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Certified Translation for an L-1 Visa
An L-1 petition transfers a manager or an executive (L-1A), or an employee with specialized knowledge (L-1B), from a company abroad to a related company in the United States. The US employer files it with USCIS on Form I-129, and most of the evidence comes from the company abroad: the records that show how the two companies are related, the employee's year of work abroad and, for a new office, the money and the structure behind it. Every document 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)).
USCIS, then a consulate
The employer files Form I-129 with USCIS; the employee then applies for the visa at a US consulate. Canadian citizens can apply at the border.
Mostly company records
Ownership and corporate records, financial statements, payroll and the employee's employment letters.
About 2,000 pages
One L-1 package we translated, in 22 categories of evidence, delivered folder by folder over a month.
At a glance
| L-1A and L-1B | |
|---|---|
| Who files | The US employer, on Form I-129 with the L Classification Supplement. A company with an approved blanket L petition sends its employees to the consulate with Form I-129S instead. |
| Who decides | USCIS decides the petition, and the employee then applies for the visa at a US consulate with it. A Canadian citizen can instead apply at a port of entry on the Canadian border. |
| What has to be shown | That the two companies are related (parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate); that the employee worked full time for the company abroad for at least one continuous year in the three years before the petition, as a manager or executive or with specialized knowledge; and, for a new office, that premises are secured and either that the office will support a managerial or executive position within one year (L-1A) or that the company can pay the employee and start doing business (L-1B). A new office petition is approved for up to one year (8 CFR 214.2(l)). |
| Usually in another language | The company abroad's corporate, financial and payroll records, the employee's employment letters and pay records, and the family's civil documents for L-2 dependents. |
| Translation rule | Every document 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)). |
| Page count | Grows with the company's records: every month of bank statements and payroll, every year of financial statements and tax returns. A new office file adds the records of how the US operation is funded. |
Documents that usually need translating
Which documents go into the file is your attorney's decision; we translate what is chosen, completely, with every stamp, seal and handwritten note. In L-1 files, the documents in another language are usually these:
- How the companies are related: annual reports, the articles of incorporation and bylaws, stock certificates and stock ownership records, partnership or operating agreements, and the minutes of board meetings.
- The company abroad doing business: audited or reviewed financial statements and tax returns, and other records of its trade, such as bank statements, invoices and contracts.
- The employee's year abroad: the letter from the employer abroad with the dates of employment, the duties and the employee's qualifications.
- Staff and structure (L-1A): the organization charts of both companies, a roster of employees, position descriptions and payroll records.
- For a new office: the size of the US investment, the records that show the company abroad can pay the employee and start doing business (its bank and financial statements), the evidence of the US company's capitalization, and the organizational structure of the company abroad. The proof that the US premises are secured, such as the lease, is usually in English already.
- For the family (L-2): marriage and birth certificates.
Who reads the translations
USCIS reads the petition and everything filed with it, and any answer to a Request for Evidence. The rule for every translation is the same, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3).
The consular officer then decides the visa, for which the approved petition is a prerequisite. Under a blanket petition, the consular officer decides the employee's own eligibility, on Form I-129S, so the documents about the employee go to the consulate: the I-129S asks for a letter with the employee's dates of employment, duties, qualifications and salary.
How many pages to expect
Each sheet of the original counts as one page, whatever its word count. In an L-1 file the count follows the company's records more than the employee's:
- Bank statements: one a month, for each account and each year submitted.
- Financial statements and tax returns: one set a year, usually with notes and schedules.
- Payroll records: one per pay period, for every employee they cover.
One L-1 package we translated ran to about 2,000 pages in 22 categories of evidence, delivered folder by folder as the company gathered the documents. Files that size are quoted as a project, with each batch and its delivery date: see business immigration translation.
Official sources
Every requirement on this page was checked against these sources on November 5, 2026.
- 8 CFR 214.2(l), intracompany transferees (ecfr.gov)
- Policy Manual, Volume 2, Part L, intracompany transferees (uscis.gov)
- Form I-129 instructions, edition 09/09/26 (uscis.gov)
- Form I-129S, nonimmigrant petition based on blanket L petition (uscis.gov)
- 9 FAM 402.12, intracompany transferees (fam.state.gov)
- Policy Manual, Volume 1, Part E, Chapter 6, evidence (uscis.gov)
- 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), translations (ecfr.gov)
Frequently asked questions
Does every page of a bank statement need translating?
If the statement is filed, yes: USCIS requires a full English translation of any document in another language, and a summary is not acceptable. What can be decided is which statements to file, and that is your attorney's call.
Do the translations need to be notarized?
Not for USCIS: 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) asks for the translator's certification, not a notary. If another office asks for notarization, it is $34.90 per order.
Are amounts converted into US dollars?
No. Figures stay in the currency of the original, with the period and the dates beside them, so whoever needs a conversion can apply the rate of the right date.
Can you translate an organization chart and keep its layout?
Yes. Charts, tables and financial statements are translated in place, so boxes, columns and figures line up with the original.
Have the documents in front of you?
Upload them and see the page count, the price and the delivery time before you pay. For a file of hundreds of pages, ask for a project quote.