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Certified Afghan Name Change Document Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record a change of name in Afghanistan, including the marginal annotations and registry endorsements that carry the legal effect and that a reader unfamiliar with the system will otherwise skip.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
100% USCIS acceptance
Every certified translation is guaranteed to be accepted by USCIS.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
The tazkira is the record
The tazkira is the Afghan identity document and the operative record of a person's name, issued by the population registration authority. A correction or change is made through that authority, and in contested cases through a court.
There is no civil registry birth entry with a margin. The evidence of a change is a tazkira issued under the new name together with the decision that authorised it, and frequently the old tazkira alongside.
The old tazkira is a booklet
Older tazkiras are handwritten paper booklets with a photograph, a registration volume and page, and a father's and grandfather's name — and they are frequently the only document an older Afghan holds. The electronic tazkira issued later is a card with a number.
Both are genuine, and a packet holding one of each for the same person is ordinary. We describe each document for what it is and transcribe the volume and page of the paper one.
Given name, father, grandfather
Afghan names are commonly a given name followed by the father's and grandfather's names, with no inherited surname. A US form demanding a last name takes the father's given name and calls it a family name, and a sibling's documents then appear to carry a different surname.
Some people additionally use a tribal or regional name — Ahmadzai, Panjshiri, Hazara. We reproduce the name as written and explain the pattern rather than manufacturing a surname.
Solar Hijri, and documents issued abroad
Afghan documents are dated in the Solar Hijri calendar, whose year begins at the spring equinox, so 1400 spans parts of 2021 and 2022. We convert each date individually and show both.
Afghan civil documents are also issued by consulates abroad and reconstructed from records where originals are unavailable, and we name the issuing office exactly. See our Persian (Dari) and Pashto pages.
Ordering, and what the certification covers
Upload the document, choose certified translation at $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and it comes back typically within 24 hours as a PDF formatted to mirror the original, with a signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead. Marginal annotations are translated in place, in the margin, so the reader can see that the change was recorded against the original entry rather than written into a fresh document. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Afghan birth record?
The tazkira is the operative record of the name. There is no civil registry entry with a margin.
My tazkira is a handwritten booklet.
Ordinary for older documents. We describe it as what it is and transcribe the volume and page.
Which part of the name is the surname?
Usually none of it. Afghan names commonly run given name, father, grandfather, with no inherited surname.
My document says 1400.
Solar Hijri, spanning parts of 2021 and 2022. We convert each date individually.
Ready to get started?
Upload the order, the resolution or the annotated certificate and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.