Countries · United States
Certified document translation for the United States
Submitting documents to USCIS, a New York school, a Washington medical provider, or another US institution? PRAVIS prepares a complete translation with a translator certificate, statement of accuracy, and bureau seal. This is not a sworn translation by default: the United States commonly uses a different certification model. When the recipient calls for notarisation, credential evaluation, or another stricter format, we tell you before work begins.
Documents translated for the United States
For immigration and visa packs, clients most often send birth, marriage, divorce, and death certificates; police clearance certificates; court judgments; adoption records; military records; employment letters; bank evidence; and statements supporting family relationships. We prepare translations to accompany petitions and applications submitted to USCIS, material for consular processing, and documents reviewed by an immigration lawyer. Our role is to translate the evidence accurately. We do not complete immigration forms on a client’s behalf, provide US legal advice, or predict how an officer will decide a case.
For education, we translate school certificates, diplomas, grade transcripts, academic records, course descriptions, recommendations, and vaccination records. The pack may be intended for a public school in New York, a university in Washington, DC, or a private credential evaluator. Translation is not the same as an equivalency assessment. If a college or professional licensing board asks for a course-by-course or document-by-document credential evaluation, that assessment must be performed by a separate organisation accepted by the recipient. PRAVIS can prepare the language component in the requested sequence and layout.
We also handle medical reports, patient histories, laboratory results, prescriptions, consent forms, and insurance papers. For driving matters, we translate driving licences, driving-history or violation records, confirmation from the issuing authority, and related letters. DMV rules are state-specific: a New York requirement does not automatically apply in Washington State or Washington, DC. Before ordering, send the exact recipient’s web link, checklist, or email whenever possible. That allows us to distinguish a straightforward bureau-certified translation from a pack needing a designated provider, notarised signature, sealed envelope, or original institutional record.
Bureau seal vs sworn translation and USCIS certified translation norms
The standard PRAVIS product is a certified translation carrying our bureau seal and a signed statement of accuracy. The certificate identifies the translated document, states that the rendering is complete and accurate, confirms that the translator is competent in the relevant languages, and supplies contact details, a date, and a signature. This translator-certification model—rather than European sworn-translator status as a universal precondition—generally reflects the USCIS approach to foreign-language evidence. We do not describe a commercial bureau seal as an American oath, and we do not suggest that a seal by itself guarantees acceptance.
USCIS generally expects all visible content to be translated, including stamps, handwritten entries, reverse sides, annotations, and a notation where text is illegible. An extract or summary can be insufficient when the source is a full civil record or judgment. We align names, dates, and place names with a passport or the client’s documented instructions where appropriate, but we do not silently “correct” the source. If records contain different transliterations, the translation should preserve that fact; a translator’s note can explain the variation without changing the legal content. Clients should also retain legible copies of the source documents submitted with the translation.
Other US recipients may impose stricter conditions. A court can apply local filing rules, a university may require records in an envelope sealed by the issuing school, a licensing board may limit acceptable translators or evaluators, and a bank or DMV may request a notarised signature on the translator certificate. Notarisation normally verifies the signer’s identity and signature; it does not independently prove translation quality. If written instructions expressly require an ATA-certified translator, court-certified interpreter, notarisation, or a sworn translation from a named jurisdiction, the ordinary PRAVIS bureau seal is not an automatic substitute. Show us the wording and we will confirm an appropriate route honestly, including when another specialist is needed.
Send your US documents for a format check
Include every page and the USCIS, school, DMV, court, or other recipient’s instructions. We will confirm whether a bureau seal and accuracy statement fit the requirement, then quote the translation and delivery options from Wrocław.
Send files nowApostille notes for the United States
The United States and Poland, along with many other countries, participate in the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. When a US recipient needs authentication of a foreign public document, the apostille is generally issued by the competent authority in the country where that document originated. For example, an apostille for a Polish civil-status certificate intended for New York is obtained in Poland, not in the United States. The apostille authenticates the origin of the signature, seal, or stamp in the capacity described on the certificate. It does not validate the document’s substantive content, replace an English translation, or come from PRAVIS.
