Certified Translation Services in Massachusetts
Certified translations for the Massachusetts RMV, Probate and Family Court, the Board of Registration in Medicine 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 employers in every part of Massachusetts, from Boston and Worcester to Lowell, Springfield and the Cape. Everything happens online. A phone photo or scan is all we need; the translator's signed PDF arrives by email. You never need to visit an office.
- The RMV asks for a certified translation of any non-English document filed with a license or permit application, and it lists who may certify one
- Probate and Family Court name changes need a professional translation of a foreign-language birth certificate, with the translator's notarized statement
- USCIS asks Massachusetts applicants, like everyone else, for a full translation with the translator's signed certification
Where Massachusetts Residents Need a Certified Translation
These state and federal offices ask most often for English translations of foreign documents. The right-hand column gives each office's requirement.
| Who asks | Document | What they ask for |
|---|---|---|
| RMV, license and permit applications | Any document not in English | A certified translation on the certifying entity's letterhead, in the RMV's Translation Certification Format |
| RMV, visiting drivers | Foreign license not in English | An International Driving Permit or an English translation of the license |
| Probate and Family Court, name changes | Birth certificate containing a foreign language | Professional English translation, with the translator's notarized statement of accuracy and ability |
| Board of Registration in Medicine | Any foreign-language original or photocopy | Notarized English translation prepared by a United States translation service |
| Massachusetts courts | Foreign-language recording offered as evidence | An English translation must accompany it |
| USCIS | Birth, marriage, divorce and other civil records | Full English translation with the translator's certification of competence and accuracy |
Sources: the RMV translation certification flyer, Uniform Practice XXXV, 243 CMR 2.00 and the Massachusetts Guide to Evidence. Each office can update its rules, so check with it before filing.
Foreign Licenses and the Massachusetts RMV
A visitor may drive a private passenger vehicle on a foreign license for up to one year from their date of arrival in the US. This applies when the home country is covered by a recognized convention, or the Registrar has granted it driving privileges.
If the license is not in English, the RMV says the driver needs an International Driving Permit or an English translation of the license.
State law sets the same rule for nonresidents. Under G.L. c.90 s.10, the permit or translation is needed only when no English translation appears on the front or back of the license. It serves only to identify the driver.
Once you become a resident, you need a Massachusetts license, and the RMV says there is no grace period. Holders of licenses from the Republic of Korea, Germany, France and Taiwan can use a conversion arrangement. Canada, Mexico and US territories have a separate process. Everyone else takes the learner's permit exam and road test. An International Driving Permit cannot be converted.
Our driver's license translation covers both sides of the card, including stamps and categories. Our state-by-state license table shows how the RMV rules differ from those in seven other states.
Two RMV Translation Forms, Two Different Uses
The RMV publishes two pieces of translation paperwork, and they are not interchangeable. Form LIC114, "Translation into English of a Foreign License", is for drivers who have no International Driving Permit and whose license is not in English.
For a learner's permit or a standard license application, the RMV does not take LIC114. Its translation certification flyer asks for its "Translation Certification Format" instead. The flyer says the translation and the certification must both be printed on the letterhead of the certifying entity.
The flyer lists who may certify the translation:
- A language service provider
- A bilingual notary public
- A bilingual teacher at an accredited Massachusetts college, university or private language school
- The local consulate of the issuing country (not all consulates offer translations)
- The American Translators Association
- A US government agency or a Massachusetts municipal agency
- A non-profit or community organization
The certification must show the translator's printed name, signature, date, address, and phone or email. It also needs a statement of the translator's qualifications, a statement that the translation is complete and accurate, and the document and language it covers. Tell us your translation is for an RMV application so these items are included. The RMV makes the final decision.
Work and Family Mobility Act Applicants
The RMV's document checklist for standard Class D and M licenses says any document not in English must come with a certified translation. That covers foreign records you bring to prove who you are.
