How is a Spanish-language marriage certificate translated for USCIS?

If your marriage certificate is in Spanish, it goes to USCIS with a full English translation and the translator’s signed certification. The translation covers everything on the record: both spouses’ details, the property regime you chose, the witnesses, the seals and signatures, and any notes in the margin or on the back.

USCIS, the federal agency that decides your petition, does not accept a summary prepared by the translator. If you married in the United States and your certificate is already in English, there is nothing to translate for USCIS. If you searched for a wedding certificate translation, the document USCIS asks for is the marriage certificate (in Mexico, the acta de matrimonio) with its certified English translation.

When does a marriage certificate need translating for USCIS?

You need a marriage certificate translation for USCIS whenever the certificate is not in English and you are filing it with your case. For a spouse, the Form I-130 page (the family petition) lists “A copy of your marriage certificate” and “Evidence you or your spouse terminated any prior marriages (if applicable)”.

The same page says any document in a foreign language must come with a full English translation and the translator’s certification. That is the rule in 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3).

The instructions for Forms I-130, I-485 (the green card application) and N-400 (the citizenship application) add that the certification must include the translator’s signature, printed name, signature date and contact information. They also ask for legible photocopies unless they tell you to send an original. So the translation goes in with a copy of your Spanish certificate, not in place of it.

Your form’s instructions say which other documents to file. If you’re not sure which apply to you, ask an attorney. The general rules are in our guide to what USCIS requires for a document in Spanish, along with what changes if your spouse’s visa interview is at the consulate in Ciudad Juárez.

What parts of the marriage certificate get translated?

All of them. USCIS requires a full translation, and its Policy Manual says a summary prepared by a translator is unacceptable.

The American Translators Association, a professional association of translators, warns that government agencies want every visible detail translated, including stamps, seals, signatures and margin notes. It adds that leaving out back-page stamps frequently triggers a rejection (ATA, 2026).

In Mexico, the civil registry of each state and of Mexico City issues these records (U.S. State Department), so yours may show more details or fewer. Mexico’s Federal Civil Code, which applies to federal matters (article 1), gives an idea of what a marriage certificate holds. Its article 103 lists the spouses’ and their parents’ details, the property regime, the witnesses’ details, the signatures and the spouses’ fingerprints.

In each certified marriage certificate translation, we go through the record part by part:

Part of the certificate	What it may show	How we translate it
Registry details	Data that identify the record, such as the state, municipality, registry office, certificate number and registration date	Everything is translated; numbers and codes are copied exactly
The spouses	Each spouse’s name, age, occupation, address and place of birth	Names are not translated: they appear exactly as on the certificate, with both surnames and their accents
Their parents	Names, surnames, occupation and address	Names appear exactly as on the certificate
Property regime	Sociedad conyugal or separación de bienes	Translated as written, with the Spanish term in brackets
Witnesses	Name, age, marital status, occupation, address and whether they are related to the couple	Translated in full
Signatures, fingerprints and seals	Signatures of the civil registry judge or officer, the spouses and the witnesses; the spouses’ fingerprints; the office’s seals	Noted where they appear; the readable text of each seal is translated
Notes and the back	Margin or back-page notes, such as a divorce annotation	Translated in full, with their dates and seals

Table sources, checked October 2 to 9, 2026: Federal Civil Code, arts. 1 and 103 (in Spanish) · 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) · USCIS Policy Manual · ATA, 2026 · State Department.

How is the property regime translated: sociedad conyugal or separación de bienes?

Exactly as the certificate words it, with the original Spanish term in brackets beside the English, so whoever reads the translation can see what the record said. The certificate records the regime you chose. Under Mexico’s Federal Civil Code, for example, the certificate must state whether the spouses married under sociedad conyugal or separación de bienes (article 103, section VII, in Spanish).

What that regime means for your property, or for a case in the United States, is a legal question. We don’t answer it: ask an attorney.

What if your marriage certificate carries a divorce annotation?

The annotation is translated in full, with its date and seals, like the rest of the certificate. If one of you was married before, the certificate from that marriage may show the divorce as a note in the margin. Mexico’s Federal Civil Code, for example, has the civil registry draw up a divorce certificate and then annotate the couple’s marriage certificate (articles 114 to 116, in Spanish).

In its guide to Mexican documents for visas, the State Department says marriage certificates annotated with a divorce can be obtained in some Mexican states and are acceptable proof that the marriage ended.

For USCIS, the Form I-130 page asks for evidence that any prior marriage ended, if that applies to you, and refers you to the form instructions for details. Which document to use as that proof is a question for an attorney. If you have the divorce certificate or the court ruling, see our guide to divorce records.

Can you get the marriage certificate online before translating it?

If it was issued in Mexico, it depends on the state. Mexico’s National Civil Registry Platform (Plataforma Nacional del Registro Civil), at miregistrocivil.gob.mx, lists Mexico’s 31 states and Mexico City. You select the state where you married, and the site shows the procedures available there. Check whether a certified copy of a marriage certificate is one of them.

The platform works with Llave MX, the Mexican government’s login for online services. With it you can check the status of a request you made on the platform.

In Mexico you can also get one in person. According to the State Department, each Mexican state’s central civil registry can issue marriage certificates from other states through an interconnection database. The same page says the procedure and the fee vary by state.

Each office decides whether it accepts a copy you printed at home. The FAQ in our immigration translation guide covers what the State Department says about Mexican birth certificates printed from the internet. To translate your marriage certificate, a PDF or a clear photo is all we need.

Your marriage certificate translation with Puente Grande

Didi translates your marriage certificate into English and signs the translator’s certification. It costs $40 for a short-form certificate and $50 for a long-form one. Not sure which you have? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you.

We deliver in 48 business hours (Monday through Friday, excluding holidays), or in 2 to 4 hours with express service for an additional charge, weekends and holidays included. Nothing is certified until you approve 100% of the content. You can see prices for all our certified translations.

We work with clients anywhere in the U.S. Send a photo of both sides of every page on WhatsApp at (602) 332-9460, and we’ll reply with the price and delivery date. You can also call us or contact us by email or through the form on our site.

If USCIS schedules your green card interview at the Phoenix Field Office and you need to do it in Spanish, you bring the interpreter. On Form G-1256 (Declaration for Interpreted USCIS Interview), the officer records the presence of the interpreter you have provided. Didi can be the interpreter for your USCIS interview.

What this guide does not answer

This guide does not tell you which evidence to file, whether your marriage or divorce is valid for USCIS, or what your property regime means for what you own. That is legal advice. For it, look for an immigration attorney or an accredited representative of an organization recognized by the Department of Justice.

EOIR, the Justice Department office that includes the immigration courts, publishes the roster of recognized organizations and accredited representatives, and USCIS explains how to find legal services. If you also need your birth certificate in English, read our guide to the Mexican birth certificate.