You may have never considered getting your birth certificate translated, but there are good reasons to do so. Travelling is an important reason to get a birth certificate translated to avoid any confusion while travelling abroad. You may not think it’s necessary but if there is ever an issue you want to foreign officials to be able to read your documentation.

If you have never looked over a birth certificate closely, do it again, as it has a lot more information attached to it than just the details of your birth. It proves your identity and it’s used to help you claim other types of documentation.

Why Translate a Birth Certificate?

If you are travelling to a country where the primary language is not English, then it’s worth considering getting it translated. If it’s not a vacation but immigration that you are interested in, then it’s especially important to have a birth certificate in the language of the country in which you would be moving to.

What Use Do I Have for My Birth Certificate in Another Country?

While living in another country, you may need to apply for benefits or a driver’s license. Having a birth certificate in that language would be most helpful.

Uses of a Birth Certificate:

• Passport Application
• Enrollment in School
• Application for a driver’s license
• Social Security Benefits in the US

Translating Your Birth Certificate

If you are trying to obtain a travel Visa or and application for immigration, then translating your birth certificate is ideal.

It’s a requirement in the United States that a birth certificate has to be translated by a professional translation service. It may be the same in most countries. This is not a situation in which it would be wise to translate the document yourself.

Most countries require the long form version of the birth certificate.

What to Do if You Don’t Have a Birth Certificate?

In a case like that, a notarized affidavit from one of the parents is necessary. When you get the affidavit, you must present it with a government certificate stating that a birth certificate was unavailable. All these items will need to be translated by a professional translation service before presenting them to officials. If you are filing for immigration, then have your items translated well before filing your immigration documents.

If you have a birth certificate that was issued to you by a consulate or an embassy it is invalid for the purpose of immigration. When an embassy issues a birth certificate they are just copying information they obtained from your passport. There is no proof that any of the information is valid and the embassy does not check for accuracy when issuing birth certificates.

Getting Your Birth Certificate Translated

There are companies all over the world that offer translation services. It is always best to work with a professional and reputable company when it comes to translating legal documents. You will be confident of the translation as it is notarized and comes with a sworn statement of accuracy.