Apostille translation: what to translate, and in what order

Apostille or translation first? Why the apostille usually comes first

Apostille first is the safe default. The apostille goes on the U.S. document, and the translator then works from the apostilled document, so one translation covers both. Translate first only when the receiving office accepts a U.S. translation that carries an apostille of its own.

An apostille has 10 numbered fields and confirms the signature, capacity and seal of the official who signed your document. It does not check the contents or translate anything. Article 4 of the Hague Apostille Convention lets each country issue apostilles in its own official language, with only the title in French, so a U.S. apostille is in English, like the document under it. See what an apostille is.

Some offices say so outright. Spain's ministry for degree recognition says an official translation must include the legalizations, which for a U.S. document means the apostille.

Where Order 2 does not work

Germany's Federal Foreign Office says a translation is not a public document, so it cannot receive an apostille. Brazil's sworn translation is made in Brazil and needs none. Countries outside the Hague Convention, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, legalize documents at their embassies instead, and each embassy decides where a translation fits. See legalization for non-Hague countries.

Certified translation apostille: how a translation gets its own apostille

A translation gets an apostille through the translator's notarized signature. The translator signs a statement that the translation is complete and accurate before a notary, and the apostille office of the notary's state certifies that notary. It confirms who signed, not whether the translation is good.

State apostille offices describe the same steps:

• Oregon does not translate. You have the document translated, then the translation notarized, and the office apostilles it.
• Texas wants a notary to witness the translator sign, and the translated document submitted with the notarized translation.
• New Jersey issues two apostilles and charges two fees when a notarized translation is attached to a vital record, as its apostille office explains.
• New York and Maryland add a clerk's step: the county clerk in New York and the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Maryland certify the notary before the state apostille. See our New York and Maryland guides.

The apostille on the translation comes from the notary's state, which may not be the state that issued the original. And when the two are filed together, the translation cannot cover an apostille that does not exist yet. If the office wants that, apostille the original first and file the translation after it. Our apostille vs notary guide explains what each step certifies.

Certified, notarized and sworn translations: what each one means

A certified translation carries the translator's signed statement that it is complete and accurate. A notarized translation adds a notary's certificate on that signature, which lets a U.S. state apostille it. A sworn translation comes from a translator the destination country has appointed or sworn in, and some offices accept nothing else.

Translating into Spanish

The rules split by country. In Spain, official translations come from a traductor jurado, though the consulate in Boston takes a certified translator for the FBI check. Mexico's INM wants a perito traductor. Other Spanish-speaking countries set their own rules, so ask first, or read our guía de apostilla y envío a Latinoamérica.

What to translate: the whole document, apostille included

Translate everything the office will read: every page and both sides, the stamps, seals, signatures and handwritten notes, and the apostille when the office wants it covered. USCIS asks for a full English translation, and the Italian consulate in Boston for a complete, faithful one.

• The apostille, when the office wants it, plus anything attached with it, such as a New York county clerk's certificate.
• Names exactly as written. A translation should not fix a spelling, add a second surname or copy the spelling in your passport. If the record and the passport disagree, correct the record or add the document that links them, such as a marriage certificate.
• Dates and grades as the office expects. The Italian consulate in Boston wants dates in day, month, year order in a translation you make yourself, and grades kept exactly as they appear on diplomas and transcripts.
• The original stays attached. Brazil's law says a sworn translation does not replace the original, and Texas files the two together.

How to get a document translated and apostilled, step by step

Start with the office abroad, not the translator. Ask which language it wants, who may translate, whether the apostille is translated too and whether the translation needs its own apostille. Then get the certified copy, the apostille and the translation, in the order those answers point to.

1. Get the right version. A certified copy from vital records for a birth certificate or marriage certificate, never a photocopy. See certified vs notarized copies.
2. Add the clerk's step for a notarized document in New York or Maryland.
3. Get the apostille from the issuing state's Secretary of State, or from the U.S. Department of State for a federal record such as an FBI background check.
4. Translate in the order the office uses, then keep the set together and ship it tracked.

Order 1 in practice: the U.S. Embassy in Mexico says U.S. documents for a wedding there need the issuing state's apostille and a Spanish translation by a Mexican official translator. So a Florida birth certificate gets the Florida apostille (a $10 state fee in mid-2026, included in our price), then a translation by a Mexican official translator that covers both. See our Mexico guide.

Order 2 in practice: to register a child's U.S. birth, the Italian consulate in Boston wants the long-form certificate with its apostille, and the apostille needs no translation. You may translate the certificate yourself, but a translator's translation must be notarized and apostilled. See our Italy guide.

USCIS certified translations: documents coming into the U.S.

USCIS asks for a certified translation, not an apostille. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), any document in a foreign language filed with USCIS needs a full English translation that the translator certifies as complete and accurate, plus the translator's certification that they are competent to translate from that language into English.

USCIS repeats the rule in its tips for filing forms, and neither text mentions a notary or an apostille. A foreign record that does need an apostille gets it in its own country, such as a Prefettura in Italy. We prepare certified English translations for USCIS filings through our certified translation service.

What it costs, and how long it takes

The apostille and the translation are priced separately. Our apostille is $149.95 on Economy or $199.95 on Express per document, government fee included, and certified translation is quoted in your free document review. A sworn translation made abroad is paid to that translator.

Economy takes 1 to 3 weeks and Express 1 to 5 business days in most states, an FBI report apostille takes 2 to 6 weeks, and Massachusetts and New Hampshire documents can go same-day for $385.95. In Order 1 the translation starts once the apostille is back, so add the translator's time and any shipping abroad. In Order 2 the notarized translation is a second document with its own apostille and fee, as New Jersey spells out for vital records. Sending several documents? Ask us about a volume discount, and see how long an apostille takes.

Apostille translation mistakes that get documents rejected

Most problems come down to order, scope or the translator: translating before the apostille when the office wanted it covered, a partial translation, names that differ from the passport, or a U.S. translation where the country wants its own sworn translator. One question to the office up front avoids each of them.

1. Translating before the apostille when the office wants it translated, so you pay twice.
2. A partial translation that skips a back page, a stamp, a note or the apostille.
3. Names that differ from the passport because the translator changed a spelling or dropped a middle name. Fix the record, not the translation.
4. The wrong translator: a U.S. certified translation where Brazil, a French mairie, Mexico's INM or a German Standesamt wants a sworn one.
5. Extras nobody asked for: an apostille on a translation for Germany, or a translation for an office that takes English.
6. Separated pages. Removing staples or detaching an apostille can get a document refused.

Ready? Start your order or send us a photo for a free review, and see all our apostille services.