Certified Translation Services in New York City
New York City is the single largest source of certified translation demand in the United States, and 26 Federal Plaza is a large part of the reason. The USCIS field office and the immigration court there handle a caseload that no other city matches, and almost every file passing through them contains at least one document that started life in another language.
We are across the river in Edgewater, New Jersey — about five miles from Midtown. Work is delivered as a signed PDF, normally within 24 hours, at $49 for the first page with the certificate of accuracy included.
Filing details for New York City
- County
- New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx and Richmond Counties
- State court system
- New York State Unified Court System
- Apostille authority
- New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services
We serve New York City remotely from our office in Edgewater, New Jersey. We have no office here.
The New York authentication step everyone misses
If you need a New York document recognised abroad, there is a step in the chain that catches nearly everyone. A document notarized by a New York notary cannot go straight to the Department of State for an apostille. The County Clerk in the county where the notary is commissioned has to authenticate the notary's signature first. Miss it and the package comes back unprocessed.
New York City birth and death certificates follow a variation of that route. They are issued by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, not by Albany; for use abroad they have to be ordered with a Letter of Exemplification and authenticated by the New York County Clerk before the Department of State will apostille them.
On the court side, the New York County Supreme Court and the Southern District of New York both expect foreign-language exhibits to be accompanied by a certified English translation. Columbia, NYU, CUNY and The New School generate the academic half of the volume.
Courts and clerks in this area
- New York County Supreme Court
- New York County Clerk
- US District Court for the Southern District of New York
Institutions that commonly request certified translations
- Columbia University
- New York University
- City University of New York
- The New School
What USCIS actually requires
8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires a full English translation of any foreign-language document, plus the translator's certification that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate. That is the whole requirement.
It does not require notarization, an agency letterhead, or a sworn translator in the European sense. What it does require is complete — including stamps, seals, marginal notes and anything printed on the reverse. Incomplete translation is the most common reason a Request for Evidence lands.
Same-day and expedited work
Standard turnaround is 24 hours from a legible scan. When an appointment or a filing deadline does not allow that, expedited service runs at +50% for 6-8 hours and +100% for 1-3 hours.
Send the deadline with the document. We will tell you what is achievable before you pay rather than after.
مدة التسليم
24 hours standard, 1-3 hours available
Price
$49 first page, then $0.12/word. Details
اللغات
100+ languages. See all
الأسئلة الشائعة
Do I need to come to Manhattan for this?
No. Upload the document and the certified translation comes back as a signed PDF, usually within 24 hours. Hard copies are mailed on request.
Does USCIS at 26 Federal Plaza require a notarized translation?
No. A certified translation with a signed certificate of accuracy is what 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires. Notarization is a separate $19 service that some consulates and universities ask for.
I need an apostille on a New York document. What is the order?
If the document is notarized, the County Clerk authenticates the notary first, then the Department of State issues the apostille. NYC birth and death certificates are ordered with a Letter of Exemplification and go through the New York County Clerk too.
Can you translate a whole immigration packet?
Yes, and it is quoted as one job. The $49 minimum applies once; further pages are $0.12 per word.
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