Do you need a certified translator for USCIS?
Do you need a certified translator for USCIS? No. And you do not need a sworn one from Brazil either. USCIS wants a certified translation, which is a document, not a certified translator, which would be a person with a license. Big difference, and it saves you money.
There is no such thing as a translator's license
Here is the thing nobody in the US has: a translator's license. There is not one. So when USCIS asks for a “certified” translation, they do not mean a licensed person signed it. They mean the translation is complete and accurate, with a signed statement saying so. That statement is the Certificate of Accuracy. That is the whole ask, in 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). Our USCIS translation requirements guide has the rule in plain English.
Why Brazilians expect to need one
Brazilians trip on this because in Brazil you actually do need the licensed one. For a lot of official stuff inside Brazil the law wants a tradução juramentada, done by a tradutor público who passed a state exam. Real thing, real license. So you assume the US must have its own version. It does not. USCIS is not Brazil with English words. Bring Brazilian rules to a US filing and you pay for a stamp the US never asked for.
So no, you do not need a juramentada
So no, you do not need a juramentada for USCIS. It is not wrong, they will not bounce it just for being one, but it costs more, it is priced by the lauda, and it is built for a Brazilian court, not a US officer. You are buying a badge nobody at USCIS cares about. A US certified translation does the same job, cheaper and faster.
Who should actually do it
Who should do it, then? Somebody who will get every stamp, seal, and back-page note right, match the names and dates to the rest of your file, and sign a certification that holds up. Not you, and not your cousin, because certifying your own evidence earns your file the skeptical read. We do this every day and back it with the USCIS acceptance guarantee.
That is us. $19 a page, back in 24 hours, signed by Ivy, guaranteed. Whether it is a birth certificate, a marriage certificate, or any Portuguese document, send a photo and it is handled.
Ivy, a native Brazilian Portuguese speaker, translates and signs every order herself, and each one ships with the Certificate of Accuracy that 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires.
Common questions
Is there a certified translator license in the US?
No. No federal or state license for translators, so there is no badge for USCIS to check. They check the translation and the signed certification, not the person's credentials.
Does USCIS accept a tradução juramentada from Brazil?
Yeah, they will not reject it just for being juramentada. But it is not required and it usually costs more. For a US filing, a US certified translation is the simpler, cheaper route.
Is ATA certification required?
No. Nice to have, not required. USCIS names no organization. A competent translator who signs the certification meets the rule.
If I do not need a certified translator, what do I need?
A certified translation: the full English translation plus a signed Certificate of Accuracy under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). The whole rule in plain English is in USCIS translation requirements.
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