Police Certificate Translation

<p>A police certificate is usually one page, and often its entire substance is a single sentence saying that no record exists. That sentence, the period it covers and the authority that issued it are the whole document - which is why they have to be translated exactly.</p>

Foreign police certificates coming into the United States

Immigrant visa applicants processed through the National Visa Center, and some USCIS applicants, have to provide police certificates from countries where they have lived. The State Department publishes a reciprocity schedule setting out, country by country, which certificate is issued and how to obtain it. A certificate that is not in English needs a certified translation.

What has to come through: the issuing authority, the full name and identifying details of the person checked, the period and territory the search covered, the result - including a "no record" statement - and any validity period printed on the certificate.

US background checks going abroad

A visa, residence permit or work permit abroad usually requires a US criminal record check. Most countries want the FBI Identity History Summary, issued by the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division. Because it is a federal document, it is apostilled by the US Department of State's Office of Authentications - no state office can do it.

Some countries also ask for a state-level check. That comes from the state's criminal records repository and is apostilled by the state's own authority. The state pages below name both offices.

After authentication, the certificate - apostille included - is translated into the destination language.

Timing matters more than for most documents

Many countries only accept a police certificate issued recently, commonly within three or six months. The FBI check, the apostille and the translation each take time, so work backwards from your appointment and start with the check itself.