Certified Translation Services for Portland, Maine
Apostille Authentications provides certified translation for residents of Portland, Maine, starting at $65 per page with most jobs done in 1 to 2 business days. A note on geography, because two cities share the name: our office is in Lake Oswego, near Portland, Oregon. We have no office in Portland, Maine. Customers in Maine upload documents through the quote form and get the signed, certified translation back electronically or by mail.
Upload your document below as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file, or call (971) 514-3743 for a quote.
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Portland, Maine in numbers
Portland is Maine’s largest city and the seat of Cumberland County. Census Reporter’s profile of the 2024 American Community Survey lists 69,572 residents, with 12.9 percent born outside the United States. That share is more than double the 4.7 percent figure for Maine as a whole.
Portland Public Schools publishes its own language picture. Its Multilingual and Multicultural Center, at 353 Cumberland Avenue, reports about 2,750 multilingual students, roughly 42 percent of enrollment. The district lists Somali, Arabic, Lingala, Khmer, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Vietnamese and Kinyarwanda as its most spoken languages after English, and its Language Access team arranges interpreting and translation for families on school matters.
State and federal courts in Portland, Maine
Several courts share one state courthouse. If you are filing foreign-language records, ask the clerk of the specific court what it expects, since the Judicial Branch’s published interpreter policy deals with spoken interpreting and not with parties’ documents.
| Portland District Court | 205 Newbury Street, Ground Floor, Portland, ME 04101 |
|---|---|
| Cumberland County Superior Court | 205 Newbury Street, Ground Floor, Portland, ME 04101 |
| Maine Supreme Judicial Court Clerk | 205 Newbury Street, Room 139, Portland, ME 04101 |
| Cumberland County Probate Court | 142 Federal Street, Suite 125, Portland, ME 04101. Handles estates, name changes and adoptions. |
| U.S. District Court, District of Maine | Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse, 156 Federal Street, Portland, ME 04101 |
Interpreters are provided by the court. Document translation is not.
Maine’s state courts assign interpreters at no cost for court proceedings to people with limited English proficiency, including parties, witnesses and parents of minors in juvenile cases. Requests go to the clerk’s counter or to the Communication Access Specialist, whose office is reached at (207) 822-0703 or interpreters@courts.maine.gov. The Judicial Branch’s Language Access Plan says it translates its own vital court forms into Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.
A foreign birth certificate, marriage record or decree that you want a Portland court to consider is a different matter. That is where a certified translation with a signed certificate of accuracy comes in.
Records and county offices
In Maine, birth, death and marriage certificates are issued by municipal clerks and by the state. Portland’s City Clerk keeps the city’s vital records at City Hall. The state office, Maine CDC Data, Research, and Vital Statistics in Augusta, charges $15.00 for a certified copy and $6.00 for each additional copy ordered with it.
The Cumberland County Registry of Deeds is at 27 Northport Drive, Portland, ME 04103. The Probate Court on Federal Street also takes passport applications, according to the county.
Immigration filings from Portland, Maine
USCIS applies one translation rule nationwide. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), any document containing foreign language must come with a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and accurate, plus the translator’s certification of competence in both languages. Our certificate is drafted to meet that wording. Acceptance is always up to the agency.
Maine law also matters here. A notary who is not an attorney may not use the title ‘notario publico’ or act as an immigration consultant, under Title 4, section 1926.
From Portland to a Maine apostille
Apostilles are not issued in Portland. They come from the Secretary of State in Augusta, at a fee of $10.00 per certification, with a published processing time of 10 to 15 business days. Requests are mailed to 101 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0101, or sent by courier to 6 E. Chestnut Street, 5th Floor, Augusta, with the Request for Authentications/Apostilles form.
The office certifies vital records and notarized documents. For a translation to be certified, the translator’s statement must be notarized. When that is needed for Maine, we hire a notary commissioned in Maine to notarize the translator’s statement.
How Portland, Maine customers order
Send a scan or phone photo of each page through the quote form in PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word format. We reply with the cost and delivery date, translate, and return the certified translation electronically or by mail.
We cover 100 languages. Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Czech are requested most. For languages outside that list, such as those common in Portland schools, ask us whether we have a translator available. Phone (971) 514-3743 during office hours, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. That is an Oregon number, so allow for the time difference.
Related services for Portland
- Maine document translation services: the statewide rules for courts, notaries, vital records and driver licensing
- Maine apostille service
- All document translation services
Portland translation questions
No. The office is in Lake Oswego, near Portland, Oregon. Customers in Portland, Maine are served remotely by upload, email and mail.
Certified translation starts at $65 per page, and most documents are ready in 1 to 2 business days. Every translation includes a signed certificate of accuracy.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maine sits at the Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse, 156 Federal Street, Portland, ME 04101.
No. Maine apostilles are issued only by the Secretary of State in Augusta, for $10.00 per certification. Requests can be mailed or sent by courier.
Maine courts provide interpreters at no cost for court proceedings, but that service covers spoken interpreting. Ask the court clerk what translation it requires for documents you file.
Portland Public Schools lists Somali, Arabic, Lingala, Khmer, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Vietnamese and Kinyarwanda as its most spoken languages after English.
Sources
The local details on this page come from these official sources.
- Census Reporter: Portland, ME
- Portland Public Schools: Multilingual and Multicultural Center
- Maine District Courts
- Maine Superior Courts
- Maine Supreme Judicial Court
- U.S. District Court, District of Maine
- Cumberland County, Maine
- Maine Judicial Branch: Spoken-language Interpreters
- Maine Judicial Branch Language Access Plan
- 8 CFR 103.2
- Maine Revised Statutes Title 4, section 1926
- Maine Secretary of State: Authentications and Apostilles
- Maine CDC Vital Records: Request Documents
Get your Portland 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.