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Certified Translation for TPS
USCIS may grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to eligible people already in the United States who are nationals of a country the United States designates, or who have no nationality and last habitually resided in one. Each person files their own Form I-821 with USCIS and can request a work permit with Form I-765 at the same time. On November 5, 2026, USCIS lists four countries as designated: El Salvador, Lebanon, Sudan and Ukraine. A first-time application shows identity and nationality, the date of entry and the years of residence in the United States; the documents usually in another language are the passport, the birth certificate or the national ID, and any court record from another country. A re-registration usually needs no documents. Each 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)).
Four countries today
On November 5, 2026, USCIS lists El Salvador, Lebanon, Sudan and Ukraine as designated for TPS. The status changes with each notice from the government.
Identity and nationality
A passport, a birth certificate with photo ID or a national ID, or the secondary evidence that replaces them, are the documents usually in another language.
Re-registration
People who already have TPS usually file no supporting documents when they re-register; USCIS can ask for them.
At a glance
| TPS | |
|---|---|
| Who files | Each person, on their own Form I-821: there is no derivative TPS, so a spouse, child or parent does not receive TPS through someone else's approval. Form I-765, filed with it or later, requests a work permit; without that request it is not needed. Form I-821 can be filed online or on paper. |
| Who decides | USCIS, which may interview the applicant about identity and nationality. For a person in proceedings in Immigration Court (served with a Notice to Appear or another charging document that DHS has filed with the court, even if the case is administratively closed), the Form I-821 instructions say to file the application with the court, and an immigration judge can decide it. Where a particular application goes is a question for an attorney or an accredited representative. |
| What has to be shown | For a first-time application: nationality of a designated country or, for a person without nationality, having last habitually resided there; continuous physical presence and continuous residence in the United States since the dates set for that country; registration during the initial period set in the Federal Register notice, or later under the late-filing conditions; and no ground that bars TPS, such as a conviction for a felony or for two or more misdemeanors committed in the United States (8 CFR 244.2, 8 CFR 244.4). A person who has TPS re-registers in each re-registration period, attesting to continuing eligibility (8 CFR 244.17). |
| Usually in another language | The passport, the birth certificate and the national ID that prove identity and nationality, including documents issued by the country's embassy or consulate in the United States; secondary evidence such as a baptismal certificate, school or medical records from the home country and affidavits from relatives; passport stamps and letters from abroad that help show the years in the United States; and the police and court records of any arrest or conviction in another country. |
| Translation rule | Every document with information 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)). In Immigration Court, the rule is 8 CFR 1003.33. |
| Page count | Usually small: one or two pages for each identity document, a few for each court record from another country. A re-registration usually needs none. |
Which countries are designated today
On November 5, 2026, USCIS lists four countries as designated for TPS. The status of each one changes with the government's notices, so check the USCIS TPS page, and its page for your country, before filing.
- El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine: the designations were extended through September 9, 2026 for El Salvador and October 19, 2026 for Sudan and Ukraine. For each one, USCIS says that an announcement will be made at the appropriate time and that, until then, people present in the United States under TPS keep their protection, including work authorization (El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine).
- Lebanon: the designation was automatically extended through November 27, 2026, and people who already have TPS do not need to re-register (91 FR 32069).
- Other countries: the designations of Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Cameroon, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen were terminated in 2025 and 2026. USCIS lists these 13 countries among those previously designated.
Documents that usually need translating
Which documents go into the application is your decision, or your attorney's or accredited representative's; we translate what is chosen, completely, with every stamp, seal and handwritten note. In TPS applications, the documents in another language are usually these:
- Identity and nationality: in order of preference, the passport, a birth certificate with photo identification, or a national identity document with a photo or fingerprint (8 CFR 244.9). That includes documents issued by the country's embassy or consulate in the United States, such as a national ID card or a naturalization certificate. A person without nationality shows instead that they have none and that they last habitually resided in the designated country.
- Without those documents: an affidavit with proof of the unsuccessful efforts to obtain them and an explanation of why the country's consular process was unavailable, and secondary evidence such as a naturalization certificate without a photo, a baptismal certificate that shows the applicant's or a parent's nationality, school or medical records, and affidavits from relatives or friends who know the date and place of birth and the parents' nationality. Those written in another language are translated like any other document.
- Entry and residence: mostly US records in English, such as employment and school records, rent receipts and utility bills. The date of entry can be shown with the passport or Form I-94; passport entries, receipts for money sent to or from another country, and correspondence also count as residence evidence; passport stamps, and receipts or letters from abroad, can be in another language.
