expedición | Date of issue | |
| Datos de la persona registrada / del registrado | Registrant's details | |
| Nombre(s) | Given name(s) | |
| Apellido paterno / Primer apellido | Father's surname (first surname) | Never merge or reorder the two surnames. |
| Apellido materno / Segundo apellido | Mother's surname (second surname) | |
| Sexo | Sex | |
| Fecha de nacimiento | Date of birth | Keep the DD/MM/YYYY order of the original and note the format. |
| Hora de nacimiento | Time of birth | |
| Lugar de nacimiento | Place of birth | |
| Nacionalidad | Nationality | |
| CURP | CURP (Mexican population registry code) | Copy as printed. |
| DUI | DUI (Salvadoran identity document number) | Copy as printed. |
| Datos de los padres | Parents' details | |
| Padre / Madre | Father / mother | |
| Edad | Age | |
| Ocupación | Occupation | |
| Domicilio | Address | |
| Abuelos paternos / maternos | Paternal / maternal grandparents | |
| Compareciente / Declarante | Declarant (person who registered the birth) | |
| Testigos | Witnesses | |
| Anotaciones marginales | Marginal notes (annotations) | They are part of the document: translate them. |
| Sello | Seal / stamp | Describe it in brackets: [seal: Registro Civil de …]. |
| Firma | Signature | [signature] or [illegible signature]. |
| Certifica / Da fe | Certifies / attests | |
| Código de verificación / Folio electrónico | Verification code / electronic folio | |
| Cadena digital / Sello digital | Digital signature string / digital seal | |
| Vigencia | Validity |
Country guides
Mexican birth certificate
How it is issued, apostille facts and the Mexico-specific fields.
Salvadoran birth certificate
How it is issued, apostille facts and the El Salvador-specific fields.
Other countries (guides in Spanish):
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a certified translator for a birth certificate?+
8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) names no credential. It requires the translator to certify competence in both languages and that the translation is complete and accurate.
Does the translation have to be notarized?+
Not under that regulation. A consulate, court or state agency may still ask for it; check the instructions of the office you are filing with.
Do I translate names, codes and numbers?+
No. Names, identity codes (CURP, DUI), record numbers and dates are copied exactly as printed; only the labels around them are translated. Note the date format if it differs from the US one.
Is the apostille part of the translation?+
No. The apostille authenticates the original in the issuing country; it is a separate procedure and the USCIS translation rule does not mention it. If your document carries one, translate the apostille page too.
Extract or full copy: which one do I translate?+
Translate the document you are submitting, in full. Whether an extract or a full certified copy is acceptable for your case is not a translation question: check the instructions of the form you are filing.
Sources
- eCFR — 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), Submission and adjudication of benefit requests (USCIS)
- Cornell LII — 8 CFR 103.2 (mirror of the same text)
Not legal advice. We are not a law firm and we are not affiliated with USCIS or any government agency. The receiving authority decides whether a document is accepted.