CHINA · CERTIFIED TRANSLATION
Certified Translation of China Documents for USCIS
Translating Chinese civil records for USCIS is unlike almost any other country because mainland China rarely issues the plain "certificate" Americans expect — instead, a local Notary Public Office (公证处) produces a bound notarial certificate (公证书) that restates the facts from the household-registration (户口) system, often with a photo and sometimes its own English rendering. That built-in English is frequently incomplete, inconsistent, or missing entirely, so USCIS still requires a separate certified English translation carrying a signed Certificate of Accuracy under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). Chinese names run surname-first and are romanized in pinyin, so the translator must preserve the exact legal name order and flag it clearly for adjudicators matching it to a passport and I-130. Documents from autonomous regions may be bilingual (Chinese alongside Tibetan, Uyghur, or Mongolian script), and older records can be handwritten in dense simplified — or even traditional — characters, all of which our native-Chinese specialists handle.
Updated July 11, 2026 · Reviewed by Victor Luján, Founder — certified translations since 2018
DOCUMENTS FROM CHINA
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Chinese Birth Certificate →
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Chinese Divorce Decree →
Chinese Death Certificate →
Chinese Diploma →
Chinese Academic Transcript →
Chinese Police Record →
Chinese Single Status Certificate →
GOOD TO KNOW
Issuing Authority & Authentication
Civil records in China are issued by the local Civil Affairs Bureau (民政局) for marriage/divorce registration and local public-security/civil authorities for other civil records — with notarial copies (公证书) for use abroad issued by Notary Public Offices (公证处) · official language(s): Standard Chinese (Mandarin / Putonghua). China joined the Hague Apostille Convention effective 7 November 2023, so Chinese public documents are now authenticated with a single apostille from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or an authorized provincial Foreign Affairs Office (FAO), replacing the old consular legalization. For a USCIS petition an apostille is generally not required — USCIS wants a certified English translation of the (usually notarized) Chinese document — but the apostille is commonly needed later for immigrant-visa/consular processing at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing or the Consulate in Guangzhou.
Every document above is translated by a native specialist, reviewed by a second linguist, and delivered with a signed Certificate of Accuracy that USCIS accepts under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) — or we fix it free and cover your resubmission fee.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an apostille on my Chinese documents for USCIS?
For a USCIS petition filed inside the U.S., no — USCIS requires a certified English translation, not an apostille. The apostille, which China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and authorized provincial Foreign Affairs Offices have issued since 7 November 2023, is usually needed later for immigrant-visa or consular processing. If your document already carries an apostille, we translate that page too.
My Chinese notarial certificate already has an English version — do I still need a translation?
Often yes. The English inside a notarial booklet (公证书) is frequently incomplete, inconsistent, or missing entirely, and it may not cover every Chinese page and seal. USCIS wants a complete certified translation with a signed Certificate of Accuracy under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), which is exactly what we provide.
How should my Chinese name appear in the translation?
We preserve the legal surname-first order and pinyin romanization exactly as registered, and we note the name order so USCIS can match it to your passport and I-130. If you also use an English given name, we can annotate it without altering the official name.
Do Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan documents work the same way as mainland China?
No — those are separate jurisdictions. Taiwan is not a Hague member and its documents are authenticated through TECRO rather than a Chinese apostille, while Hong Kong and Macau issue their own apostilles. We translate certified documents from all of them; just tell us where the document was issued.
I only have the hospital birth medical certificate (出生医学证明), not a notarial one — is that a problem?
We can translate it, but USCIS and especially consular processing usually expect the notarial birth certificate (出生公证书) from a Notary Public Office, so check your specific filing's requirements. We are happy to translate whichever version you have and can advise once we see it.