Certified Translation Services in Virginia
Certified translations for USCIS, Virginia Vital Records, the Board of Medicine and Virginia courts, 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 families across Virginia, from Fairfax and Arlington to Richmond, Norfolk and Roanoke. Everything happens online. After you upload a scan or photo, a professional translator prepares it and emails the signed PDF. There is no Virginia office to visit.
- Virginia translation services from us include legal document translation services in Virginia for court and DMV papers
- Parents who finalized an adoption abroad need a certified translation of a foreign-language adoption order to get a Virginia birth certificate for the child
- The Virginia Board of Medicine takes translations made and endorsed by a consul or a professional translating service
- Virginia DMV says a visitor's foreign license should be accompanied by a translation of the license
Where Virginians Need a Certified Translation
These Virginia offices and federal agencies ask for English translations of foreign-language documents. Each one words its rule differently, so read the third column closely.
| Who asks | Document | What they ask for |
|---|---|---|
| VDH Office of Vital Records | Foreign final order of adoption, for a Certificate of Foreign Birth | A certified translation, or a notarized copy of a certified translation (Va. Code 63.2-1200.1) |
| Virginia Board of Medicine | Diplomas and records from a medical school that is not approved | A translation made and endorsed by a consul or a professional translating service |
| Virginia DMV, visitors | Home-country driver's license | The license should be accompanied by a translation |
| Virginia DMV, vehicle titling | Foreign documents used to title a vehicle | An English translation from an embassy or an accredited school of foreign language |
| Virginia tribunals, interstate child support | Any record filed that is not in English | An English translation with the record (Va. Code 20-88.95) |
| USCIS | Birth, marriage, divorce and other civil records | A full English translation with the translator's certification of competence and accuracy |
Sources: Code of Virginia, Board of Medicine regulations, the Virginia Driver's Manual and the DMV titling documents list. These rules can change; ask the office what it currently requires.
Adopted Abroad: Getting a Virginia Birth Certificate
When parents who were Virginia residents adopt a child born in another country, the VDH Office of Vital Records can issue a Certificate of Foreign Birth. Vital Records says it issues this certificate "with the proper documentation", and it asks parents to include the adoption records with the birth record application.
Section 63.2-1200.1 of the Code of Virginia covers adoptions finalized abroad. If the foreign final order of adoption is not in English, the parents submit a certified translation of it, or a notarized copy of a certified translation.
We translate the full adoption order, including court stamps, seals and signatures, and sign a Certificate of Accuracy. If you want the notarized option, notarization is available on request; contact us before you order. Our legal translation page covers court orders and judgments, and birth certificate translation covers the foreign birth record.
Medical Licenses: The Board of Medicine Rule
The Virginia Board of Medicine has a clear translation rule for graduates of medical schools that are not approved by an accrediting agency the Board recognizes, which includes many schools outside the US. Under 18VAC85-20-120, the applicant files a translation of every required document that is not in English.
The rule says the translation must be "made and endorsed by a consul or by a professional translating service". We are a professional translating service. Each translation carries a signed and dated Certificate of Accuracy with the translator's name.
The usual documents are degree records and proof of internship or residency training. See diploma translation and transcript translation. If you are also going through ECFMG, our ECFMG translation page covers what ECFMG asks for. Each application is decided by the Board.
Nursing and Teaching Licenses Go Through an Evaluator
The Virginia Board of Nursing sends internationally educated applicants to a Board-approved credential evaluator, such as TruMerit (formerly CGFNS), International Education Evaluations, Josef Silny & Associates or SpanTran. Teacher licensure works the same way: a VDOE-approved credential evaluation agency must verify that a foreign degree is equivalent to a US accredited degree.
A translation alone does not complete either file. Check with your evaluator first about what it needs. If yours asks you for them, see transcript translation.
Driving in Virginia With a Foreign License
The Virginia Driver's Manual lets a visitor from another country drive on their home-country license. It adds that the license "should be accompanied by a translation of the license." Our driver's license translation covers both sides of the card.
The manual also explains what an international driver's license is. It is not a valid license and does not let you drive on its own; it is only a foreign translation of your existing license. Versions sold by private businesses are not valid at all.
New residents who drive must get a Virginia license within 60 days of moving. DMV has reciprocal exchange agreements with Canada, France, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan (knowledge test required) and Japan. Holders of licenses from other countries must pass the two-part knowledge exam, a road skills test and a vision screening.
Applicants under 18 cannot exchange a foreign license. The knowledge exam is offered in many languages, so translators may not be used for tests in those languages.
Titling a vehicle has a stricter rule. The DMV titling list says foreign documents are accepted only with an English translation from an embassy or an accredited school of foreign language. We are neither, so ask DMV what it will take before you order a translation for titling. See our foreign license comparison for how seven other states handle the same question.
Translations in Virginia Courts
Virginia has no state court certification for translators. The court system's language services guidelines say this directly, and the Office of the Executive Secretary uses its own qualified staff translators and a contract vendor for court translations.
Interpreters are a separate matter. Virginia Rule of Evidence 2:604 says a court interpreter must be qualified as competent and placed under oath or affirmation to make a true translation. That rule is about interpreters.
Some Virginia laws ask for written translations directly. In interstate child support cases, a record filed with a Virginia tribunal that is not in English must come with an English translation. Rule 1A:7 asks foreign legal consultant applicants for a duly authenticated English translation of any certificate or letter not in English.
For anything else, ask your attorney or the clerk what form the translation should take. See legal translation for court records and divorce decree translation for foreign decrees.
Languages Virginians Speak at Home
About 1.19 million Virginians, 13.5% of the state, were born outside the US. The Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows which languages they speak at home.
| Language | Virginians who speak it at home (age 5+) | Our translation page |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | About 685,000 | Spanish |
| Arabic | About 66,000 | Arabic |
| Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) | About 62,000 | Chinese |
| Korean | About 61,000 | Korean |
| Vietnamese | About 59,000 | Vietnamese |
| Tagalog (including Filipino) | About 49,000 | Tagalog |
| French, Haitian Creole and Cajun | About 47,000 | French, Haitian Creole |
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year estimates (tables DP02 and C16001). About 237,000 Virginians speak a language the Census groups as "other Indo-European", a group that includes Hindi, Urdu, Persian and Bengali. We translate Hindi, Urdu, Farsi and Bengali at the same price.
Ordering From Anywhere in Virginia
Where the translator lives makes no difference to a written translation. The Virginia rules on this page look at who made the translation, not at a local address.
So we serve all of Virginia online, from the Shenandoah Valley to Hampton Roads. Send a clear scan or phone photo, and your signed translation comes back as a PDF to print or upload. If an office wants paper, print the PDF and ask whether a printout is acceptable; we do not mail copies.
Upload
Send every page, including the reverse side, stamps and handwritten notes.
Translate
Your document is translated in full by a human translator for that language.
Check
Names, dates, seals and numbers are compared with the original before signing.
Receive
The signed PDF arrives within 24 hours for documents up to 3 pages.
Translation Services Near Virginia
Immigration courts, embassies and marriage offices for Northern Virginia and the capital region.
Certified Translation in Virginia 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 Virginia office 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
- What is a certificate of accuracy?: what the signed statement says and why it matters
- Notarized vs certified vs sworn translation: which one an office is asking for
- ECFMG translation requirements: for international medical graduates
Translation in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
Need a Certified Translation in Virginia?
For the DMV, the Board of Medicine or a birth certificate after an adoption abroad, upload the document. Up to 3 pages are signed and delivered within 24 hours.
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