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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Yes: SEC accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
Who may translate: Not restricted
- $24.95 per page
- Usually 24 h for 1–3 pages
- Signed certificate of accuracy, PDF
- See the price before you pay
How we know · policy checked on October 21, 2026
SEC filings must be in English, and a foreign language document that a filing requires is replaced by a fair and accurate English translation of the whole document, or in some cases by an English summary.
The rules do not say who translates or ask for a certificate, so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets them. eVerbary translates the documents; the filer decides what goes into EDGAR and labels it as a translation or a summary.
SEC at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? Yes
Securities Act Rule 403(c) and Exchange Act Rule 12b-12(d) ask for "a fair and accurate English translation" of a required foreign language document (Rule 403(c), Rule 12b-12(d)) without saying who makes it, so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets them. Policy checked on October 21, 2026.
- Translation
- Fair and accurate English translation, or summary
- Who may translate
- Not restricted
- Original or copy
- Original optional; on request from staff
- Price
- $24.95 per pageUp to 250 words, certification included
- Delivery
- 24 hoursStandard for one to three pages
- Certificate
- SignedCertificate of translation accuracy, PDF
Checked on October 21, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on SEC's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about SEC
Fair and accurate
The standard for every translation; no certificate is required by rule.
Seven document types
Charters, contracts, financial statements: full translation under review.
Label it
Each submission is identified as a translation or a summary.
SEC requirements in detail
Translation
All filings in English; a required foreign language document is submitted instead as a fair and accurate English translation of the entire document (Securities Act Rule 403: requirements as to proper form, 17 CFR 230.403, Exchange Act Rule 12b-12: requirements as to proper form, 17 CFR 240.12b-12).
Who may translate
Not restricted. The rules set the standard (fair and accurate) and do not ask for a translator's certificate.
Full translation required
For filings reviewed by the Division of Corporation Finance: articles, memoranda and bylaws; instruments defining security holders' rights; voting agreements; contracts with named directors, officers and others; contracts the business substantially depends on; audited annual and interim financial information; documents under a confidential treatment request (Securities Act Rule 403: requirements as to proper form, 17 CFR 230.403).
Summary instead
An English summary is allowed for other exhibits, or where the form permits it; it must fairly summarize each material provision and describe what was omitted or abridged (Securities Act Rule 403: requirements as to proper form, 17 CFR 230.403).
Original or copy
The filer may submit the unabridged foreign language document with the translation or summary, and must provide a copy if SEC staff ask for it (Securities Act Rule 403: requirements as to proper form, 17 CFR 230.403, Regulation S-T).
How to submit
Electronically on EDGAR, under Regulation S-T Rule 306, in the format of the EDGAR Filer Manual (Regulation S-T Rule 306: foreign language documents, 17 CFR 232.306).
Special cases
Canadian issuers may file certain French and English documents; foreign governments file a translation of their annual budget only if one is available (Exchange Act Rule 12b-12: requirements as to proper form, 17 CFR 240.12b-12, Regulation S-T Rule 306: foreign language documents, 17 CFR 232.306).
Translation or summary: the seven categories
The rules start from a full translation of the entire document.
For exhibits to filings reviewed by the Division of Corporation Finance, they then separate seven kinds of document that always need a full translation, including amendments to them: charter documents such as articles of incorporation, memoranda of association and bylaws; instruments defining the rights of security holders; voting agreements, including voting trusts; contracts with directors, officers, promoters, voting trustees or security holders named in a registration statement; contracts the filer's business substantially depends on; audited annual and interim consolidated financial information; and any document under a confidential treatment request (Securities Act Rule 403: requirements as to proper form, 17 CFR 230.403).
Anything outside those categories may go in as an English summary, or where the form allows one.
A summary is not a short note: it must fairly and accurately summarize each material provision and describe the terms left out or abridged (Securities Act Rule 403: requirements as to proper form, 17 CFR 230.403).
Either way, the submission must be identified as an English translation or an English summary.
What "fair and accurate" means for the file
The SEC rules do not ask for a certified or sworn translation, and they do not name a type of translator.
The standard is the content: fair and accurate, and complete for a translation (Securities Act Rule 403: requirements as to proper form, 17 CFR 230.403).
Because the filer may attach the unabridged original and staff may ask for it at any time (Regulation S-T Rule 306: foreign language documents, 17 CFR 232.306), the translation should follow the original paragraph by paragraph so that any clause can be found in both.
Our certificate of translation accuracy is not something the rules require, but it records who translated the document and that the translation is complete, which is useful if a reviewer or auditor later asks how the English version was made.
Need a certified translation for SEC?
$24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages. See the price before you pay.
Documents people usually translate
- Articles of incorporation, bylaws and memoranda of association
- Material contracts and voting agreements
- Audited annual and interim financial statements
- Shareholder agreements and instruments defining security holders' rights
- Board resolutions and corporate certificates used as exhibits
What an eVerbary translation includes
- A complete English translation of every page, stamps, seals and handwritten notes included, laid out like the original so each line can be matched.
- A signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead, with our contact details, delivered as a PDF you can upload or print.
- $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included; 24 hours for one to three pages as standard. Regular clients who need it can get delivery in as little as 30 minutes, on request.
- Notarization added at checkout ($34.90 per order) when the office asks for a notarized translation.
Submitting the translation to SEC
The filer or its filing agent submits the translation on EDGAR as part of the filing, identified as an English translation (or an English summary), and may include the unabridged original in the format the EDGAR Filer Manual requires (Regulation S-T Rule 306: foreign language documents, 17 CFR 232.306).
We deliver the translation as a PDF with a signed certificate of translation accuracy; the filer or its filing agent converts the content to the format EDGAR accepts.
What we do not do
eVerbary translates documents; it is not a government agency or a filing service. We do not complete or file applications, and we do not issue or certify the original document.
For the SEC that means we translate the documents; we do not prepare English summaries for filing, decide which exhibits need a full translation, or submit filings on EDGAR.
How to order
- Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
- Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
- Receive the PDF, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages, and submit it with the copy of the original wherever the office asks for it.
Frequently asked questions
Does the SEC require a certified translation?
No. It requires a fair and accurate English translation of the entire foreign language document (Securities Act Rule 403: requirements as to proper form, 17 CFR 230.403); the rules do not ask for a certificate or name a type of translator.
Can I file a summary instead of a translation?
Sometimes. Not for charter documents, rights instruments, voting agreements, material contracts, audited financial information or confidential treatment documents in filings reviewed by Corporation Finance (Securities Act Rule 403: requirements as to proper form, 17 CFR 230.403).
Must the original go with the translation?
It may; the filer may submit the unabridged original, and must provide it if SEC staff ask (Regulation S-T Rule 306: foreign language documents, 17 CFR 232.306).
Do Exchange Act reports follow the same rule?
Yes. Rule 12b-12(d) repeats the same requirement for Exchange Act filings and submissions (Exchange Act Rule 12b-12: requirements as to proper form, 17 CFR 240.12b-12).
Can eVerbary translate a long contract or financial statements?
Yes, at the same price per page of up to 250 words, certification included; for long documents, ask for a free quote and we confirm the price and delivery time before you pay.
Sources
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)'s own pages, read on October 21, 2026.
Translating documents for SEC?
Upload a scan of your document and see the price and delivery time before you pay.