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Kentucky Board of Nursing: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Yes, through the evaluation: KBN asks for a credential evaluation, and ECE, one of the agencies it accepts, takes certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
Credential evaluation: Five approved evaluators, named reports
- $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
The Kentucky Board of Nursing publishes no translation rule of its own: nurses educated outside the US need a credential evaluation from one of five approved companies, each with a named report, and the company sets the translation rule.
ECE and IEE accept certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary; Josef Silny asks for professional, certified translations and, in the US, ATA-certified translators, and The Evaluation Company accepts outside translators only if ATA-certified, which eVerbary assigns on request.
TruMerit (CGFNS) translates nursing transcripts only through the school or itself, and we do not provide the evaluation.
KBN at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? Yes
KBN accepts ECE's Credential Evaluation Assessment for RN/LPN licensure, among five approved evaluations (KBN outside-US page), and ECE accepts complete, word-for-word English translations, including professional ones (ECE documentation requirements), so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets it. Policy checked on October 21, 2026.
- Translation
- Through the evaluator (ECE, IEE, JS&A…)
- Who may translate
- ECE, IEE: professional; JS&A, TEC: ATA
- Credential evaluation
- Five approved evaluators, named reports
- 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 KBN's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about KBN
Five named reports
CES, CEA, Kentucky Nursing Licensure Report, document-by-document, NCA.
Other evaluators reviewed
An earlier evaluation from another provider may be sent for review.
Seven English tests
Cambridge, IELTS, MET, OET, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, TOEIC.
KBN requirements in detail
Translation
No board rule of its own; KBN sends nurses educated abroad to an approved credential evaluation company, which handles documents in other languages (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States).
Who may translate
Depends on the evaluator: ECE accepts any complete, word-for-word translation (ECE: documentation requirements); IEE accepts certified translators, not the client or a notary (IEE: FAQ); Josef Silny asks for professional, certified translations (Josef Silny & Associates: Kentucky Board of Nursing application), ATA-certified if made in the US (Josef Silny & Associates: services); The Evaluation Company, ATA-certified outside translators only (The Evaluation Company: avoid delays).
Approved evaluations
TruMerit CES report; ECE Credential Evaluation Assessment (CEA) for RN/LPN licensure; IEE Kentucky Nursing Licensure Report; Josef Silny document-by-document evaluation; The Evaluation Company Nursing Credential Analysis (NCA) (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States).
VisaScreen
If you already hold a TruMerit VisaScreen certificate, you upload it to the Nurse Portal under "RN/LPN Endorsement" instead (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States).
How the report arrives
Sent to KBN.Credentials@ky.gov or mailed to the board, attention Endorsement (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States).
English test
Cambridge English (B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2), IELTS, MET, OET, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT or TOEIC, with TruMerit's score table; results to KBN.Credentials@ky.gov or by mail, attention Examination (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States).
Five evaluators, four translation rules
Kentucky names a specific report for each company (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States), and the company you pick decides who may translate.
ECE asks for an English translation of every document not issued in English, complete and word-for-word, and lets anyone prepare it, or translates for its report under an $85 waiver (ECE).
IEE refuses translations by the client, a notary public or an uncertified translator (IEE).
Josef Silny's Kentucky application asks for professional, certified English translations, which supplement the originals, and says transcripts and degrees for nursing licensure come directly from the school (JS&A Kentucky form); its services page adds ATA certification for translations made in the US (JS&A).
The Evaluation Company accepts outside translators only if ATA-certified (TEC). TruMerit wants nursing transcripts translated by the school or by TruMerit (TruMerit).
Pitfalls in the Kentucky process
The evaluator list sits on KBN's page for nurses educated outside the US who are applying by endorsement (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States).
For examination applicants, KBN's transcript page asks for an official transcript sent by the nursing program, through a clearinghouse or in the school's sealed envelope, and does not address foreign programs separately (Transcript information). Ask KBN which applies to you before ordering.
If you already have an evaluation from a company not on the list, KBN says you may have it sent for review (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States); acceptance is not guaranteed. Applications in the Nurse Portal are valid for one year, so order the translation and evaluation early.
Need a certified translation for KBN?
$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
- Nursing school transcripts and mark sheets, for the evaluator
- Nursing diploma or degree certificate
- Nursing license or registration from the country of education
- Secondary school diploma, if the evaluator asks for it
- Marriage certificate or court order, for a name change
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 KBN
The translation goes to the evaluation company with your records, under its instructions; ECE, for example, takes copies of translations with your documents (ECE: documentation requirements).
The company's report then goes to KBN.Credentials@ky.gov or by mail to the board (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States).
Your application goes through the KBN Nurse Portal, with the jurisprudence exam and background check that follow it (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States).
If you need a translator certified by ATA
Some offices accept only a translator who is personally certified by the American Translators Association (ATA). eVerbary assigns one on request, for the languages ATA certifies into English:
$34.95 per page
Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Arabic, Russian and Ukrainian
$44.95 per page
Japanese, Korean, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Croatian, Danish and Persian
To order it, ask for a free quote and write in the notes that the translation is for KBN, what it is for, and that you need a translator individually certified by ATA, plus anything else the office asks for (notarization, delivery by email to the office).
We confirm the price and the translator before you pay. ATA does not certify other languages into English, so no translator anywhere holds ATA certification for them.
For those languages we provide a notarized certified translation instead, at $44.95 per page plus notarization ($34.90 per order); ask the office to confirm it accepts that, and write its answer in the quote notes.
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 Kentucky that means we translate the records your evaluator needs; the CES, CEA, Kentucky Nursing Licensure Report, document-by-document evaluation or NCA is ordered by you from that company.
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 Kentucky Board of Nursing require a certified translation?
Not directly. It requires a credential evaluation from an approved company (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States); the company sets the translation rule. ECE accepts complete, word-for-word translations (ECE: documentation requirements).
Which credential evaluators does Kentucky accept for nurses?
TruMerit (CES report), ECE (Credential Evaluation Assessment), IEE (Kentucky Nursing Licensure Report), Josef Silny (document-by-document) and The Evaluation Company (Nursing Credential Analysis) (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States).
Can I use an evaluation from a company not on the list?
You may ask that it be sent to KBN for review (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States).
Which English tests does Kentucky accept?
Cambridge English (B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2), IELTS, MET, OET, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and TOEIC (LPN/RN endorsement, educated outside the United States).
Can eVerbary provide an ATA-certified translator for Josef Silny or The Evaluation Company?
Yes, on request. Ask for a free quote and write in the notes which evaluator the translation is for and that it needs a translator individually certified by ATA, for the languages ATA certifies into English.
Sources
Kentucky Board of Nursing's own pages, read on October 21, 2026.
Translating documents for KBN?
Upload a scan of your diploma, transcript or license and see the price and delivery time before you pay.