Certified vs. Notarized Translation: Which One Do You Need?

Two words appear over and over when you start looking for a translator, usually within the same sentence: certified and notarized. Plenty of translation companies use them loosely, which does not help.

They are not variations of the same service. They answer entirely different questions, and only one of them is about your translation.

Certified: a statement about the translation

A certified translation is a complete translation packaged with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy — a statement from the translator attesting that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate between the two languages.

The certification is the deliverable. It converts a document from "someone's English version" into evidence with a name attached and a person answerable for it.

This is exactly what 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires for USCIS, and it is what the majority of universities, courts and employers mean when they ask for an "official translation."

Notarized: a statement about the signature

A notarized translation is a certified translation where the translator signed the certification in front of a notary public, who then stamps and logs it.

Here is the part that is consistently misunderstood: the notary is not evaluating the translation. They do not read the source document. They usually do not speak the language. In most US states a notary is expressly prohibited from certifying that a translation is accurate.

A notary verifies one thing: that the person who signed is who they claim to be.

Certification is about the translation. Notarization is about the signature. A notarized translation is a certified translation with an identity check stapled to it.

Which one does USCIS want?

Certified. Not notarized.

The regulation asks for a complete English translation plus the translator's certification. Notarization is not mentioned and adds nothing that USCIS is looking for.

Paying for notarization on a USCIS filing is not harmful, but you are paying for a step that no officer requires.

So who actually asks for notarization?

Notarization requests are real, just narrower than the marketing suggests. They tend to come from:

• Certain courts, particularly in family and probate matters
• Some state agencies, including a number of DMVs for foreign driver's licenses
• A few universities, usually for diplomas and transcripts
• Institutions abroad, where notarization is a stronger local convention than in the US

The pattern: notarization is a US institutional preference, not a federal immigration requirement.

A third term you may run into

If you are sending documents to another country, you may be asked for an apostille — a certificate under the Hague Convention confirming that a public document is genuine, so it can be used abroad without further legalization.

An apostille certifies the underlying public document, not the translation. It is issued by a government authority, not by a translator or a notary. It rarely appears in US-bound filings, and it is not something USCIS asks for.

How to decide in one step

Ask the institution receiving the document, and ask in writing. The question that gets a usable answer is:

Do you require a certified translation, or a notarized translation?

Then:

1. USCIS — certified. Every time.
2. They said certified, or they said "official" — certified.
3. They said notarized — certified, plus notarization.
4. They could not tell you — certified. It is the requirement in the overwhelming majority of cases, and notarization can be added afterward.

The practical takeaway

If you are filing with USCIS, order a certified translation and stop there. At $24.95 per page, every eVerbary certified translation includes the signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy that the regulation requires, and notarization is available at checkout for the cases that genuinely call for it.

For the full USCIS requirements by document type, see our USCIS certified translation guide.

Frequently asked questions

Does USCIS require notarized translations?

No. USCIS requires a certified translation: a complete English translation accompanied by the translator’s signed certification of accuracy and competence. Notarization is not part of the requirement.

Can a notary translate my document?

A notary public has no translation authority. Their role is to verify the identity of the person signing a document. In most US states a notary is expressly barred from certifying that a translation is accurate.

Who typically asks for a notarized translation?

Requests usually come from certain courts, some state agencies such as DMVs, a few universities, and institutions abroad. When in doubt, ask the receiving institution in writing which one they need.

Is a notarized translation better than a certified one?

Neither is stronger. They answer different questions. Notarization adds a verified signature on top of a certification; it does not make the translation itself more accurate or more acceptable to USCIS.