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Certified Puerto Rican Legal Separation Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record a legal separation in Puerto Rico, including the registry annotations and 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.
This is US family law
Puerto Rico is a US jurisdiction and family matters are decided by the Tribunal de Primera Instancia under Puerto Rico law. A Puerto Rican divorce is a US divorce, recognised across the states under full faith and credit.
There is no apostille and no consular legalisation. An office treating a Puerto Rican decree as a foreign judgment has misunderstood where Puerto Rico is, and we would rather say so than charge for treating it as one.
Separation, and the 2020 Civil Code
Puerto Rico retained a civil-law structure and provided for separación alongside divorce, and the 2020 Civil Code substantially rewrote the family provisions, including the grounds for divorce and the treatment of the property regime.
So a decree from before and after 2020 rests on different law and cites different articles. We reproduce the code and article as cited.
The property regime, which is not a US default
Puerto Rico operates a community property regime — sociedad legal de gananciales — as the default, and its dissolution and liquidation are separate steps from ending the marriage.
A couple may be divorced with the community unliquidated. A mainland reader assuming one implies the other is assuming wrongly, and we name each instrument.
Spanish, and the two surnames
Court proceedings and decrees in Puerto Rico are frequently in Spanish, so a mainland reader who does not read it needs a translation — and that is the real case for ordering, rather than any foreignness.
Puerto Ricans carry paternal then maternal surnames and mainland systems index the last word. We keep both. See our Puerto Rican birth certificate page.
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, and every seal, stamp and registry endorsement is translated with the text. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Puerto Rican divorce a foreign divorce?
No. It is a US divorce recognised under full faith and credit. No apostille and no legalisation.
My decree cites an older code.
The 2020 Civil Code rewrote the family provisions. We reproduce the code and article as cited.
Are we divorced and the property divided?
Not necessarily. Liquidating the sociedad legal de gananciales is a separate step from ending the marriage.
Do I need a translation?
Only if the decree is in Spanish and the reader cannot read it. That is the real case for ordering.
Ready to get started?
Upload the document and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.