Home / Licensing boards / ECFMG
Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG): Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Yes: ECFMG accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
Who may translate: Professional translation service; never the applicant
- $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
ECFMG requires every document not in English to come with a word-for-word English translation, prepared from the original by a government official, a medical school official or a professional translation service, and it does not let applicants translate their own documents.
ECFMG accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary; it recommends Straker Translations but says applicants are not required to use it.
If your medical school sends ECFMG a credential that is not in English without an acceptable translation, ECFMG has it translated itself and charges your account; we do not handle that step.
ECFMG at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? Yes
ECFMG's translation requirements accept a word-for-word translation "prepared by" a professional translation service, on its letterhead, signed, with a certification statement (English translations), so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets it. Policy checked on October 21, 2026.
- Translation
- Word-for-word English translation
- Who may translate
- Professional translation service; never the applicant
- Credential evaluation
- Primary-source verification with your school
- Price
- $24.95 per pageUp to 250 words, certification included
- Delivery
- 24 hoursStandard for one to three pages
- Grades
- As recordedNever converted to a US GPA
Checked on October 21, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on ECFMG's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about ECFMG
Word-for-word only
Summaries and school-issued English certificates do not count.
Never self-translated
Applicants may not translate their own documents.
Straker optional
ECFMG recommends Straker Translations but does not require it.
ECFMG requirements in detail
Translation
Any document submitted to ECFMG that is not in English must come with an English translation meeting its requirements; a translation without the original-language document is not accepted either (2026 Information Booklet).
Who may translate
A government official (for example a consular officer), a medical school official (dean or registrar) or a professional translation service; applicants may not translate their own documents (ECFMG: English translations).
Format
Word-for-word, prepared from the original or a photocopy of it, not from a transcription; on letterhead that identifies a private company as a translation service; signed, with the title of the signer and the seal if there is one (ECFMG: English translations).
Certification statement
In English, from the translator or a representative of the service, certifying that the translation is correct (ECFMG: English translations).
Not acceptable
A translation by a notary who is not an official or a translation-service representative, an unsigned translation, a summary, or an English certificate from the school that is not word-for-word (ECFMG: English translations).
How to submit
Upload PDFs of the certified translation, with the translator's signature and seal, and of the original-language document through the online service, MyIntealth (ECFMG: English translations).
School-sent credentials
ECFMG verifies your final diploma and obtains your final transcript directly from the school; if the school sends no acceptable translation, ECFMG has it translated by an independent service and charges your account (ECFMG 2026 Information Booklet: verification of credentials).
Two kinds of translation at ECFMG
ECFMG certification rests on primary-source verification: ECFMG checks your final medical diploma with the school and asks the school for your final transcript, and the credential requirement is met only when the school's verification reaches ECFMG and is accepted (ECFMG 2026 Information Booklet: verification of credentials).
When the school's credential is not in English and the school sends no acceptable translation, ECFMG sends it to an independent translation service without asking you first and charges the fee to your financial account (ECFMG 2026 Information Booklet: English translations).
Everything you upload yourself follows the published rule instead: the copy of your diploma, transfer-credit transcripts, name-change records and other documents in another language need a word-for-word translation from a professional translation service, uploaded together with the original-language document (ECFMG: English translations).
What gets an ECFMG translation rejected
ECFMG lists its own examples: a translation made by a notary who is not an official or translation-service representative, a translation not signed by the translator, a translation that is not word-for-word, and one without the translator's certification statement (ECFMG: English translations).
It also refuses an English-language certificate issued by the school that is not a word-for-word version of the original, and any translation prepared from a retyped transcription instead of the document itself.
The safest file is a translation made from a scan of the actual document, every stamp and handwritten note included, with the signed certificate of accuracy on letterhead. That is what we deliver.
ECFMG and the state boards
Most state medical boards require ECFMG certification of international medical graduates, and many ask for an ECFMG status report sent directly by ECFMG.
A board's own translation rule applies to what you send that board, and ECFMG's rule to what you upload to ECFMG; one certified translation from a professional service usually fits both.
ECFMG recommends Straker Translations and says its translations will not be rejected for not meeting the requirements, but that applicants are not required to use Straker (ECFMG: English translations).
Need a certified translation for ECFMG?
$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 applicants usually translate
- Final medical diploma (the copy you upload for certification)
- Medical school transcripts, including transcripts for transferred credits
- Name-change documents: marriage certificate, court order, passport pages
- Postgraduate training certificates and medical licenses issued abroad
- Letters of recommendation and student performance evaluations for ERAS
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.
- Grades, hours and credits exactly as recorded, with the grading scale the document prints. We never convert marks to a US GPA or equivalency.
- 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 ECFMG
Upload the certified translation and the original-language document as PDFs through MyIntealth, in the online service the document belongs to (ECFMG: English translations).
Credentials that ECFMG obtains from your school are handled between ECFMG and the school; ECFMG arranges their translation when the school sends none (ECFMG 2026 Information Booklet: verification of credentials).
What we do not do
eVerbary is a translation service, not a credential evaluation service or a licensing agency: we do not issue evaluations, US equivalencies or GPA conversions, we cannot send documents on behalf of the school or authority that issued them, and we do not file the license application.
For ECFMG that means we translate the documents you upload; we do not verify your diploma or transcript with your school, pay ECFMG fees or submit anything in MyIntealth for you.
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
Can I translate my own diploma for ECFMG?
No. ECFMG does not permit applicants to translate their own documents (ECFMG: English translations).
Do I have to use Straker Translations?
No. ECFMG recommends Straker but states that applicants are not required to use it; with another service, the translation must meet ECFMG's requirements (ECFMG: English translations).
Does the translation need to be notarized?
ECFMG does not ask for notarization; a notary alone is not an acceptable translator (ECFMG: English translations). It asks for a signed certification statement on letterhead.
Do I upload the original too?
Yes. A translation without the original-language document is not accepted (ECFMG 2026 Information Booklet: English translations).
What if my school sends my transcript in another language?
If the school provides no acceptable translation, ECFMG has the transcript translated by an independent service and charges your financial account, without notifying you first (ECFMG 2026 Information Booklet: verification of credentials).
Sources
Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)'s own pages, read on October 21, 2026.
Translating documents for ECFMG?
Upload a scan of your diploma, transcript or license and see the price and delivery time before you pay.