Certified Translation Services in California
Certified translations for the California DMV, California courts, state licensing boards and USCIS, prepared online by professional human translators. $22.99 per page, delivered within 24 hours for documents up to 3 pages.
We translate documents for people and businesses all over California, from Los Angeles and San Diego to Sacramento and the Bay Area. Everything happens online. Send a scan or a phone photo; a professional translator handles it and you receive the signed PDF by email. There is no California counter to visit.
- Certified translation services California residents order online cost $22.99 per page, the same in every county from San Diego to Sacramento
- The DMV asks AB 60 applicants for a certified translation or an affidavit of translation of a foreign license, marriage license or divorce decree not in English
- California Rules of Court rule 3.1110(g) asks for foreign-language exhibits in law-and-motion matters to come with an English translation certified under oath
- The Medical Board and the Board of Registered Nursing both want a signed translator declaration under penalty of perjury, and neither allows a relative to translate
Where Californians Need a Certified Translation
These California agencies, courts and boards ask for translated documents most often. The right column summarizes what each one says it wants.
| Who asks | Document | What they ask for |
|---|---|---|
| DMV, AB 60 applicants | Foreign driver's license not in English | Certified translation or affidavit of translation into English |
| DMV, AB 60 applicants | Marriage license or divorce decree not in English | Certified translation or affidavit of translation into English |
| California courts, law and motion | Exhibits in a foreign language | English translation certified under oath by a qualified interpreter (rule 3.1110(g)) |
| Medical Board of California | Non-English academic credentials | Original certified translation, translator's declaration under penalty of perjury, mailed to the Board by the translator |
| Board of Registered Nursing | Nursing school transcripts in a foreign language | Translation by a certified translator or translation service, sent with the original |
| USCIS | Birth, marriage, divorce and other civil records | Full English translation with the translator's certification of competence and accuracy |
Sources: the DMV AB 60 guide, California Rules of Court, the Medical Board of California and the Board of Registered Nursing. Requirements change, so confirm them with the office before you file.
Foreign Licenses and the California DMV
A visitor over 18 can drive in California on a valid license from their home country for as long as that license stays valid. Once you become a California resident, the DMV gives you 10 days to get a California license.
Holders of a license from another country follow the regular application process. To get an original California license, you also need to pass a driving test.
The DMV's AB 60 document guide sets out a specific translation rule for AB 60 license applicants. The guide says a foreign license in a language other than English must come with a certified translation or an affidavit of translation into English. The same applies to a marriage license or divorce decree used in the application.
Our driver's license translation covers both sides of the card, with the translator's signed certificate. Spanish licenses count too: the rule covers any language other than English. Check with the DMV which originals to bring; the DMV makes the final decision. Moving from or to another state? Our license comparison sets the California rules beside seven others.
Translated Exhibits in California Courts: Rule 3.1110(g)
California Rules of Court rule 3.1110 covers the format of papers in law-and-motion matters. Subdivision (g) says exhibits written in a foreign language must come with an English translation, certified under oath by a qualified interpreter.
The rule sits in a division that applies to civil law-and-motion proceedings and to discovery proceedings in family law and probate (rule 3.1100). It does not cover every filing in every California case. Some courts add their own procedures, so check the local rules for your court.
In short, the court wants three things together: the foreign-language exhibit, a full English translation, and a sworn statement from the translator.
Tell us the translation is for a California court, so we can prepare the translator's statement; your attorney decides whether our translator counts as a qualified interpreter and whether the statement meets rule 3.1110(g). If the statement must be sworn before a notary, notarization is available on request; contact us before you order.
Our legal translation page covers judgments, contracts, police records and other court documents.
Medical and Nursing Licenses in California
The Medical Board of California asks applicants with academic credentials in another language for original, official certified translations. Photocopies are not acceptable. Each translator signs a declaration under penalty of perjury that the translation is complete and accurate to the best of their ability and knowledge.
