Name Change Documents Translation
Certified translation of foreign name-change orders, deed polls, marriage records and registry annotations that link one name to another for USCIS, SSA and passports.
Reviewed by Murat Saymaz, Global Certified Translations · Facts checked 4 November 2026
The short answer
When your name differs between documents, agencies want the document that links the two names: a foreign court order, a UK deed poll, a marriage or divorce record, or a registry annotation, with a certified English translation for USCIS (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)). In the US, a court can change your name when you naturalize (8 U.S.C. 1447(e)), and New Jersey courts grant name changes under N.J.S.A. 2A:52-1.
Names change for many reasons: marriage, divorce, adoption, a court order, a religious conversion, a transliteration that changed over the years. Every time a name differs between two documents in a file, someone has to show that both names belong to the same person. That proof is usually a foreign document, and it needs a translation that leaves no doubt.
Rules that apply
Each rule links to its source. Checked 4 November 2026. Confirm with the office that will receive your documents.
| Rule | Source |
|---|---|
| Foreign-language documents filed with USCIS need certified English translations. | 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) |
| A court administering the oath of allegiance may change the name of a person naturalizing, on request. | 8 U.S.C. 1447(e) |
| New Jersey residents may apply to the Superior Court to change their name. | N.J.S.A. 2A:52-1 |
| In the UK, adults can change their name by deed poll, enrolled or unenrolled. | GOV.UK, Change your name by deed poll |
| Machine-readable travel documents follow ICAO Doc 9303, which includes transliteration of national characters into the machine-readable zone. | ICAO Doc 9303 |
Typical length and price
Typical length: about 150–600 words per document (about 1–3 pages of 250 words).
Estimated price into English at that length: $39.00–$79.60 per file, certificate of accuracy included.
These figures are our estimates for a typical document of this type, not averages of past orders. Upload yours for an exact word count and price.
Which document links the names
- Marriage records, when a spouse took the other's surname or combined surnames.
- Divorce decrees, when a former name was restored.
- Court or registry orders changing a name, common in civil-law countries.
- Deed polls in the UK and some Commonwealth countries.
- Annotations on a birth or marriage record noting a later change.
- Adoption decrees, for a child's new name.
Transliteration is not a name change
Many differences are not changes at all, but transliterations: the same Russian, Arabic, Chinese or Greek name written in Latin letters by different offices under different rules. A passport follows ICAO transliteration; an older document may use a national standard or no standard at all. We give the name as in the passport, show the original script, and add a translator's note explaining that "Yuliya" and "Iuliia" are transliterations of the same name. For many officers that note is enough; for others, you will also need a document such as a name-change certificate from the issuing country.
Naming customs
Spanish and Portuguese names often include two surnames, and which one a person uses in the US varies. Icelandic and some Arabic names follow patronymic patterns. In Hungary, China, Korea and Japan the family name traditionally comes first. The translation keeps every part of the name in the order of the original and, where helpful, notes which part is the surname, so US forms can be filled consistently.
Changing a name in the US
If you want your name changed now, you can ask the court to change it at your naturalization ceremony, or apply to a court in your state; in New Jersey, that is the Superior Court. A foreign name-change document only proves a change that already happened abroad.
Where these translations are used
USCIS, the Social Security Administration, the State Department for passports, the MVC, banks and employers all ask for the linking document when names differ. One certified translation of each linking document can serve them all; keep it with the original.
When no document exists
Sometimes a name simply drifted: a clerk wrote it differently, or a family adopted a new spelling after emigrating, and no order was ever made. Then the file needs secondary evidence: documents over the years showing both names, and sometimes affidavits from people who know you. Each foreign-language item is translated in full, and a short translator's note can explain the transliteration or naming custom. Ask your attorney or the agency what it will accept before collecting documents.
Children's names
Children's names change with adoption, legitimation or a parent's request, and their documents may show a father's surname on one and a mother's on another. Send every document showing the child's name, and we translate each name exactly as it appears so the file shows the sequence of changes.
Each name is copied letter for letter, including accents and diacritics.
What we need from you
- The linking document, and the documents showing each version of the name.
- Your passport, for the spelling to use.
- Where it is going: USCIS, SSA, passport, MVC or an employer.
How it works
- Upload the document. The quote tool counts the words and prices the job before you commit to anything.
- Translation. The whole document - every page, stamp, seal and annotation - with the layout kept close enough to the original that a reviewer can read the two side by side.
- Certification. A State Court Certified Translator signs the certificate of accuracy.
- Delivery. A print-ready PDF by email, typically within 24 hours. Notarization, an apostille or mailed hard copies are added here if you need them.
Turnaround
Standard turnaround is 24 hours. Expedited service is +50% for 6-8 hours and +100% for 1-3 hours. Tell us your deadline when you order.
Pricing Information
$39 for the first 250 words into English ($49 into any other language), then $0.116 per word. Each file is priced on its own, and the signed certificate of accuracy is included. Notarization, if a body asks for it, is $19.
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