Certified Translation Services in Washington, DC
Washington is the one place in the country where the difference between a federal apostille and a state apostille comes up constantly, because both kinds of document are everywhere and the offices that handle them are entirely separate.
It is also the densest concentration of embassies in the world, which makes consular legalisation — the alternative to an apostille for non-Hague countries — a routine local process rather than an exotic one.
Filing details for Washington
- County
- District of Columbia
- State court system
- Superior Court of the District of Columbia
- Apostille authority
- DC Office of the Secretary, Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications
We serve Washington remotely from our office in Edgewater, New Jersey. We have no office here.
Federal documents, DC documents, and embassies
Documents issued by a federal agency — an FBI identity history summary, a naturalisation certificate, a federal court record — are authenticated by the US Department of State Office of Authentications. No state office can do it.
Documents issued by the District — DC birth certificates, DC notarizations — are authenticated by the DC Office of the Secretary.
Sending paperwork to the wrong one of these is the most common delay in the region, and both have their own queues. For destinations outside the Hague Convention, neither is the end of the process: the document then goes to that country's embassy for legalisation.
The USCIS field office serving DC residents is in Fairfax, Virginia. The Arlington Immigration Court hears removal proceedings.
Courts and clerks in this area
- Superior Court of the District of Columbia
- US District Court for the District of Columbia
Institutions that commonly request certified translations
- Georgetown University
- George Washington University
- American University
- Howard University
FBI background checks for overseas use
An FBI identity history summary used abroad — for a work visa, a residence permit, an overseas adoption — needs authentication by the Department of State Office of Authentications, and then translation into the destination language.
These documents are frequently required to be recent, sometimes within three or six months, so the sequence and timing matter. Order the check, authenticate it, then translate the complete authenticated document.
Délai
24 hours standard, 1-3 hours available
Price
$49 first page, then $0.12/word. Details
Langues
100+ languages. See all
Questions fréquemment posées
Who apostilles an FBI background check?
The US Department of State Office of Authentications. It is a federal document and no state office, including the DC Office of the Secretary, can authenticate it.
Who apostilles a DC birth certificate?
The DC Office of the Secretary, Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications.
Which USCIS office serves DC residents?
The Washington DC field office, physically located in Fairfax County, Virginia.
What if my destination country is not in the Hague Convention?
The document needs consular legalisation at that country's embassy after authentication, rather than an apostille.
Document translation for Washington
Documents we translate most often
Language pages
Other services for Washington
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