- Criminal history: for any arrest, charge or conviction, a certified copy of every arrest report, court disposition and sentencing document, even if the record was sealed or expunged, and evidence that any probation was completed. Crimes committed in another country count too, with any supporting documentation available. A police or court record from another country is usually in its language. A traffic fine under $500 or points on a license, with no arrest and no alcohol or drugs involved, needs no documents. If a record cannot be released to you, a certificate from the office that holds it saying so is ordinarily enough; one issued abroad is translated like the record.
A re-registration usually needs none of these: applicants attest that they are still eligible and do not need to submit more documents unless USCIS asks for them (8 CFR 244.17).
Who reads the translations
USCIS reads the application and the evidence and judges all of it by its relevance, consistency, credibility and probative value; if the documents are not enough, it can send a request for additional evidence. Names, dates and places in the translations follow the originals exactly, so what USCIS compares across documents reads the same way.
In Immigration Court, each document in another language goes with an English translation and a certification signed by the translator, printed legibly or typed, stating that the translator is competent to translate the document and that the translation is true and accurate to the best of the translator's abilities (8 CFR 1003.33; see immigration court translation).
File legible copies of the documents with their translations, not the originals, unless the instructions or USCIS ask for an original: originals sent when they were not required or requested may be destroyed (Form I-821 instructions).
USCIS warns about unauthorized practitioners who claim they can file TPS forms and ask to be paid for it. The forms themselves are free on uscis.gov (USCIS's filing fees are separate), and only an attorney or an accredited representative working for an organization recognized by the Justice Department can give legal advice (USCIS). eVerbary translates documents and does not give legal advice.
How many pages to expect
One sheet of the original is one page, whatever its word count; a sheet printed on both sides is two pages, a two-sided ID card is one, and blank pages do not count. A passport bio page, a birth certificate or a national ID is usually one or two pages; a court record from another country can run to several. Since most of the residence evidence is US records, the documents in another language are usually few.
Most orders are delivered within a few hours, and one to three pages within 24 hours at most; expedited delivery takes about half the time.
Official sources
Every requirement on this page was checked against these sources on November 5, 2026.
- Temporary Protected Status (uscis.gov)
- Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: El Salvador (uscis.gov)
- Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Lebanon (uscis.gov)
- Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Sudan (uscis.gov)
- Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Ukraine (uscis.gov)
- Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Afghanistan (uscis.gov)
- Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Cameroon (uscis.gov)
- I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status (uscis.gov)
- Form I-821 instructions, edition 01/20/25 (uscis.gov)
- Extension of Lebanon Designation for Temporary Protected Status (91 FR 32069) (federalregister.gov)
- 8 CFR 244.2, eligibility (ecfr.gov)
- 8 CFR 244.4, ineligible aliens (ecfr.gov)
- 8 CFR 244.9, evidence (ecfr.gov)
- 8 CFR 244.17, periodic registration (ecfr.gov)
- 8 CFR 1003.33, translation of documents (ecfr.gov)
- Mandatory Electronic Filing (e-Filing), interim final rule, 91 FR 51924 (August 11, 2026) (govinfo.gov)
- 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), translations (ecfr.gov)
Frequently asked questions
Does a re-registration need translations?
Usually not. People who re-register attest that they are still eligible and do not need to submit additional supporting documents unless USCIS asks for them (8 CFR 244.17). A first re-registration with USCIS after an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals granted TPS includes a copy of that decision. If USCIS asks for a document in another language, it needs a full English translation with the certification.
Can I apply for TPS for the first time now?
A first-time application is filed during the initial registration period set in the Federal Register notice for the country, and USCIS asks applicants to wait for that notice before filing. During a later extension of the designation, a first-time application is possible only under the late-filing conditions of 8 CFR 244.2. For example: having been a nonimmigrant, a parolee or the spouse of someone now eligible for TPS during an initial registration period, and filing while that condition lasts or within 60 days after it ends; or having been the child of someone now eligible for TPS during an initial registration period, a condition with no filing deadline. Whether you qualify is a question for an attorney or an accredited representative.
Does my family get TPS with my application?
No. There is no derivative TPS: a spouse, child or parent who wants TPS files their own Form I-821, with their own evidence and its translations.
Do the translations need to be notarized?
Not for USCIS or the Immigration Court: 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) and 8 CFR 1003.33 ask for the translator's certification, not a notary. If another office asks for notarization, it is $34.90 per order.
Can a machine translation be filed?
DHS has looked at accepting translations made by automated translation tools and concluded, in August 2026, that they do not currently translate accurately and reliably enough to meet its requirements (91 FR 51941). Every eVerbary translation is done by a professional human translator and checked against the original by a second person on our team before delivery.
Does the certification carry the translator's name and signature?
For USCIS, yes: the instructions of Form I-821 ask that the translator's certification also carry the translator's signature, printed name, the date and the translator's contact details, and we include them. Say in the order's General Notes which form the translation is for.
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