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Interpreters for Immigration Medical Exams
The immigration medical exam for a green card is done by a civil surgeon — a private doctor designated by USCIS — and recorded on Form I-693, a federal form you sign in front of the doctor. Here is who provides the interpreter, what the interpreter has to sign, and how applicants and families book one with us.
Ask the civil surgeon first
A practice that takes federal health funds must offer an interpreter free; otherwise it is up to you.
The interpreter signs Part 3
Whoever interprets the I-693 certifies it on the form, under penalty of perjury.
From $110 in person
Two-hour minimum, $220, which covers most exams; a results call by video is $80.
Do you need to bring your own interpreter to the immigration medical exam?
Often, yes. USCIS does not provide an interpreter for the medical exam, and CDC's Technical Instructions for civil surgeons do not address interpreters at all, so unless the civil surgeon's office arranges one, the applicant brings one. Form I-693 expects that: anyone who interprets the form's instructions and questions for you must complete and sign Part 3, the interpreter's certification (Form I-693 Instructions, Part 3).
Ask the civil surgeon's office first. Civil surgeons are private doctors, and you pay all the costs of the exam directly to them (I-693 Instructions, FAQ 8). But if the practice receives federal financial assistance from HHS — Medicare and Medicaid are on HHS's list (45 CFR Part 80, App. A) — the Section 1557 rule applies to it (45 CFR 92.2), and the rule counts all the operations of a physician's practice as its health program (92.4). A covered practice must offer a qualified interpreter, free, and may not require you to bring or pay for your own (45 CFR 92.201(c)(1), (e)(1)). A practice that receives no HHS financial assistance is outside that rule, and then the interpreter is your arrangement.
Who books us, then. Applicants, and families with several members examined the same day, whose civil surgeon does not provide an interpreter. Immigration attorneys arranging the exam for a client. And civil surgeons, for a language their staff and phone service do not cover.
What the civil surgeon asks, and why a relative should not interpret it
The exam is not a routine checkup. CDC instructs the civil surgeon to take a history covering hospitalizations, institutionalizations and serious illnesses, to ask specifically about drug and alcohol use, harmful behavior and psychiatric illness, and to do a mental status exam that includes speech and language (CDC, Medical History and Physical Examination; CDC, Mental Health). Tests for tuberculosis, syphilis and gonorrhea are required (I-693 Instructions, Medical Evaluations). The answers go on a federal form, and knowingly concealing a material fact can cost the green card application and bring penalties (I-693 Instructions, Penalties).
That is why a spouse, parent or adult child is a poor interpreter here. An applicant does not mention a past drinking problem, a psychiatric hospitalization or an infection in front of a husband or mother; a relative "helps" by answering for them, or softens a question. CDC also lets the civil surgeon ask family members for information about the applicant and check the applicant's answers against theirs (CDC, Mental Health) — a relative who is interpreting cannot also be that independent source. An interpreter renders each question as asked, including the uncomfortable ones, and does not advise on how to answer; that is a conversation for your attorney beforehand.
Part 3 of Form I-693: the interpreter signs, in ink
The interpreter certifies, under penalty of perjury, that they are fluent in English and your language, that they interpreted every question and instruction and your answers, and that you said you understood them; they also give their name, organization, phone and email (Form I-693, Part 3). You sign Part 2 only when the civil surgeon tells you to, in the civil surgeon's presence, and USCIS does not accept a stamped or typed name for any signature (I-693 Instructions).
Then the civil surgeon puts the completed form in a sealed envelope, and USCIS returns a form whose envelope has been opened. In practice that means the interpreter has to sign the original before it is sealed — simplest when the interpreter is in the room. If you want the exam interpreted by video or phone, ask the civil surgeon in advance how they will handle the interpreter's Part 3 signature; if they cannot, book in person.
Vaccination records, ID and the follow-up visits
- Records, not memory. Vaccine doses you remember but cannot document are not accepted, and a record counts only with the full date of each dose (CDC, Vaccination).
- Foreign-language records need translating. CDC puts the responsibility for reliable English translations on the applicant, though some offices can translate (CDC, Vaccination). An interpreter can read a record aloud, but that is not a translation the civil surgeon can rely on: order a written one beforehand — vaccination record translation, $24.95 per page certified.
- Identification. Bring a government photo ID; a child under 14 can use a birth certificate, with a translation if needed, and a parent or guardian may sign for them (I-693 Instructions).
- Follow-ups. A positive TB screening test leads to a chest X-ray, and you must attend every follow-up the civil surgeon requires (I-693 Instructions). A visit only to hear results can often be interpreted by phone or video; ask the office.
Booking an interpreter for the exam
In person is $110 an hour with a two-hour minimum, so a single exam is $220 plus travel at $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location — a 30-mile round trip adds $21 — confirmed before you book. A family examined back to back is cheaper per person: four applicants who speak the same language, 9 a.m. to noon, is three hours, $330 plus travel, with one interpreter. A results visit by video or phone is $80 for the first hour.
Send the civil surgeon's name and address, the appointment time, how many people are being examined and their ages, the language and dialect, and whether the interpreter will sign Part 3. If records need translating, send them early: a translation is quoted separately and should be ready before the appointment.
