USCIS Certified Translation: Getting Portuguese Documents Accepted in the US

September 10, 2026 · The Editor, O Gravata Translations

If you're on the other side of the process — you have Portuguese documents and need them accepted by a US institution — the rules are almost the opposite of what people researching Portugal-bound translations expect. USCIS doesn't require a "sworn" or government-certified translator at all. What it requires is much simpler, and much easier to get wrong in the other direction: not enough documentation, rather than the wrong kind.

What USCIS actually requires

Per USCIS policy, a foreign-language document submitted in an immigration filing needs:

1. A complete English translation of the document, and
2. A certification from the translator stating they are competent to translate from Portuguese to English and that the translation is accurate and complete.

That's it. The translator doesn't need a government license, a notary stamp, or membership in a professional association. In practice, USCIS accepts translations from a professional translator, a translation company, or in some cases a bilingual friend or family member — though officers scrutinize the latter more closely, and a rejected or questioned translation costs you time in an already slow process.

Where this trips people up

Because Portugal's own certification system (Article 38 of Lei 76-A/2006, done through a lawyer, notary, consulate, or Chamber of Commerce) is unfamiliar to a lot of US-based applicants, some assume they need something equivalent in the US, or that a US notary needs to notarize the translation itself. Neither is quite right:

• A US notary notarizing a translation typically only certifies that the translator signed the certification statement in front of them — it says nothing about whether the translation is accurate. Some institutions ask for this anyway, so check your specific instructions.
• A translation already certified under Portuguese law (say, done through a lawyer registered with the Ordem dos Advogados) generally satisfies USCIS's requirement too, since it comes with its own signed certification of accuracy — plus the added benefit of a registration number checkable at oa.pt/atos, which some officers find reassuring even though it isn't required.

Documents that most commonly need this

• Birth certificates (for family-based petitions, naturalization, or dual-citizenship-adjacent filings)
• Marriage and divorce certificates
• Diplomas and academic transcripts (for degree-equivalency evaluations, which most US universities and employers require separately from the translation itself)
• Criminal record certificates (Registo Criminal)

The certification statement itself

USCIS is specific about the certification needing to say, in substance: the translator is fluent in both languages, and the translation is a complete and accurate rendering of the original document. A translation missing this statement — even if the translation itself is fine — is one of the most common reasons documents get sent back for supplementation.

A practical order of operations

1. Get a clear copy or scan of the original Portuguese document.
2. Have it translated into English by a translator or service that includes the required certification statement.
3. Submit the translation alongside a copy of the original foreign-language document — USCIS wants both, not the translation alone.
4. For academic documents, separately check whether the receiving university or employer wants a credential evaluation (e.g., through WES or a similar service) in addition to the translation — that's a different process with a different provider.

Bottom line

The US side of this is less about which authority is allowed to certify and more about making sure the certification statement itself is present and complete, and that you submit the original alongside it. A translation that already carries Portuguese legal certification — with a verifiable registration number — clears the US bar comfortably and then some.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Requirements vary by institution and by case — confirm with the office that will receive your documents.

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