Certified Translation Services in Columbia, Maryland
Apostille Authentications provides certified translation for people in Columbia, Maryland, from $65 per page, and most orders are ready in 1 to 2 business days. Each translation comes with a signed certificate of accuracy. We have no office in Howard County: the work is done remotely from the Portland, Oregon area. You upload the document through the quote form and receive the finished translation electronically or by mail. This page covers Columbia in Maryland, not the cities in South Carolina or Missouri.
Upload your document below as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file, or call (971) 514-3743 for a quote.
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Howard County offices that issue the records people translate
Columbia is an unincorporated community in Howard County, so county and state offices issue its records. One of them is in Columbia itself; the courthouse offices are in Ellicott City.
| Howard County Health Department | 8930 Stanford Blvd, Columbia, MD 21045. Issues Maryland birth certificates for births after 1939. Published fee: $25.00. Walk-ins Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; the department recommends calling 410-313-6300 first. |
|---|---|
| Death certificates | At the county office these go to funeral directors only. The public applies through the Maryland Department of Health. |
| Circuit Court for Howard County, Marriage License Department | 9250 Judicial Way, Suite 1900, Ellicott City, MD 21043. Marriage license $50.00; certified copy of a marriage record $5.50. |
| Register of Wills | 9250 Judicial Way, Suite 1100, Ellicott City, MD 21043. |
| District Court for Howard County | 3451 Courthouse Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043. |
How to order a translation from Columbia
Nothing has to be dropped off anywhere. The steps are the same whether the document is a foreign birth certificate going to an English-speaking agency or a Howard County record going abroad.
- Upload. Send a scan or clear photo through the quote form as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file.
- Quote. We confirm the price, which starts at $65 per page, and the delivery date.
- Translation. A translator prepares the full translation and signs a certificate of accuracy.
- Delivery. You get the certified translation electronically, or on paper by mail if the receiving office wants an original signature.
- Questions. Call (971) 514-3743 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
What USCIS and the Maryland MVA ask for
Federal regulation 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires that any foreign-language document sent to USCIS come with a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and accurate, along with the translator’s certification of competence to translate from that language into English. Our certificate of accuracy is written to cover both statements.
The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration is stricter. A foreign driver’s license that is not in English must be accompanied by an international driver’s license or by an English translation from an MVA-approved translator. For other documents the MVA accepts translations only from an MVA-approved provider or court translator, the embassy of the issuing country, or a translator contracted by the State, and the original must accompany the translation. Check the MVA’s approved provider list before ordering a translation meant for the MVA.
Getting a Maryland apostille when you live in Columbia
Apostilles are issued by the Maryland Secretary of State’s Certification Desk at 16 Francis Street, 1st floor, Annapolis, MD 21401. The fee is $5.00 per document.
A notarized document cannot go straight to Annapolis. It first has to be certified by the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the notary was commissioned. For a Howard County notary that is the clerk’s office at 9250 Judicial Way, Suite 1900, Ellicott City, which charges $1.00 per authentication. State or county records carrying an official seal and signature, such as a birth certificate, skip that step.
The Secretary of State takes walk-ins from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday, with a limit of 10 documents per customer per day. By mail, send the completed checklist, a check or money order payable to the Secretary of State and a prepaid return envelope. The office quotes about 3 to 4 days when FedEx, UPS or Priority Mail is used and 7 to 14 business days by regular mail.
When a translation needs to be notarized for Maryland, for example so it can receive a Maryland apostille, we hire a notary commissioned in Maryland to notarize the translator’s statement. We can also help with the apostille request.
Schools and colleges in Columbia
Howard Community College in Columbia asks students with overseas college credit to obtain a course-by-course evaluation from one of the credential evaluation agencies it lists. The college notes that many Maryland colleges and universities accept evaluations only from World Education Services, so confirm with the school you plan to transfer to. Evaluation agencies set their own translation requirements; ask the agency what it needs before you order.
The Howard County Public School System reports 187 home languages and 147 home countries among its students. Its Multilingual Family Registration Center handles registration for high school students with foreign transcripts and reviews those transcripts.
Languages in Columbia and the ones we translate
Census Bureau QuickFacts reports that 25.7 percent of Columbia residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home and 20.8 percent of residents were born outside the United States (2020 to 2024 estimates).
We translate 100 languages. The most requested are Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Czech. If yours is not named here, ask when you request a quote.
Courts that cover Columbia
State cases from Columbia are heard at the Circuit Court for Howard County, 9250 Judicial Way, and the District Court at 3451 Courthouse Drive, both in Ellicott City. Howard County falls in the Northern Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, whose Baltimore courthouse is at 101 West Lombard Street. The Maryland Judiciary publishes a Request for Spoken Language Interpreter form for people who need an interpreter at a hearing. If you plan to file a translated document, ask the clerk or your attorney what form of certification the court expects.
Related services for Columbia
- Maryland document translation services: the statewide rules for courts, notaries, vital records and driver licensing
- Maryland apostille service
- All document translation services
Columbia translation questions
Apostille Authentications serves Columbia, MD remotely from the Portland, Oregon area. You upload the document through the quote form and receive a certified translation with a signed certificate of accuracy electronically or by mail.
Certified translation starts at $65 per page. Most orders are ready in 1 to 2 business days.
The Howard County Health Department at 8930 Stanford Blvd in Columbia issues Maryland birth certificates for births after 1939. Its published fee is $25.00.
The Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis issues apostilles for $5.00 per document. A document notarized by a Howard County notary must first be certified by the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Ellicott City, which charges $1.00.
USCIS rules at 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) require a full English translation certified by the translator as complete and accurate, plus a statement of the translator’s competence. The rule does not require the translator to be located in Maryland, but no company can promise how an agency will rule on a filing.
No. The MVA requires a non-English license to come with an international driver’s license or a translation from an MVA-approved translator, so check the MVA’s approved provider list first.
Sources
The local details on this page come from these official sources.
- Maryland Secretary of State, Certifications and Apostilles
- Maryland Secretary of State, mailing checklist
- Circuit Court for Howard County, notary authentication
- Circuit Court for Howard County, marriage licenses
- Howard County Health Department, birth and death certificates
- Maryland Courts directory, Howard County
- 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), eCFR
- Maryland MVA, international movers
- Maryland MVA, translator provider requirements
- Howard Community College, overseas transcript evaluation
- Howard County Public School System, multilingual family services
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Columbia CDP
Get your Columbia translation started
Upload your document for a quote, or call (971) 514-3743 and tell us where the translation is going. We confirm the level of certification you need before any work begins.