Certified Translation of Police Clearances and Criminal Records

What Is Certified Police Clearance Translation and When Is It Required?

A certified translation of a police clearance certificate or criminal record is a complete, word-for-word English translation of the original document, accompanied by a signed certificate of accuracy from a qualified translator. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), USCIS-certified translation is required for every foreign-language document submitted with any immigration application.

Police clearances and criminal records appear under many names depending on the issuing country: "certificate of good conduct," "background check letter," "certificate of no criminal record," or simply "police clearance." Regardless of name, if the document is in a language other than English and is being submitted to USCIS, a US employer, a court, or another official institution, a certified translation is required.

A blank or "no criminal record" certificate also requires a certified translation. Even if the only substantive content is a statement that no criminal record was found, the issuing authority's header, official statement, date, stamps, and seals must all be certified-translated. The translation establishes that the document is authentic and complete — not that it contains offenses.

USCIS Applications That Require Police Clearance Translation

• Form I-485 — Green Card (Adjustment of Status). Form I-485 applicants must submit police clearances from every country where they have lived for six months or more since the age of 16. All foreign-language clearances must be certified-translated under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). The civil surgeon reviewing the applicant's I-693 medical examination also considers criminal history; an untranslated or improperly certified clearance can delay the entire I-485 process.
• K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa (Form I-129F). K-1 visa applications require police clearances from both the US citizen petitioner and the foreign national beneficiary, from every country either has lived in for 12 or more months since the age of 16. This is the most frequent source of police clearance translation requests in the certified cluster — applicants often need clearances from multiple countries simultaneously, each requiring a separate certified translation.
• Form N-400 — Naturalization. Applicants for US citizenship who were arrested, charged, or convicted of any crime in a foreign country must submit those foreign police or court records with certified English translations. Even charges that were dismissed or resulted in no conviction must be documented and translated.
• Form I-130 and Spousal Petitions. Some immigrant visa processing paths through the National Visa Center (NVC) require police clearances from countries where the beneficiary has lived. All foreign-language clearances require certified translation before submission.
• Employment-Based Immigration and Professional Licensing. H-1B visa holders, EB-2 and EB-3 immigrant visa applicants, and internationally educated professionals applying for US professional licenses are frequently required to provide certified translations of police clearances or criminal background checks as part of their applications.

Certified vs Notarized Translation: What USCIS Actually Requires

This is the most common source of confusion for police clearance translation orders, and it is important to understand before ordering.

Certified translation is what USCIS requires. A certified translation includes a signed statement from the translator confirming their competence in both languages and attesting that the translation is complete and accurate. This certification is what 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) mandates. Every TheWordPoint translation includes this certification by default.

Notarization is a separate process in which a public notary witnesses the translator's signature and attests to their identity. USCIS does not require notarization of translated documents. Notarization is required by some courts, foreign embassies, certain state agencies, and specific international legal processes — but not for standard USCIS immigration submissions.

Ordering a notarized translation when USCIS only requires certification is an unnecessary expense. Check if your institution or application specifically requires notarization. If you are submitting to USCIS only, certification is sufficient.

Police Clearance Documents We Translate — By Country and Name

We translate all police clearance and criminal record formats from all countries. If your document has a country-specific name, we recognize it:

Latin America: Certificado de Antecedentes Penales (Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia), Certificado de Buena Conducta (Mexico, Peru, Dominican Republic), Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais or Certidão Negativa Criminal (Brazil), Certificado de Antecedentes Penales (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay)

Europe: Polizeiliches Führungszeugnis (Germany, Austria), Extrait du Casier Judiciaire (France, Belgium), Certificato del Casellario Giudiziario or Fedina Penale (Italy), Certificado de Antecedentes Penales (Spain), Certidão do Registo Criminal (Portugal), Справка об отсутствии судимости or Уголовная Справка (Russia), Довідка про несудимість (Ukraine), Zaświadczenie o niekaralności (Poland)

