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Certified Translation for a CR-1 or IR-1 Spouse Visa
The CR-1 and the IR-1 are the immigrant visas for the husband or wife of a US citizen when the spouse lives abroad and immigrates through a US embassy or consulate: the spouse enters the United States as a permanent resident. The visa is a CR-1, and the spouse a conditional resident, if the marriage is less than 2 years old on the day the spouse enters; otherwise it is an IR-1. The citizen files Form I-130 with USCIS; the National Visa Center then collects Form DS-260 and the civil documents, and a US embassy or consulate interviews the spouse. USCIS asks for a complete English translation, with the translator's certification that it is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate it (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)), and the National Visa Center and the consulate for certified translations of the documents that are not in English or in the official language of the country where the spouse applies.
USCIS, the NVC, a consulate
Form I-130 with USCIS; Form DS-260 and the civil documents at the National Visa Center; then the interview.
Two years of marriage
Married less than two years when the spouse enters: a CR-1 and a two-year green card, then Form I-751.
Civil documents
Marriage and birth certificates, final divorce decrees, police certificates, court records.
At a glance
| CR-1 and IR-1 | |
|---|---|
| Who files | The US citizen, on Form I-130 with Form I-130A for the spouse. After approval, the spouse completes Form DS-260, in English, for the National Visa Center. Children are not included in the spouse's petition: each one needs a Form I-130 of their own. |
| Who decides | USCIS decides the petition, the consular officer decides the visa after the interview, and a Customs and Border Protection officer decides admission. For a CR-1, USCIS later decides Form I-751. |
| What has to be shown | A marriage certificate issued by civil authorities and proof that every earlier marriage of both spouses legally ended (8 CFR 204.2(a)), with evidence that the marriage is bona fide; then, at the consulate, the spouse's eligibility for the immigrant visa. |
| Usually in another language | The marriage certificate, the birth certificates, the final divorce decrees, death certificates or annulment papers of every earlier marriage, police certificates, court and prison records, military records, and evidence of the marriage such as joint records and affidavits. |
| Translation rule | At USCIS, every document with text in another language needs a complete English translation, with the translator's certification that it is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate it (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)). At the National Visa Center and the consulate, documents not written in English or in the official language of the country from which the spouse applies need a certified translation, with a statement signed by the translator that it is accurate and that they are competent to translate (Step 7); the scan of the translation goes in the same file as the original (Step 8), the original first (Civil Documents FAQs). |
| Page count | Small for the civil documents: one or two pages for each certificate, a few for each decree or court record. Evidence of the marriage adds the most. |
Documents at each step
Which documents to file is your decision, or your attorney's; we translate what is chosen, completely, with every stamp, seal and handwritten note.
- Form I-130, at USCIS: the marriage certificate, the records that ended every earlier marriage of either spouse, evidence that the marriage is bona fide (joint property, a shared lease, combined finances, the birth certificates of the couple's children, affidavits from people who know the couple), and the records of any legal name change. See translations for Form I-130 and the marriage green card page for the evidence of the marriage.
- The National Visa Center: originals or certified copies of the spouse's birth certificate and of every marriage certificate; the final divorce decree, death certificate or annulment papers of each earlier marriage, the petitioner's included; police certificates for a spouse 16 or older; certified court and prison records of any conviction; and military records. They are scanned in color, front and back when the back has stamps, seals or writing. See Form DS-260 and the NVC and NVC translations.
- The interview: the originals or certified copies of everything uploaded, the original police certificates, and any translation that was not sent to the National Visa Center.
- Two years later, for a CR-1: Form I-751, filed jointly in the 90 days before the conditional green card expires, with evidence of the marriage from the date of the wedding (translations for Form I-751).
Before you order
The right document comes before the translation: the State Department's Document Finder says, country by country, which civil document to obtain and from which authority. In the United Kingdom, for example, the short-form birth certificate leaves out the parents' names, so the long form is the one to request; in Mexico, the hospital's certificate of live birth does not replace the birth certificate (acta de nacimiento) of the civil registry.
Police certificates expire after 2 years, unless issued by a country of earlier residence the spouse has not returned to, so the one to translate is the one that will still be valid at the interview. A document the consulate accepts without a translation, because it is in the official language of the country, still needs a certified English translation when it is filed with USCIS (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)).
Official sources
Every requirement on this page was checked against these sources on November 5, 2026.
- Immigrant Visa for a Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (IR1 or CR1) (travel.state.gov)
- Step 7: Collect Civil Documents (travel.state.gov)
- Step 8: Scan Collected Documents (travel.state.gov)
- Civil Documents FAQs (travel.state.gov)
- Step 10: Prepare for the Interview (travel.state.gov)
- Step 11: Applicant Interview (travel.state.gov)
- 9 FAM 504.4, pre-appointment processing (fam.state.gov)
- Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country, United Kingdom (travel.state.gov)
- Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country, Mexico (travel.state.gov)
- I-130, Petition for Alien Relative (uscis.gov)
- Form I-130 instructions, edition 04/01/24 (uscis.gov)
- 8 CFR 204.2(a), petitions for spouses (ecfr.gov)
- Conditional Permanent Residence (uscis.gov)
- I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence (uscis.gov)
- 8 CFR 216.4, joint petition to remove conditional status (ecfr.gov)
- 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), translations (ecfr.gov)
Frequently asked questions
Does the NVC need translations of documents in my country's official language?
Not when the spouse applies in that country, under the State Department's rule: it asks for certified translations of the documents that are not in English or in the official language of the country from which the spouse applies, and the embassy's own instructions can add requirements. The same documents need an English translation if they are filed with USCIS.
How is a translation uploaded to the NVC?
In the same file as the original document: the original first, then the English translation, scanned in color. We deliver the translation as a PDF ready to combine with your scan.
Do the translations need to be notarized?
USCIS asks for the translator's certification (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)) and the State Department for a statement signed by the translator; neither asks for a notary. If another office asks for notarization, it is $34.90 per order.
Have the documents in front of you?
Upload them and see the page count, the price and the delivery time before you pay.