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Certified Translation for a VAWA Self-Petition
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) lets the abused spouse or child of a US citizen or permanent resident, or the abused parent of a US citizen son or daughter, file a self-petition on Form I-360, the first step toward a green card, without the abuser's knowledge, consent or participation. USCIS considers any credible evidence, and much of it can be in another language: the marriage and birth certificates, the decrees that ended earlier marriages, police clearances from countries where the self-petitioner lived, and the records and statements about the abuse. Each document 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 decides
Form I-360; a spouse, child or parent of a US citizen can file the green card application, Form I-485, at the same time.
Any credible evidence
No particular document is required. Officers generally give more weight to primary evidence, such as civil records, and to court, police and medical records and other official documents.
Confidential by law
Federal law bars DHS, the Justice Department and the State Department from disclosing information about a VAWA self-petitioner, with limited exceptions, and USCIS mails to a safe address if asked.
At a glance
| VAWA | |
|---|---|
| Who files | The self-petitioner: the spouse, intended spouse (someone whose marriage was invalid only because the abuser was already married) or former spouse of an abusive US citizen or permanent resident (a former spouse within 2 years after a divorce connected to the abuse, after the death of a US citizen abuser, or after the abuser lost their status over an incident of domestic violence); an unmarried child under 21 of an abusive US citizen or permanent resident; or the parent of an abusive US citizen son or daughter 21 or older. A child can file after 21 and before 25 if the abuse was one central reason for the delay. Spouses and children can include their own children; parents cannot. |
| Who decides | USCIS, which may interview the self-petitioner at the local field office. A spouse, child or parent of a US citizen can file Form I-485 with the I-360 or later; spouses and children of permanent residents wait until a visa is available. |
| What has to be shown | A qualifying relationship with an abuser who is a US citizen or permanent resident; battery or extreme cruelty by the abuser during the relationship (for a spouse, abuse of their child also counts); that the self-petitioner resides or resided with the abuser during the relationship; good moral character; and, for a spouse, a marriage entered in good faith (Policy Manual). Under the Policy Manual, hurtful conduct alone is not "extreme" cruelty: the acts must reflect an intention to gain or keep power and control over the self-petitioner. |
| Usually in another language | Marriage and birth certificates; the divorce decrees, annulments and death certificates that ended earlier marriages of either spouse; police clearances and court records from other countries; and the records and statements about the abuse or the shared home, when they come from another country or from relatives who write in another language. |
| Translation rule | 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)). |
| Page count | Grows with the evidence of the abuse and of the relationship: statements, court and medical records, letters. A certificate is usually one or two pages; a divorce decree or a court record can run to several. |
Documents that usually need translating
Which documents go into the self-petition 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 VAWA self-petitions, the documents in another language are usually these:
- The relationship: the marriage certificate issued by civil authorities and the final divorce decree, annulment or death certificate of every earlier marriage of both spouses. A decree whose waiting period has not ended, such as a "nisi" or an "idda" period, is not final. For a child, the birth certificate; for a parent, the son's or daughter's.
- The abuser's status: a US birth certificate, passport or naturalization certificate, or a green card; or the pages of the abuser's passport, which may be foreign, with the visas and entry stamps that show the status. Without these, the self-petitioner can give the abuser's name, date and place of birth or other identifying details, and USCIS checks its own records.
- Living with the abuser: leases, deeds, utility bills, school and medical records, affidavits. The shared home can have been in another country, and its records may then be in that country's language.
- The abuse: police and court records, protection orders, medical and psychological records, school records, and statements from people who know what happened. Photographs of injuries carry weight when the self-petitioner says who took them, when and where, and that they show accurately what happened.
- Good moral character: the self-petitioner's own statement, and a police clearance or background check from each place, in the United States or abroad, where they lived 6 months or more during the 3 years before filing, under every name they have used, maiden names included. For any arrest or charge, the arrest reports, certified court records of the final disposition and the text of the law with its maximum penalty. A child under 14 does not have to submit this evidence.
- A good faith marriage (spouses): joint leases, accounts, insurance and tax records, records of the courtship and the wedding, and statements from people who know the couple.
Who reads the translations
USCIS reads the self-petition and everything filed with it, and any answer to a Request for Evidence; the rule for every translation is 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). For a marriage that ended outside the United States, officers check the State Department's country pages, so the names, dates and annotations of a foreign divorce decree are translated exactly as they appear.
Federal law bars DHS, the Justice Department and the State Department from disclosing information about a VAWA self-petitioner, with limited exceptions (8 U.S.C. 1367), and USCIS sends its mail to a safe address when the self-petitioner gives one. At eVerbary, only the staff on the order and the translator assigned to it can open the documents, which are stored in the United States (security).
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 certificate or a police clearance is usually one or two pages; a statement, a court record or a medical report can run to several, and each one filed is translated in full.
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.
- Policy Manual, Volume 3, Part D, Chapter 2, eligibility requirements and evidence (uscis.gov)
- Policy Manual, Volume 3, Part D, Chapter 3, effect of certain life events (uscis.gov)
- Policy Manual, Volume 3, Part D, Chapter 5, adjudication (uscis.gov)
- Abused Spouses, Children and Parents (uscis.gov)
- Green Card for VAWA Self-Petitioner (uscis.gov)
- Form I-360 instructions, edition 01/20/25 (uscis.gov)
- 8 CFR 204.2(c), self-petition by a spouse (ecfr.gov)
- 8 CFR 204.2(e), self-petition by a child (ecfr.gov)
- 8 U.S.C. 1367, penalties for disclosure of information (govinfo.gov)
- 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), translations (ecfr.gov)
Frequently asked questions
My statement is written in my language. Does it need a translation?
Yes. A statement filed in another language needs a full English translation with the certification, like any other document. If it will be written in English with an interpreter instead, see interpreters for VAWA and U visa declarations.
Do messages from the abuser need translating?
Each one filed in another language does, in full and as it was written. Which ones to file is your decision, or your representative's.
Who sees my documents?
Only the eVerbary staff handling the order and the translator assigned to it; documents are stored in the United States (security).
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.
Have the documents in front of you?
Upload them and see the page count, the price and the delivery time before you pay.