Certified Translation Services in Illinois
Certified translations for the Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois courts, IDPH, IDFPR 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 across Illinois, from Chicago and its suburbs to Rockford, Peoria and Springfield. Everything happens online. Photograph or scan your document, upload it, and a professional translator returns a signed PDF. We have no Illinois office, so there is no counter to visit.
- Illinois translation services from us are online for every county, from Cook to Sangamon
- Secretary of State rules ask for a full English translation of any foreign-language document, certified by the translator, with a signed and dated competence statement
- Illinois court guidance says filings must be in English, and a document in another language needs a certified translation attached
- Polish is the most common home language in Illinois after English and Spanish
Where Illinois Residents Need a Certified Translation
Illinois offices do not share one translation standard. This table shows who asks for a translation and what each office says it wants.
| Who asks | Document | What they ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois Secretary of State (driver's licenses and IDs) | Any document submitted in a language other than English | Full English translation certified complete and accurate by the translator, plus a dated, signed statement of competence |
| Illinois courts | Any filing not in English | A certified translation attached to the filing; court guidance says a friend or relative cannot translate it |
| Illinois Department of Public Health | Foreign birth record and adoption decree for a Record of Foreign Birth | Certified copies, each with a certified English translation |
| IDFPR, registered nurse applicants | Every foreign-language document in the application | An original, notarized translation by someone other than the applicant |
| Illinois Supreme Court, foreign legal consultants | Good-standing certificate, letters and other non-English documents | A “duly authenticated” English translation (Rules 712 and 713) |
| USCIS | Birth, marriage, divorce and other civil records | Full English translation with the translator's certification of competence and accuracy |
Sources: the Secretary of State rule (92 Ill. Adm. Code 1030, Appendix B), Illinois Courts guidance, IDPH, IDFPR and the Illinois Supreme Court Rules. Requirements change, so confirm with the office before you submit.
Translations for the Illinois Secretary of State
The Secretary of State runs driver's licenses and state IDs in Illinois. Its rule on identification documents (92 Ill. Adm. Code 1030, Appendix B) covers foreign-language papers. Any document submitted in a language other than English must come with a full English translation, certified by the translator as complete and accurate.
The same rule asks the translator for a dated, written and signed statement of their competence to translate that language into English. No notary is mentioned. Our certificate carries both statements, signed and dated, so one page covers the two requirements.
The appendix also says photocopies are not accepted. Bring the original foreign document, and ask the facility whether a printed copy of the PDF translation is acceptable. A foreign passport or foreign birth certificate counts only when you pair it with another document from the list. See our driver's license translation and birth certificate translation pages.
Illinois changed its licenses for non-citizens in 2024. Until July 1, 2024, residents without lawful status could get a Temporary Visitor Driver's License, which had a purple marker and the words “Not Valid for Identification”. House Bill 3882 replaced it with a standard license marked “Federal Limits Apply”.
Applicants must have lived in Illinois for more than a year and have no Social Security number. They show US immigration documents, a passport or a consular card. Driver licensing rules in other states are compared on our translation services by state page.
Filing Translated Documents in Illinois Courts
Guidance published by the Illinois courts says every court filing must be in English. It ties this to the State Designations Act (5 ILCS 460/20), which makes English the official language of Illinois. A litigant who files a document in another language must attach a certified translation of it.
The same guidance says friends or family members cannot do the translation; only a certified translation will be accepted. The person filing pays for it. The one exception is an incarcerated litigant, whose translation the court pays for. This comes from an advisory column on the courts' website, so treat it as official guidance rather than a numbered rule.
The Illinois Rules of Evidence have no rule on written translations of documents. Rule 604 deals only with interpreters, who take an oath to make a true translation. Interpreters handle spoken words in the courtroom; a written exhibit still needs its own translation.
The Illinois Supreme Court publishes translated versions of its statewide standardized forms, and Rule 10-101 tells courts to promote them. Court guidance says these are reference copies. You still file the English form.
Foreign lawyers applying as foreign legal consultants have their own rule. Rules 712 and 713 ask for a “duly authenticated” English translation of each non-English document. Ask the Supreme Court's admissions office which authentication it expects before you order. Notarization is available on request; contact us if you need it. See our legal translation page for judgments, contracts and court records.
Foreign Adoptions and the Record of Foreign Birth
Families who adopt a child born abroad can ask IDPH for an Illinois Record of Foreign Birth. For a child adopted abroad, IDPH asks for a certified copy of the foreign birth record and of the foreign adoption decree.
It also asks for other items, such as a passport copy with the IR-3 or IH-3 visa. Each of the two records needs a certified English translation.
For a child re-adopted in Illinois, IDPH takes the certified original birth certificate as proof of the date and place of birth. It must come with a certified extract or translation. We translate the full record, including seals, stamps and marginal notes, so you can check every name and date against the decree. See birth certificate translation.
Teachers and Nurses: The Evaluation Comes First
For an Illinois Professional Educator License, ISBE wants out-of-country transcripts evaluated by an ISBE-approved foreign credential evaluation service and sent by that service straight to ISBE. Its checklist does not mention translations separately.
Internationally educated nurses applying to IDFPR need a credentials evaluation from an approved service such as CGFNS or ERES. IDFPR also asks for an original, notarized translation of every foreign-language document, made by someone other than the applicant.
We deliver translations as PDFs, so contact us before you order and we will confirm what we can provide for IDFPR. Ask your evaluator first what it needs. See transcript translation and diploma translation.
Languages Spoken in Illinois Homes
About 1.96 million Illinois residents, 15.4% of the state, were born outside the US. These are the most common home languages after English, from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
| Language | Illinois residents who speak it at home (age 5+) | Our translation page |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | About 1.70 million (14.1%) | Spanish |
| Polish | About 158,000 | Polish |
| Chinese (including Mandarin and Cantonese) | About 117,000 | Chinese |
| Tagalog (including Filipino) | About 84,000 | Tagalog |
| Arabic | About 78,000 | Arabic |
| Ukrainian or other Slavic languages | About 66,000 | Ukrainian |
| Urdu | About 57,000 | Urdu |
| Hindi | About 52,000 | Hindi |
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year estimates (tables B05002 and B16001). “Ukrainian or other Slavic languages” is one Census group. Estimates below the top five have overlapping margins of error, so their order is approximate.
Ordering Online From Illinois
You do not need a translator based in Illinois. None of the Illinois rules above requires the translator to live in the state.
So we serve the whole state online, from Cook County to the smallest downstate town. Send a clear scan or phone photo, and your signed translation arrives as a PDF. We do not mail hard copies, so print the PDF when an office asks for paper.
Upload
Send every page, including the reverse side and any stamps or handwritten notes.
Translate
A professional human translator who works in your language translates the full document.
Review
We compare names, dates and numbers with the original before the certificate is signed.
Download
The signed PDF arrives within 24 hours for documents up to 3 pages.
Translation Services in Illinois Cities
Immigration offices, consulates and Cook County records for the Chicago area.
Certified Translation in Illinois Pricing
One flat rate covers your document in full. The total is shown before you pay.
- Signed Certificate of Accuracy with a competence statement
- Upload a 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 Illinois 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
- What is a certificate of accuracy?: what the translator's statement says
- Notarized vs certified vs sworn translations: which one an office is asking for
- How to translate a birth certificate to English: from upload to signed PDF
Translation in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
Need a Certified Translation in Illinois?
For the Secretary of State, IDPH or an Illinois court, upload your document. Documents of up to 3 pages are returned, translated and signed, within 24 hours.
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