The state's guide to the Work and Family Mobility Act spells out the consequence. If you cannot supply a required translated document, you cannot apply for a standard license. Have every non-English document translated before your appointment. We translate passports and national ID cards and birth certificates in full.
Translations for Massachusetts Courts
Name changes in the Probate and Family Court have a specific rule. Under Uniform Practice XXXV, a birth certificate containing a foreign language must come with a professional English translation. The translator adds a notarized statement that the translation is accurate and self-certifies the ability to translate. We can arrange the notarization if you contact us before ordering.
For evidence, Guide to Evidence section 604 says a foreign-language recording may not be admitted without an English translation. If the parties disagree about a translation, each may offer its own through a qualified translator.
The Trial Court's Office of Language Access does not translate individual case materials or documents offered as evidence, so parties usually arrange their own. Abuse prevention (c.209A) and harassment (c.258E) cases differ. There, the clerk is directed to send an affidavit written in another language to that office for translation. See our legal translation page for judgments and court records.
Nursing and Teaching Licenses Need an Evaluation First
The Board of Registration in Nursing asks nurses educated abroad for a credential evaluation by an approved agency: TruMerit (CGFNS), Josef Silny & Associates or The Evaluation Company.
If that education was not in English, the nurse must also pass a Board-approved English proficiency exam. For educator licenses, DESE wants a detailed equivalency report or course-by-course evaluation from a NACES member or an agency on its list.
A translation alone does not meet either requirement. Ask your evaluator what it needs before you order; if it asks you for translations, see transcript translation and diploma translation.
Physicians: Notarized Translations for the Board of Medicine
The Board of Registration in Medicine has its own rule. 243 CMR 2.00 says any original or photocopy in a foreign language must come with a notarized English translation prepared by a United States translation service. The Board's 2016 full license kit adds that a medical school diploma not in English must be translated by a US translation company.
Pro Translation Service is a United States translation service, so our translations can be prepared for the Board. Notarization is available on request; contact us before you order so it can be arranged. We translate medical diplomas and transcripts, and our ECFMG translation page covers the federal certification step.
Massachusetts Home Languages
About 1.34 million people in Massachusetts, 18.7% of residents, were born outside the US. Among residents aged 5 and over, 25.8% speak a language other than English at home.
| Language | Residents who speak it at home (age 5+) | Our translation page |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | About 670,000 | Spanish |
| Portuguese | About 248,000 | Portuguese |
| Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) | About 154,000 | Chinese |
| Haitian | About 87,000 | Haitian Creole |
| French (including Cajun) | About 49,000 | French |
| Arabic | About 45,000 | Arabic |
| Vietnamese | About 44,000 | Vietnamese |
| Russian | About 40,000 | Russian |
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year estimates (tables DP02 and B16001). Estimates have margins of error. A Portuguese, Chinese or Russian license is not in English, so the RMV rules above apply to it.
Does Your Translator Need to Be in Massachusetts?
Apart from the Board of Registration in Medicine, which asks for a United States translation service, the Massachusetts rules above set out what a certification must contain, not where the translator must be based. The RMV, the courts and USCIS review the translation and the signed statement.
So we serve the whole state online and have no walk-in office. Upload a sharp scan or phone photo and you get the signed translation as a PDF to print or upload. If an office wants paper, print the PDF yourself; we do not mail hard copies.
Upload
Send every page, including the back of a card and any stamps or seals.
Translate
Your document goes to a human translator for that language pair, never to a machine.
Check
Every name, date and number is checked against your original before signing.
Receive
Your signed PDF arrives within 24 hours for documents up to 3 pages.
Translation Services in Massachusetts Cities
Immigration offices, consulates and local records for Greater Boston.
Certified Translation in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 an office is asking for
- Driver's license translation: do you need it notarized?: what DMVs and insurers usually ask for
Translation in Massachusetts: Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
Need a Certified Translation in Massachusetts?
Preparing an RMV, court or Board of Medicine file? Upload the document and receive the signed translation within 24 hours for up to 3 pages.
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