Interpreter for Your USCIS Interview
Spanish, Russian and Turkish interpreters for USCIS interviews - including affirmative asylum interviews, where USCIS requires you to bring your own.
How it works
- Send the form below with your interview type, date, time and USCIS office.
- Our team contacts you within 24 hours to confirm the details.
- At the interview, you and the interpreter sign Form G-1256 in front of the officer.
Fill out the form below and our team will contact you within 24 hours to discuss your interpreter needs and schedule your appointment.
When you need to bring your own interpreter
Affirmative asylum interviews. Since September 13, 2023, USCIS does not provide interpreters for affirmative asylum interviews, except for applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing. If you do not speak English well enough to be interviewed in English, you must bring an interpreter. USCIS may have a contract interpreter listen by phone, but only to monitor your interpreter's accuracy. If you arrive without a competent interpreter, USCIS cancels and reschedules the interview, and the delay counts as caused by you.
Green card and other field-office interviews. If you are eligible to use an interpreter, you provide one. Form G-1256 records that you brought an interpreter and that you are satisfied with their ability.
Citizenship (naturalization) interviews. Most applicants must show they speak English during the interview itself, so the interview is held in English. Applicants who are exempt from the English requirement - age 50 or older with 20 years as a permanent resident, age 55 or older with 15 years, or with an approved disability exception on Form N-648 - can take the interview in their own language with an interpreter they bring, at their own expense.
Who can - and cannot - interpret for you
For field-office interviews, Form G-1256 requires an interpreter who is:
- fluent in English and in a language you understand;
- able to interpret as the officer directs, and impartial throughout;
- at least 18 years old (USCIS may allow ages 14-17 for good cause);
- not a witness in your case (again, unless USCIS grants an exception).
Your attorney or accredited representative cannot act as your interpreter during the interview. For asylum interviews, USCIS also excludes a witness testifying for you and any representative or employee of your country's government.
The officer decides whether your interpreter qualifies. If they do not, you can continue with another acceptable interpreter, reschedule, or continue without one. A relative who is also a witness, or who is not fully fluent in both languages, can be turned away on the day - which is why many applicants use an independent interpreter.
Form G-1256 at the start of the interview
Before the interview begins, your interpreter interprets Form G-1256, Declaration for Interpreted USCIS Interview, to you. The officer confirms you understand it, then you and the interpreter sign it in the officer's presence. Do not sign it in advance. You can download it from USCIS beforehand or get it from the officer. By signing, the interpreter agrees to interpret accurately, literally and fully, and to keep what they hear confidential.
Documents need a certified translation, not an interpreter
An interpreter covers what is said in the interview. Any foreign-language document you submit to USCIS must come with a full English translation, certified by the translator as complete and accurate (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)). USCIS does not require that translation to be notarized.
USCIS certified translation - $49 for the first page, 24-hour turnaround
Questions about interpreters at USCIS
Does USCIS provide an interpreter for my interview?
Not for affirmative asylum interviews: since September 13, 2023 you must bring your own unless you are deaf or hard of hearing. For field-office interviews, applicants who are eligible to use an interpreter provide one and sign Form G-1256 with them.
Can a family member or friend interpret for me?
Yes, if they are at least 18, fluent in English and your language, impartial, and not a witness in your case. For asylum interviews they also cannot be your attorney or a representative of your country's government. The officer can refuse an interpreter who does not meet these rules.
Can my lawyer be my interpreter?
No. Attorneys and accredited representatives cannot serve as interpreters for their own clients during the interview.
What happens if I go to my asylum interview without an interpreter?
If you cannot be interviewed in English, USCIS cancels and reschedules the interview, and the delay is treated as caused by you.
Can I use an interpreter at my citizenship interview?
Only if you are exempt from the English requirement: age 50+ with 20 years as a permanent resident, age 55+ with 15 years, or an approved Form N-648 disability exception. Otherwise the interview is in English.
Which languages do you interpret?
Spanish, Russian and Turkish. Send the form with your interview details and we reply within 24 hours.