Home / Somali Passport Translation
Certified Somali Passport Translation
Certified translation of the documents that establish identity and nationality in Somalia, 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.
Passport recognition is the practical problem
Somalia issues passports through its immigration authority and has introduced redesigned books, but recognition varies by receiving country and some states have historically declined to accept earlier Somali passports for visa purposes.
So a Somali passport in a US file may be accompanied by a travel document issued by another state or by UNHCR. We name the issuing body of each document exactly and describe what each is.
Somaliland issues its own
Authorities in Somaliland issue their own passports and identity documents from Hargeisa, naming a different administration and different offices from those in Mogadishu.
We name the issuing authority exactly as printed, without commentary on status. What matters to the reader is which office issued the paper and whether the office receiving it will accept it.
Three names, none inherited
Somali names run given name, father's name, grandfather's name, with no inherited family name at all. Siblings share the second and third; cousins share the third; the next generation shifts everything one place along.
A US system treating the third name as a surname sees a change every generation. A person who drops or adds the grandfather's name on a form has changed nothing, and we explain the pattern rather than manufacturing a surname.
Somali, Arabic and English, and the spelling
Somali uses the Latin alphabet where c and x carry sounds English does not use, so Cabdi and Xasan are correct spellings that appear elsewhere as Abdi and Hassan.
Documents carry Somali, Arabic and English, sometimes all three, and each is translated. Somalia is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so documents go through consular legalisation. See our Somali asylum documents 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
Will a Somali passport be accepted?
Recognition varies by receiving country. Files frequently contain a travel document from another state or UNHCR alongside.
My documents are from Somaliland.
We name the issuing authority exactly as printed, without commentary on status.
Which of my three names is the surname?
None. Given name, father, grandfather, shifting one place each generation.
Is Cabdi a misspelling of Abdi?
No. Somali uses c and x for sounds English lacks. Both render the same name.
Ready to get started?
Upload the document and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.