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Certified Puerto Rican Name Change Document Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record a change of name in Puerto Rico, 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.
This is a US jurisdiction — you may need nothing
Puerto Rico is a US territory. A change of name is obtained by petition in the Tribunal de Primera Instancia and recorded by the Registro Demográfico against the birth certificate, and there is no apostille, because an apostille is for documents crossing between countries.
A mainland office asking for "a certified translation of your foreign name-change documents" has usually misread where Puerto Rico is. It is worth saying so before you pay for anything, and we would rather you kept the money.
When a translation is genuinely needed
Puerto Rico operates in Spanish and English, and a court order or a Registro Demográfico certificate issued in Spanish does need translating for a reader who does not read it. Some mainland offices require a certified translation of any Spanish-language document regardless of origin.
Ask the office whether they will take the Spanish original first. Frequently they will, and Puerto Rican agencies can often issue an English version.
The 2010 birth certificate invalidation
Puerto Rico invalidated all birth certificates issued before 1 July 2010 and required replacement, in response to widespread identity fraud using Puerto Rican records. An older certificate is not merely stale; it has no legal effect.
So if your annotated birth certificate predates that date, you need a new one from the Registro Demográfico before anything else. This catches people constantly and it is the single most useful thing on this page.
Two surnames, and the notaries
Puerto Ricans carry paternal then maternal surnames in the Spanish pattern, and mainland systems index the last word — the mother's name. We keep both and make the order explicit.
Puerto Rican notaries are attorneys keeping a protocolo in the civil-law tradition, so an escritura is a substantive instrument rather than a witnessed signature. A mainland reader treating it as merely notarised underestimates it. See our Spanish 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, 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
Do I need an apostille?
No. Puerto Rico is a US jurisdiction and an apostille is for documents crossing between countries.
My birth certificate is from 2005.
It was invalidated. Puerto Rico voided all certificates issued before 1 July 2010 and you need a replacement.
Do I need a translation at all?
Only if your document is in Spanish and the office will not take it. Ask first — agencies can often issue an English version.
Is a Puerto Rican notary like a mainland one?
No. They are attorneys keeping a protocolo, and an escritura is a substantive instrument.
Ready to get started?
Upload the order, the resolution or the annotated certificate and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.