SYRIA · CERTIFIED TRANSLATION
Certified Translation of Syria Documents for USCIS
Translating Syrian civil documents for USCIS carries wrinkles you won't meet with most other countries. Nearly every record is issued in Arabic by the Directorate of Civil Affairs under the Ministry of Interior, and years of conflict mean many originals are handwritten, reissued, or drawn from registries that were relocated or damaged. Because Syria is not part of the Hague Apostille system, families often assume they need embassy legalization — but USCIS asks only for the original plus a full certified English translation, not an apostille. The details that actually trigger rejections are mismatched name transliterations, dropped civil-register numbers, and mixed Hijri/Gregorian dates, which is exactly what our native-Arabic specialists are trained to handle.
Updated July 11, 2026 · Reviewed by Victor Luján, Founder — certified translations since 2018
DOCUMENTS FROM SYRIA
Pick Your Document
Syrian Birth Certificate →
Syrian Marriage Certificate →
Syrian Divorce Decree →
Syrian Death Certificate →
Syrian Diploma →
Syrian Academic Transcript →
Syrian Police Record →
Syrian Single Status Certificate →
GOOD TO KNOW
Issuing Authority & Authentication
Civil records in Syria are issued by the Directorate of Civil Affairs (مديرية الأحوال المدنية, Mudīriyyat al-Aḥwāl al-Madaniyya), also called the Civil Registry (السجل المدني, al-Sijill al-Madanī), within the Ministry of Interior · official language(s): Arabic. Syria is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so its documents cannot be apostilled; the traditional route is consular legalization through the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in Damascus followed by the receiving country's embassy. For USCIS filings, however, neither an apostille nor legalization is required — only the original document plus a complete, certified English translation with a signed Certificate of Accuracy.
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
Does USCIS require an apostille on my Syrian documents?
No. Syria is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, and USCIS does not require an apostille or embassy legalization on foreign civil documents. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), USCIS needs the original (or a copy of the original) plus a complete English translation with a signed Certificate of Accuracy — which is exactly what every one of our translations includes.
My birth record is handwritten in Arabic and hard to read — can you still translate it?
Yes. Handwritten and older Syrian registry records are very common, and our native-Arabic translators are experienced with civil-registry script, official stamps, and standard abbreviations. Where a word or seal is genuinely illegible, we mark it "[illegible]" rather than guessing, which is precisely what USCIS expects.
My name is spelled differently on my passport than on my birth certificate. Which spelling do you use?
Arabic has no single fixed romanization, so we match the spelling to your passport and USCIS forms and can add a translator's note flagging the variant. Consistent name transliteration across all your documents is one of the most important safeguards against an RFE.
Can you handle marriage or divorce documents from a Sharia court?
Yes. Syrian marriages and divorces originate in religious courts — Sharia, church, or Jewish — before civil registration, and those documents use specific legal terminology such as mahr, wali, iddah, and talaq. Our specialists translate that terminology precisely so the meaning is clear to a USCIS officer.
How much does a Syrian certificate translation cost and how fast is it?
Our rate is $0.05 per word, so a typical Syrian birth or marriage certificate runs about $15–25 total, delivered in 24–48 hours. Every translation carries the signed Certificate of Accuracy USCIS requires and is backed by our USCIS Rejection Pledge — if a formatting issue causes a rejection, we fix it free and cover the resubmission fee. You can also request a free 250-word sample first.