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Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Yes: Massachusetts BBE accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
Who may translate: Not specified
- $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 Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners asks foreign-educated attorneys to supply their transcripts, diplomas, course descriptions and certificates of admission and good standing written in or translated into English, for an advance determination of their education.
Massachusetts BBE accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary, since it asks for an English translation without restricting who makes it.
The Board evaluates the file itself, with no outside agency; we translate, but official transcripts and wet-signed certificates must come from your schools and bars.
Massachusetts BBE at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? Yes
Board of Bar Examiners Rule VI.2 says each foreign-educated attorney supplies the required documents "written in or translated into English" (Rule VI, foreign-educated attorneys page), without restricting who translates, so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets it. Policy checked on October 21, 2026.
- Translation
- Written in or translated into English
- Who may translate
- Not specified
- Credential evaluation
- Board's own advance determination, no agency
- 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 Massachusetts BBE's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about Massachusetts BBE
Advance ruling first
Before any petition: exam, motion or UBE score transfer.
One package
By mail, or every PDF in a single email.
Four months minimum
From the day the file is complete.
Massachusetts BBE requirements in detail
Translation
Every required document must be written in or translated into English (Board of Bar Examiners Rule VI: foreign law school graduates, Board page).
Who may translate
Not specified by the Board; it publishes no rule on translator qualifications, notarization or self-translation (Foreign educated attorneys).
Transcripts
An official transcript from every college, university and law school attended, foreign or American; copies are not acceptable (Foreign educated attorneys).
Certificates of good standing
An official Certificate of Admission and Certificate of Good Standing from each jurisdiction, with a wet signature; copies are not acceptable (Foreign educated attorneys).
Other documents
Copies of all diplomas, course descriptions if the transcripts lack them, a résumé and a copy of the MPRE score report (Foreign educated attorneys).
Evaluation
The Board evaluates foreign education itself, weighing the country's legal system, the course of study, admission and practice (Board of Bar Examiners Rule VI: foreign law school graduates); no outside agency is named.
Timing
At least four months from receipt of a complete package. For the exam, documents must arrive by the second week of January (July exam) or the first week of August (February exam) (Foreign educated attorneys).
The advance determination
Under SJC Rule 3:01, a graduate of a foreign law school must have an education that the Board considers similar in nature and quality to that of an ABA-approved school (SJC Rule 3:01).
The Board decides this before you petition for admission, whether by exam, by motion or by transferring a UBE score (Board of Bar Examiners Rule VI: foreign law school graduates).
Its answer is one of three: further study at an approved school, eligibility for the exam, or eligibility for admission on motion.
Rule VI also sets a safe harbor (Board of Bar Examiners Rule VI: foreign law school graduates).
A graduate of a common-law country, admitted and in good standing there, qualifies with 15 credit hours at an ABA-accredited school, including constitutional law and professional responsibility; a civil-law graduate, admitted and in good standing, with a 24-credit LL.M. at an ABA-accredited school that includes those courses and three other bar subjects.
Common-law graduates of Canadian law schools that belong to the Law School Admission Council proceed like ABA graduates.
One complete package, nothing returned
Send a cover letter saying what you are asking for, and all documents together; the Board does not consider incomplete packets and does not return documentation (Foreign educated attorneys).
Translations should sit with the documents they translate.
Because the transcripts must be official and the certificates wet-signed, ask your schools and bars for an extra original or a scan you can have translated before the sealed originals go to Boston.
Where the Board's pages differ
Rule VI.2 lists five documents and asks for the request at least four months before you petition (Board of Bar Examiners Rule VI: foreign law school graduates); the Board's page adds the MPRE score report, "copies are not acceptable" for transcripts, the wet-signature requirement for certificates, and fixed deadlines tied to exam dates (Foreign educated attorneys). Follow the page, which is the stricter of the two.
Need a certified translation for Massachusetts BBE?
$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
- Law school transcripts and degree certificates
- University transcripts and diplomas from before law school
- Certificates of admission and of good standing from a foreign bar
- Course descriptions from the law school
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 Massachusetts BBE
Mail the package to the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners, Attn: Foreign Education Evaluation, John Adams Courthouse, One Pemberton Square, Suite 5-140, Boston, MA 02108, or send PDFs of all documents in one email to ForeignEvaluationsBBE@jud.state.ma.us (Foreign educated attorneys).
Our certified translation is delivered as a PDF, which you can attach to that email or print for the mailed package.
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 Massachusetts that means we translate; official transcripts and wet-signed certificates must come from your schools and bars, and the Board, not us, decides whether your education qualifies.
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
Who can translate my documents for the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners?
The Board asks for documents written in or translated into English and does not say who must translate (Board of Bar Examiners Rule VI: foreign law school graduates). A certified translation from a professional service meets that.
Do I need WES or ECE for Massachusetts?
No. The Board evaluates foreign education itself (Board of Bar Examiners Rule VI: foreign law school graduates).
Can I email my documents?
Yes, as PDFs in one email to ForeignEvaluationsBBE@jud.state.ma.us, or by mail in one package (Foreign educated attorneys).
How long does the advance determination take?
At least four months from the date the Board has the complete documentation (Foreign educated attorneys).
Do I need an LL.M.?
Not always; the Board decides case by case. Its safe harbor for civil-law graduates is a 24-credit LL.M. at an ABA-accredited school, and for common-law graduates 15 credit hours (Board of Bar Examiners Rule VI: foreign law school graduates).
Sources
Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners's own pages, read on October 21, 2026.
Translating documents for Massachusetts BBE?
Upload a scan of your diploma, transcript or license and see the price and delivery time before you pay.