By video, by phone or in person
Virtual interpreting runs on Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, or over the telephone. It is quicker to arrange, costs less and carries no travel charge, and it suits appointments, calls and most meetings.
In person is what venues with their own rules tend to expect, and the right choice when documents are being signed or several people are speaking at once. Tell us the platform, or the city and the venue, when you send the request.
Languages
The standard-availability languages are: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, Polish, Italian, German, Japanese, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Tagalog, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Armenian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Serbian, Bosnian, Somali and Nepali. Every other language we offer carries the 25–30% limited-availability rate. If a language is not on that list it is not because we cannot do it — it is because the pool of qualified interpreters in the United States is small enough that we will not promise a date without checking.
Each language has its own page on what to watch for — dialects, names, dates, who the speakers usually are: see interpreters by language.
What it costs
Rates are per interpreter, per hour, and billed from the scheduled start time rather than from when everyone actually arrives.
- Virtual — $80 per hour, one-hour minimum. Zoom, Google Meet, Teams or telephone.
- In person — $110 per hour, two-hour minimum.
- Limited-availability languages — add 25–30%. Which languages those are is listed below rather than left vague.
- Travel for in-person work — $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location.
How the travel charge works out
Travel is charged at $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location, which means you can work it out rather than wait for a quote: a 20-mile round trip is $14, a 60-mile round trip is $42, a 150-mile round trip is $105. There is no separate call-out fee on top.
We will not pretend to know in advance where the interpreter will be coming from — that depends on the language, the date and the venue. What we do is confirm the interpreter and the exact travel figure before you book, so it is never a surprise on the invoice. Virtual assignments carry no travel charge at all, which is one reason most of what we do is virtual.
How booking an interpreter works
- You send the request with the form below: the language, the setting, the format, the date and how long it should last.
- We confirm before you commit: the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one. We reply the same business day, and no payment is taken at this stage.
- You confirm, and the interpreter is booked for your date.
What to have ready
The more of this comes in the first message, the fewer exchanges before you have a price:
- The language, the date, the start time and how long it should run.
- Virtual or in person: the platform, or the city and the venue.
- The setting and the subject matter.
- How many people need interpreting for.
- Any credential the venue requires of the interpreter.
Request an interpreter
Tell us the date, the language and the setting and we will come back with the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one — before you commit to anything.
Thank you — we have your request
We will reply the same business day with the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one, before you commit to anything.
Sources
What this page says about the rules was checked against these official sources on October 28, 2026. Rules change; the source is always the authority.
- USCIS — Instructions for Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (edition 01/20/25)
- USCIS — Form I-693, Part 3: Interpreter's Contact Information, Certification, and Signature
- CDC — Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons: Medical History and Physical Examination (May 15, 2024)
- CDC — Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons: Mental Health (Aug. 4, 2025)
- CDC — Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons: Vaccination (Mar. 11, 2025)
- 45 CFR 92.201 — Section 1557: Meaningful access for individuals with limited English proficiency (eCFR; rule of May 6, 2024)
- 45 CFR 92.4 — Section 1557 definitions: health program or activity, qualified interpreter (eCFR)
- 45 CFR 92.2 — Section 1557: Application to health programs receiving HHS financial assistance (eCFR)
- 45 CFR Part 80, Appendix A — HHS federal financial assistance, including Medicare Parts A and B and Medicaid (eCFR)
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to bring an interpreter to my immigration medical exam?
Ask the civil surgeon's office first. USCIS and CDC do not provide one, but a practice that receives HHS financial assistance must offer a qualified interpreter free and may not make you bring your own (45 CFR 92.201(e)(1)). If the office does not provide one, you bring the interpreter.
Can a family member interpret at my I-693 medical exam?
Form I-693 lets anyone who interprets sign Part 3 (I-693 Instructions), but a covered practice may not rely on an adult companion except in an emergency or at your private, documented request with a qualified interpreter present, and not on a minor child (92.201(e)(2)–(3)). The exam asks about drugs, alcohol and mental health; a relative is a poor choice.
Does the interpreter have to sign Form I-693?
Yes, if they interpreted the form for you: they complete Part 3 and certify, under penalty of perjury, that they interpreted every question and answer (Form I-693, Part 3). The signature must be handwritten, on the original before the civil surgeon seals the envelope.
Do my vaccination records from another country need to be translated?
Yes. CDC makes the applicant responsible for reliable English translations of all records (CDC, Vaccination). See vaccination record translation.
Who pays for the immigration medical exam and the interpreter?
You pay the civil surgeon for the exam and any follow-up tests (I-693 Instructions, FAQ 8). A practice covered by Section 1557 may not charge you for its interpreter (92.201(b)); if you bring ours, it is $110 an hour in person with a two-hour minimum.
Is the price per person or per interpreter?
Per interpreter, per hour, billed from the scheduled start time. One interpreter covers a meeting; a full-day hearing may need two working in relay.
What if the venue provides its own interpreter?
Then you should not be paying us. Immigration court provides one, and hospitals and school districts frequently must. Ask them first.
How is travel charged?
$0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location — a 20-mile round trip is $14. We confirm the exact figure before you book, and virtual assignments carry none.
Need an interpreter?
Tell us the date, the language and the setting and we will confirm the interpreter and the exact price.