Not every document submitted in the United States needs an apostille. USCIS often assesses proper copies accompanied by certified English translations under its own evidence rules, while a university, state court, licensing authority, or private recipient may separately request apostille authentication. Avoid purchasing an apostille merely because a document is foreign. First check the recipient’s current written instructions or obtain case-specific advice from a qualified US lawyer. The difference matters: certification concerns the translation, while an apostille concerns the public authority behind the original document.
When an apostille is required, the practical sequence is usually to obtain it before translation. The translator can then include the apostille certificate, number, stamps, attachments, and any multilingual fields in one complete translated pack. Do not detach an apostille from the public document to which it is attached. For a document from a country where the applicable Hague relationship is not in force, multi-stage authentication or consular legalisation may apply instead. We can explain how those pages affect the translation order, but the final authentication requirement belongs to the US recipient and the competent authorities in the issuing country.
How the process works from Wrocław
Start by sending a clear scan or photograph of every page, including reverse sides, seals, attachments, and any apostille already issued. Tell us the language pair, the purpose—USCIS, visa, school, medical, driving, or another use—and the exact receiving body. If you say “Washington,” clarify whether you mean Washington, DC, Washington State, or a federal agency, because their requirements are not interchangeable. Attach an official instruction, lawyer’s email, school checklist, or DMV link if available. We review the scope and tell you whether our bureau-certified format matches the stated requirement before quoting the work.
Once the price and turnaround are approved, the translator renders the text without omissions and an editor checks names, numbers, dates, tables, and official markings. The translator certificate and statement of accuracy tie the translation to the specific source, and PRAVIS applies its bureau seal. Depending on the receiving procedure, you receive a certified PDF for upload or lawyer review and can request a printed set. Tell us before printing if the recipient requires a wet-ink signature, a sealed envelope, a particular page order, or a copy of the source physically bound to the translation.
Printed sets leave the PRAVIS headquarters in Wrocław by international post or courier for New York, Washington, and addresses across the United States. Shipping time depends on the carrier, customs handling, and destination; it is separate from translation turnaround. Keep a copy of the complete pack you submit and follow any deadline set by the receiving body. PRAVIS is responsible for the translation and the certification format agreed in the order. USCIS, a consulate, school, DMV, hospital, court, evaluator, or licensing board remains solely responsible for its decision. No translation provider can guarantee a visa, immigration benefit, admission, transfer credit, professional licence, or driving entitlement.
Frequently asked questions
Does USCIS accept a translation with the PRAVIS bureau seal?
USCIS generally requires a complete English translation and certification by a competent translator that it is complete and accurate. Our pack includes that statement, contact details, date, signature, and bureau seal. USCIS still decides whether the evidence is sufficient in each individual case.
Do I need a sworn or notarised translation for the United States?
Not by default. A US certified translation often relies on the translator’s certificate rather than European sworn-translator status. Notarisation, named accreditation, or another format is needed when the specific recipient expressly requires it.
Does a Polish document need an apostille for use in the US?
Only when the US recipient or procedure requires one. The competent authority in Poland issues an apostille for a Polish public document. If required, obtain it before translation so the apostille and underlying document can be translated as one complete pack.
Can you translate school, medical, and driving-document packs?
Yes. We translate academic records, vaccination and medical papers, driving licences, and driving records. Requirements differ among schools, credential evaluators, state DMVs, and licensing bodies, so send the named institution’s instructions.
Can you mail a paper set to New York or Washington?
Yes. After preparing the certified PDF, we can send a stamped paper set from Wrocław by international post or courier. Tell us whether you need a wet-ink signature, sealed envelope, tracking, or a specific page arrangement.
Will the translation guarantee approval of my visa or immigration application?
No. PRAVIS stands behind the agreed translation work, not the decision of USCIS, a consulate, or another authority. We do not provide US immigration legal advice and never promise an application outcome.