The Board does not take translations by anyone related to the applicant by blood, marriage or adoption, or translations without official letterhead. It recommends an ATA-accredited translator or a certified court interpreter. It will also consider a commercial translation agency with its own business letterhead and an official agency seal or notary seal.
The Board wants the translation mailed directly to it by the translator or the medical school. We deliver PDFs only and cannot mail translations to the Board at this time, so we cannot meet that requirement for Medical Board applications. Ask your medical school whether it can send a translation directly. For ECFMG documents, see ECFMG translation.
The Board of Registered Nursing asks for foreign-language nursing transcripts to be translated by a certified translator or translation service. The translator must be an independent professional who is not related to the applicant, and signs a declaration of fluency and accuracy under penalty of perjury.
The declaration is an original on the Board's own Certified English Translation form; contact us before you order so we can confirm we can supply it. The Board wants both the original transcript and the translation. See transcript translation.
Teaching Credentials Need an Evaluation, Not Just a Translation
The Commission on Teacher Credentialing says coursework and degrees completed outside the US must be evaluated by a Commission-approved foreign transcript evaluation organization. The Commission's transcript pages do not ask for a separate certified translation. Talk to the evaluation organization first. If it asks you for translations, see diploma translation and our guide to translations for credential evaluations.
Languages Californians Speak at Home
California has about 10.9 million foreign-born residents, 27.6% of the state. 45.3% of residents aged 5 and over speak a language other than English at home, and 17.9% speak English less than very well.
| Language | Californians who speak it at home (age 5+) | Our translation page |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | About 10.75 million | Spanish |
| Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) | About 1.33 million | Chinese |
| Tagalog and Filipino | About 821,000 | Tagalog |
| Vietnamese | About 560,000 | Vietnamese |
| Korean | About 351,000 | Korean |
| Persian (Farsi and Dari) | About 263,000 | Farsi, Dari |
| Hindi | About 253,000 | Hindi |
| Arabic | About 224,000 | Arabic |
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year estimates (tables DP02 and B16001). Every language on our languages list costs the same $22.99 per page.
Ordering From Anywhere in California
For most of the offices above, a written translation is judged on paper: they look at the translation and the translator's signed statement. None of the rules on this page asks for a translator who lives in California.
So we serve the whole state online, from the Oregon border to San Diego. Send us a sharp scan or phone photo and you get the signed translation back as a PDF.
Print it yourself if an office wants paper, because we do not mail printed copies. The Medical Board and the Board of Registered Nursing ask for original signed documents, so check with us before you order for those boards.
Send
Upload every page, including the back of cards, stamps and handwritten notes.
Translate
A professional human translator for your language translates the full document.
Review
A second look at names, dates and numbers against the original comes before the signature.
Download
The signed PDF arrives within 24 hours for documents up to 3 pages.
Translation Services in California Cities
Immigration offices, consulates and county clerks for the Bay Area, plus the rules in other states.
Certified Translation in California Pricing
One flat rate covers your document in full. The total is shown before you pay.
- Signed Certificate of Accuracy on every order
- Accepted formats: PDF, JPG or phone photo
- Same rate for every language
- 24 hour standard delivery for documents up to 3 pages
- Free revisions for 14 days after delivery, full refund if an authority rejects a certified translation
Optional add-ons
No hidden fees. Free revisions for 14 days after delivery. Compare all translation rates. Need it sooner? See rush translation.
100% Acceptance Guarantee
If the California office, court or federal agency your translation was prepared for rejects it because of the translation, send us the rejection notice and we will refund your order in full. Free revisions are included for 14 days after delivery; after that, a small revision fee applies.
Related Guides
- Who can legally certify a translation?: the rules for USCIS and other authorities
- Notarized vs certified vs sworn translation: which one a court or board asks for
- Driver's license translation: do you need it notarized?: what DMVs and insurers usually ask for
Translation in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
Need a Certified Translation in California?
From an AB 60 application to a court exhibit, upload the document and receive a signed PDF within 24 hours for up to 3 pages.
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