Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Sample translation: a Congolese secondary school transcript

This is what an order looks like when it is delivered, with a fictitious student. The PDF starts with the signed certification page, and the translation follows the original line for line: every abbreviation is explained, stamps, seals and signatures are noted in brackets, and the grid stays the same, so an admissions officer or a credential evaluator can match it without guessing.

Swipe to see the second page →

What to notice

• Two school years in the same grid as the original: every subject, grading period, exam and total, so each grade can be read against its maximum.
• The French rating abbreviations are translated (TB becomes VG, Very good), and every abbreviation is explained in a translator's note at the foot of the same page, including one the original never defines.
• Dates are written the US way (the original's 02/07/2015 is February 7, 2015).
• The photo, seals and signatures are noted in brackets where they appear.

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Worth knowing about Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry

Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry requirements in detail

Translating a dental law, not only a diploma

Section 33.107a, added July 25, 2025 under 63 Pa.C.S. § 3111, asks for more than a license: the applicant also files the law, regulation or rule that governs licensure and scope of practice where they are licensed, with its enactment date, so the Board can judge whether that jurisdiction's standards are substantially equivalent (49 Pa. Code Chapter 33, State Board of Dentistry).

For a dentist licensed abroad that usually means a dental practice act or ministry decree in the original language, translated in full by a professional translation service.

Before ordering, check the section's other conditions: practice for two of the last five years under substantially equivalent standards and no discipline in the licensing jurisdiction (49 Pa. Code Chapter 33, State Board of Dentistry).

The Board may still interview you and ask for documents on your competency.

The education route for foreign graduates

The standard route does not use the foreign diploma directly.

Section 33.102(a)(2) lets a dentist educated outside the US at a non-accredited school submit credentials to an accredited or provisionally accredited school and complete additional preclinical and clinical training that leads to that school's DMD or DDS (49 Pa. Code § 33.102).

The US school decides what it needs to admit you; ask it whether it wants translations of your foreign transcripts.

Documents applicants usually translate

• Dental practice act or licensing law of the country that licensed you
• Regulations on dental scope of practice abroad
• Foreign dental license and letter of good standing
• Foreign dental transcripts and diploma for a US advanced standing program

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 with no word cap, 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 Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry

• Submit the translated law, regulation or rule with your endorsement application to the Board in the manner the Board prescribes (49 Pa. Code Chapter 33, State Board of Dentistry); applications go through the Department of State's licensing system linked from the Board's page (Board page).

• For a statute or decree, send us the complete official text you will submit, including the page that shows its enactment date.

How to order

1. Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
2. Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
3. 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