Spanish→English Certified Translation for USCIS, from Peru
Have Peruvian documents you need translated into English for USCIS? Here's what a USCIS-acceptable certified translation looks like and how we handle it.
Most of our work is foreign documents into Spanish for Peru. But there's a frequent reverse case: people with Peruvian documents — a birth certificate, marriage certificate, police record — who need them in English for a U.S. immigration filing (USCIS). This post covers that direction.
What USCIS expects from a translation
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services requires that any document in a foreign language be accompanied by a full English translation that the translator certifies as complete and accurate, along with a statement of the translator's competence to translate. This is a different framework from Peru's CTP system — it's about a complete, certified English rendering with a translator's certification of accuracy and competence.
Confirm the exact current USCIS translation-certification wording with official USCIS guidance for your specific form, since instructions are periodically updated and your filing's instructions govern.
Why people need this direction
The reverse direction comes up more than you might think among people connected to Peru. A U.S. citizen or resident who married in Peru and is now filing a spousal petition needs the Peruvian acta de matrimonio in English. Someone petitioning for a Peruvian relative needs Peruvian birth certificates in English to prove the qualifying relationship. An applicant with time spent in Peru may need a Peruvian certificado de antecedentes translated for a U.S. process. In each case the underlying document is perfectly valid — it just has to be presented to USCIS in English with a translation USCIS will accept.
The mistake we see is people assuming a Peru-style CTP certification is what USCIS wants, or conversely that a casual English translation is "good enough." Neither is quite right. USCIS has its own expectation — a complete English translation accompanied by the translator's certification that it is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate. It is a different framework from Peru's CTP cover-sheet system, and the translation should be produced and certified with the U.S. filing in mind. Tell us the target is USCIS up front so we apply the right certification format from the start rather than reformatting later.
How this differs from a Peru-bound translation
- Direction: Spanish (Peru source) → English (for the U.S.).
- Certifying framework: USCIS's certification-of-accuracy-and-competence standard, rather than Peru's CTP cover-sheet/colegiatura package. We produce the translation with a certification appropriate to the U.S. filing.
- Apostille: whether your Peruvian document needs an apostille for the U.S. process depends on USCIS/your filing. If a Peruvian public document needs an apostille, that apostille is issued by Peru's MRE (which apostilles Peruvian public documents). We provide the translation, not the apostille.
Documents we commonly handle this direction
- Peruvian birth certificates (partida/acta de nacimiento)
- Peruvian marriage certificates (partida/acta de matrimonio)
- Peruvian criminal-record certificates (certificado de antecedentes)
- Peruvian divorce or court documents
The sequence
- Obtain the Peruvian document in proper official form.
- If your U.S. filing requires it, have the Peruvian public document apostilled by Peru's MRE.
- Get a certified Spanish→English translation suitable for USCIS.
- File with USCIS per your form's instructions.
Always verify with USCIS (or your immigration attorney) exactly what your specific petition requires — document list, translation certification wording, and whether an apostille is needed. We don't publish USCIS fees or processing times; those are set by USCIS and change.
What you receive
A complete English translation of your Peruvian document with a translator's certification of accuracy and competence, formatted for a U.S. filing. Notarization is included in our service where useful.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a "sworn" or "official" translator for USCIS? USCIS's requirement is about a complete, accurate English translation with the translator's certification of accuracy and competence — not a Peru-style sworn/TPJ designation. Confirm the exact wording with current USCIS guidance for your form; your filing's instructions govern.
Does my Peruvian document need an apostille for USCIS? That depends on USCIS and your specific filing. If a Peruvian public document does need an apostille, that apostille is issued by Peru's MRE (which apostilles Peruvian public documents). We provide the translation, not the apostille.
Can you translate the apostille too? Yes. If your Peruvian document is apostilled by the MRE, we translate the document together with the apostille so the English package is complete.
Which Peruvian documents do you handle this way? Commonly partidas/actas of birth and marriage, certificados de antecedentes, and divorce or court documents. If you are unsure how a multi-page document is priced, ask before ordering.
Do you give immigration advice? No. We produce the certified translation; what your petition requires (document list, certification wording, apostille) should be confirmed with USCIS or your immigration attorney.
Get it translated
Order at /order — $150 per document, $130 each for three or more. Tell us in the order notes that the target is English for USCIS so we apply the right certification format.
Related reading: Birth certificate translation for Peru and Getting U.S. documents ready for Peru.
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