I-485 Certified Translation Checklist: What Needs to Be Translated for Adjustment of Status

Every foreign-language document included in an I-485 adjustment of status packet requires a certified English translation under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). This page covers which documents need translation, what the translation must include, how much it costs, and what leads to an RFE.

Documents That Require Certified Translation for I-485

Check the box for each foreign-language document you plan to include in your I-485 packet. Each one needs a certified translation.

Primary Identity Documents

• Birth certificate — Required. Translate the full document including stamps, registration numbers, and any annotations.
• National ID card or passport biographical page — Required if names, dates, or other identifying information differ from other documents.

Marital Status Documents

• Marriage certificate — Required if applying as a spouse or if married. Translate the full document including witness names, officiant, and all stamps.
• Divorce decree — Required if previously married and divorced. Required for each prior marriage, including prior marriages of your petitioning spouse.
• Death certificate of prior spouse — Required if a prior marriage ended by death.

Police and Criminal History

• Police clearance certificates — Required from every country where you lived for 6 months or more after age 16, other than the United States. This is one of the most commonly missed translation requirements.
• Court records — Required if you have any arrests, charges, or convictions in any country. Translate the full record including disposition and any sealed orders.

Military Records

• Military service records or discharge papers — Required if you served in the military of any country.

Other Supporting Documents

• Academic records — Required if education is used as evidence for preference category or public charge purposes.
• Financial records — Bank statements and tax documents submitted as I-864 evidence do not typically need translation if they are machine-printed with standard international formats, but handwritten or non-standard entries should be translated.
• Adoption records — Required for orphan petition conversions.

What the Certified Translation Must Include

Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), every certified translation submitted to USCIS must include:

1. A complete English translation of the entire document — every word, stamp, annotation, and registration number
2. A signed certification statement from the translator certifying competence in both languages and that the translation is complete and accurate
3. The translator’s printed name and date

A common RFE trigger is translating only the main text while leaving stamps, handwritten annotations, or header text untranslated. See the exact wording required for a USCIS-compliant certification statement.

I-485 Translation Cost Estimate

Corpus Localization charges $19.99 per page for certified I-485 document translation. Standard 24-hour delivery is included.

For a standard I-485 packet with birth certificate + marriage certificate + one police clearance: $59.97 total for all three documents with 24-hour delivery.

Common RFE Causes for Translation Issues on I-485

Based on patterns in immigration attorney RFE consultations, the most common translation-related I-485 RFE causes are:

1. Missing police clearance translation

Many applicants know to translate their birth certificate but forget that police clearances from every country where they lived 6+ months also need certified translation. The requirement applies to the country of origin and any other countries — not just the home country.

2. Incomplete certification statement

A certification that says only “I certify this is an accurate translation” is not compliant. It must include both elements of 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3): (a) the translator’s competence in both languages and (b) the accuracy and completeness of the translation. See: exact certification wording USCIS requires.

3. Untranslated stamps and annotations

Every element of the document must be translated — including government stamps, registration office headers, marginal notations, and handwritten entries. AI translation tools and some translation services skip stamps. USCIS reviews stamps.

4. Document format changes between home country Civil Registry versions

Mexico updated its acta de nacimiento format in 2012. Some countries issue revised or “Extract” versions that look different from the original. All versions must be translated in full.

Get Your I-485 Documents Translated

Upload your I-485 documents at get a quote for a packet review and quote, or start your order directly if your documents are clear, single-sided, and you know the page count. Multi-document packets and attorney bundles: use the quote path.

If education is used as evidence for your preference category, academic records also need certified translation — see the academic translation services page for WES and USCIS-accepted diploma and transcript translation.

See also: USCIS translation certification wording requirements  ·  Why USCIS rejects AI-generated translations  ·  Certified translation cost per page for USCIS  ·  Certified translation for immigration attorneys  ·  RushTranslate review  ·  Day Translations review

Medical exam results and vaccination records (Form I-693 supporting docs) may also need certified translation — see certified medical translation services.