Certified Translation Services in Sacramento, CA
Sacramento matters for one procedural reason beyond its size: the California Secretary of State's apostille office is here. Documents from anywhere in California that need authentication for use abroad pass through this city.
The other distinguishing feature is demographic. Sacramento has one of the largest Slavic communities in the United States — Ukrainian, Russian and Moldovan families resettled from the late 1980s onward — alongside substantial Hmong, Afghan and Mexican populations.
Filing details for Sacramento
- County
- Sacramento County
- State court system
- Superior Court of California
- Apostille authority
- California Secretary of State
We serve Sacramento remotely from our office in Edgewater, New Jersey. We have no office here.
Post-Soviet records and the apostille office
Ukrainian, Russian and Moldovan documents issued before 1991 are usually in Russian and carry Soviet-era seals from authorities that no longer exist. Post-independence records are in the national language and issued by successor bodies. A certified translation names the authority as it appears on the document rather than substituting the modern equivalent — the mismatch is the point, and an adjudicator needs to see it.
Patronymics are the other recurring issue. Slavic naming includes a patronymic that US forms have no field for, and dropping it from a translation breaks the match against a passport that does include it.
Sacramento County Superior Court receives translated evidence; the County Clerk-Recorder issues vital records; the Sacramento USCIS field office handles interviews.
Courts and clerks in this area
- Sacramento County Superior Court
- Sacramento County Clerk-Recorder
Institutions that commonly request certified translations
- California State University, Sacramento
- University of California, Davis (nearby)
Sending documents to the Secretary of State
California apostilles require an authorized certified copy, not an informational copy, and not a photocopy a notary has stamped.
Where an apostille and a translation are both needed, the apostille normally attaches to the original and the complete package is translated afterwards. Apostille handling through us is $195 per document and takes about five business days.
Turnaround
24 hours standard, 1-3 hours available
Price
$49 first page, then $0.12/word. Details
Languages
100+ languages. See all
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you translate Soviet-era documents?
Yes, including Russian-language records from non-Russian republics, with the issuing authority named as printed.
Should my patronymic be in the translation?
Yes. It appears on the source document and usually on the passport, so omitting it creates a mismatch.
Where is the California apostille office?
The Secretary of State, with offices in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
How much is a certified translation?
$49 for the first page up to 250 words, then $0.12 per word, certificate of accuracy included.
Document translation for Sacramento
Documents we translate most often
Language pages
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