Asia and the Pacific: 无犯罪记录证明 — Wú Fànzuì Jìlù Zhèngmíng (China), Police Clearance Certificate (Philippines, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh), NBI Clearance — National Bureau of Investigation Clearance (Philippines), 범죄경력조회서 (South Korea), Hồ sơ tư pháp / Phiếu Lý lịch Tư pháp (Vietnam)

Middle East and Africa: شهادة حسن السيرة والسلوك (Arabic — Certificate of Good Conduct, used across Arab countries), شهادة عدم المحكوميه (Arabic — Certificate of No Criminal Conviction), Police Clearance Certificate (Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and most Commonwealth nations)

All document types are translated word-for-word, preserving all legal terminology, offense descriptions (if any), official stamps, seals, case numbers, and issuing authority details.

Who Needs Certified Police Clearance Translation

We, as a certified translation company that focuses on translation for immigration and covers 80+ different languages, have helped thousands of applicants with certified translation of criminal records for different purposes.

• Immigration applicants submitting Form I-485 (green card), K-1 fiancé(e) visa, N-400 (naturalization), or immigrant visa applications to the National Visa Center. Police clearances from all countries of prior residence must be certified-translated under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3).
• International job seekers and employees applying for positions with multinational employers, government contractors, financial institutions, or any organization conducting international background verification. Certified translations of foreign police clearances are required for background screening in the US and many other countries.
• Students and academic applicants are required to provide criminal background checks as part of international admissions. Some graduate programs, professional degree programs, and institutions requiring clinical placements mandate police clearance certificates with certified translations.
• International adoption applicants must demonstrate a clean criminal background to the authorities of the child's country. International adoption agencies and courts typically require certified translations of police clearances from the prospective adoptive parents' home country and country of residence.
• Professional licensing applicants in regulated professions — including medicine, law, nursing, engineering, and teaching — who must submit foreign criminal background checks to US licensing boards as part of credential verification.

Prices for Certified Police Clearance Translation

Standard delivery: 24 hours from payment.

Rush delivery: contact support

For languages not listed, or for multi-document orders covering several countries, contact our support team for a package quote.

How Our Police Clearance Translation Process Works

Upload your document. Submit a clear scan or photo through our secure order form. All text, stamps, seals, case numbers, and official signatures must be fully visible. JPG, PNG, and PDF accepted.

Confirm purpose and turnaround. Tell us whether the translation is for USCIS (and which form), K-1 visa, employment, or another purpose. We confirm exact pricing and delivery time — typically within minutes. Rush options available at this stage.

Legal specialist translator assigned. Your document is assigned to a certified translator with expertise in legal and immigration documentation and your specific language pair. Police clearances require precise handling of legal terminology, offense classifications, and jurisdictional language.

Complete translation and independent review. Every element is translated exactly as it appears: the issuing authority, the official statement (including "no criminal record" or specific offense details), charges, dispositions, dates, reference numbers, stamps, and seals. An independent reviewer verifies accuracy before certification.

Certified delivery within 24 hours. Your translation is delivered as a PDF with a signed certificate of accuracy attached, formatted to meet 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requirements. 

Certification for Police Clearance Translation

Government translation services differ fundamentally from standard translation in that they carry official weight and legal significance. Certification serves as proof of the validity and authenticity of the translated document and can only be issued by a certified expert — a qualified professional who has passed the required examinations and holds the legal authority to certify documents, including police report translation, criminal record translation, and other official government documents.

At TheWordPoint, we cover not only the most widely spoken languages in government and criminal record translation services — such as English, German, French, and Spanish — but also specialize in less common languages, including translation from Portuguese and Japanese. In total, we work with almost 80 languages, offering comprehensive coverage for virtually any official translation need.

Do not leave the translation of your legal documents to chance. Choose experienced certified professionals who understand the critical importance of accuracy, confidentiality, and fast turnaround. Contact TheWordPoint today for police report translation, driver's license translation, marriage certificate translation, birth certificate translation, and all other official government document translation needs.