Virginia Document Translation Services

Apostille Authentications provides certified document translation for people and businesses across Virginia, from $65 per page, with most orders ready in 1 to 2 business days. The work is done remotely from our office in Lake Oswego, Oregon, near Portland: you upload your documents through the quote form and receive the translation electronically or by mail. Each translation comes with a signed certificate of accuracy, and the translator’s statement can be notarized when a receiving office asks for it.

Upload your document below as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file, or call (971) 514-3743 for a quote.

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Who asks for translated documents in Virginia

Several Virginia and federal offices publish their own wording on foreign-language documents. Read the rule for the office you are filing with before you order, because each one asks for something slightly different.

USCIS. Federal regulation 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) says any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS must come with a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and accurate, plus the translator’s certification of competence to translate from the foreign language into English.
Virginia DMV. The DMV’s driver privilege card page states that documents in a foreign language must be accompanied by a certified English translation by a professional translator. The same page says DMV does not provide translator or interpreter services.
Virginia courts. The Judicial System’s Foreign Language Services page says all forms filed with the court must be completed in English; translated court forms are for information only. Its Language Access Plan manual lists what courts should require with a translated document: a certification statement, the translator’s signature, the translator’s printed name and the translator’s credentials.
Secretary of the Commonwealth. The authentications office accepts documents written in other languages, but the notarization on them must be in English. The office states that it does not provide translation services.

How to order a translation from anywhere in Virginia

There is no Virginia office to visit. Ordering is done online or by phone with our Oregon office, which is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.

Step 1. Scan or photograph every page, including stamps and the reverse side, and upload the files through the quote form as PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word.
Step 2. Tell us the language pair and where the translation is going, for example USCIS, a circuit court, the DMV or an authority abroad.
Step 3. Approve the quote. Translation starts from $65 per page and most orders are ready in 1 to 2 business days.
Step 4. Receive the certified translation electronically, or ask for paper copies by mail. Say so at the start if you need the translator’s statement notarized.

Virginia apostilles: what the Secretary of the Commonwealth requires

In Virginia, apostilles and other authentications are issued by the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Authentication Division in Richmond. The office describes its purpose as verifying to foreign governments that certain Virginia officials are in good standing, and its authentications are only valid for use outside the United States and its territories.

Fee	$10.00 per document, not per page. Additional documents signed by the same official on the same date for the same country are $5 each. Checks and money orders are payable to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Cover letter	Created online at authentications.solutions.virginia.gov and sent with the documents, payment and a pre-paid, self-addressed return mailer.
Mail (USPS)	Secretary of the Commonwealth, Authentication Division, 1111 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Processing is 7 to 10 business days.
FedEx, UPS, DHL	Authentication Division, 400 East Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23219.
In person	By appointment only, Monday to Thursday, with a limit of 10 documents per customer. Appointments are released on Fridays at 10:00 a.m. for the following week. Most are processed the same day if properly notarized.
Drop box	At 400 East Cary Street, with 5 to 7 business day processing. Couriers and authentication companies must use the drop box and get documents back by mail.
Phone	804-692-0114

Document rules that cause Virginia rejections

The Secretary of the Commonwealth publishes requirements by document type, along with a list of rejection reasons. The points below come from those pages.

Notarized documents. Must be notarized by a Virginia notary within the past 12 months, with the city or county, date, notarial statement, signature, commission expiration date, registration number and seal. The whole notarization must be on one page and must be in English. Photocopies of a notarization are rejected.
Vital records. Birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates cannot be notarized and must have been issued by the Virginia Department of Health within the past 12 months.
Circuit court records. Cannot be notarized. They must be issued by the Virginia circuit court within the past 12 months with the two-page Certification of Official Record, known as the Triple Seal, showing the clerk’s signature, printed name and date. Marriage certificates from a circuit court need the same certification.
State Corporation Commission records. Must be issued by the Commission within the past 12 months and signed by the Clerk of the Commission.
Out-of-state and federal documents. Out-of-state records, including school transcripts and diplomas, go to the state of origin. Federal documents go to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications.

Where certified Virginia vital records come from

The Virginia Department of Health Office of Vital Records holds birth and death records from 1912, marriage records from 1936 and divorce records from 1918. Its page states that the vital record certificate fee is $15.00 effective July 1, 2026. Standard processing takes about 2 weeks; express delivery through VitalChek is also offered.

Walk-in lobby	8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23227, Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Mail	VDH, Office of Vital Records, P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, VA 23218-1000
Customer care	(804) 662-6200
DMV	All DMV customer service centers issue certified copies of Virginia birth, death, marriage and divorce records. The DMV page lists a $17 records search fee in person, charged whether or not the record is found.

What a Virginia notary can and cannot do

The Handbook for Virginia Notaries Public says Virginia notaries are not authorized to certify true copies of birth, death or marriage certificates, so a notarized photocopy of a vital record is not a substitute for a certified copy. A traditional notary may charge up to $10.00 for each notarial act, and an electronic notary up to $25. Notaries may not offer legal advice on immigration.

The handbook does not address translations. When we notarize a translation, the notary notarizes the translator’s signed statement, not the translation itself and not the original document.

Languages in Virginia

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 one-year estimates, as published by Census Reporter, show 18.2 percent of Virginia residents, about 1.52 million people, speak a language other than English at home, and 13.6 percent of residents are foreign-born.

Virginia’s courts certify interpreters in 18 languages: Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Cantonese, Filipino (Tagalog), French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese.

We translate 100 languages. The ones requested most often are Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Czech.

Translation pages for Virginia cities

We have a page for each of these Virginia cities, with the local offices, courts and schools that affect a translation there:

Richmond · Virginia Beach · Norfolk · Chesapeake · Newport News · Arlington · Alexandria · Fairfax

Virginia apostille service, when the original record needs an apostille too
All document translation services

Virginia document translation questions

How much does certified document translation cost in Virginia?

Apostille Authentications charges from $65 per page for certified translation ordered from Virginia. The price includes a signed certificate of accuracy.

Does the Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth translate documents for an apostille?

No. The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s authentications office states that it does not provide translation or notarization services. It accepts documents in other languages, but the notarization on them must be in English.

How much is an apostille in Virginia and how long does it take?

The Secretary of the Commonwealth charges $10.00 per document, and $5 for additional documents signed by the same official on the same date for the same country. Mailed requests take 7 to 10 business days, the drop box 5 to 7 business days, and most in-person appointments are processed the same day.

Does the Virginia DMV require translated documents?

The Virginia DMV’s driver privilege card page says documents in a foreign language must be accompanied by a certified English translation by a professional translator. DMV does not provide translators.

Can a Virginia notary certify a copy of my birth certificate for translation or apostille?

No. The Virginia notary handbook says notaries are not authorized to certify true copies of birth, death or marriage certificates. For an apostille, the certificate must be issued by the Virginia Department of Health within the past 12 months and must not be notarized.

Is there a translation office in Virginia I can visit?

Apostille Authentications has no office in Virginia. It works from Lake Oswego, Oregon, and Virginia customers upload documents through the quote form and receive translations electronically or by mail.