Louisiana Document Translation Services

Apostille Authentications provides certified document translation for people and businesses in Louisiana, from $65 per page, with most translations ready in 1 to 2 business days. Each one comes with a signed certificate of accuracy. We work remotely from our office in the Portland, Oregon area: you upload your document through the quote form and receive the translation electronically or by mail. Below are the Louisiana rules that most often decide what kind of translation you need.

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

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What Louisiana and federal rules say about translated documents

Translation requirements in Louisiana come from the agency receiving the document, so check with that agency first. These are the published rules we could confirm.

USCIS. Federal regulation 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires any foreign-language document submitted to USCIS to come with a full English translation that the translator certifies as complete and accurate, along with the translator’s certification of competence to translate from the foreign language into English.
Marriage licenses. Under La. R.S. 9:226, an applicant born outside the United States who presents a foreign birth certificate that is not in English must also give a translated copy, with a sworn declaration from the translator stating fluency in both languages and that the translation is true and accurate. A valid passport or an unexpired visa with Form I-94 is required as well.
Driver licensing. The Office of Motor Vehicles says immigration documents must be verified before a Louisiana license is issued and that visitors to the United States are not eligible for a Louisiana license or ID card. Its license transfer page refers to notarized translations provided by a translator acceptable to the OMV, so confirm with the OMV what it will accept for your foreign license.
Universities. Louisiana State University asks international applicants for official transcripts in the original language together with an English translation.

The route to a Louisiana apostille

Apostilles for Louisiana documents are issued by the Louisiana Secretary of State, whose office is in Baton Rouge. The Louisiana Department of Health describes the path for vital records in two steps: first request a certified copy of the birth or death certificate from Louisiana Vital Records, then send that certified copy to the Secretary of State with the required fee.

A Louisiana public university registrar that prepares diplomas for apostille describes the same office’s process this way: complete the Authentication Request Form from the Secretary of State website, pay $20 per document by check or by the card details entered on the form, and include a prepaid return envelope when mailing. That page adds that same-day service may be available in person. Confirm the current fee, form and delivery address on the Secretary of State’s apostille page before you send anything.

If your translation itself has to be apostilled, the translator’s statement must first be notarized. When a translation needs to be notarized for Louisiana, we hire a notary commissioned in Louisiana to notarize the translator’s statement. We can also help with the apostille request.

Where certified Louisiana records come from

A translation is only as useful as the record behind it, and foreign authorities usually want a recent certified copy. Louisiana is a closed record state, so birth certificates go only to the person named, close family members or an authorized attorney.

State office	Vital Records Registry, 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans; walk-in 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays
By mail	Vital Records Registry, PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160; allow 8 to 10 weeks
Birth certificate	$15.00 per certified copy from the Registry
Death certificate	$7.00 per certified copy from the Registry
Parish Clerks of Court	Participating clerks issue records with added fees: $34.00 long-form birth, $26.00 death
Online or phone	VitalChek, the authorized provider, with extra charges
Orleans Parish marriage certificate	$5.00 per certified copy

Louisiana courts and interpreters

The Louisiana Supreme Court runs the state’s Office of Language Access and approved a Language Access Plan for Louisiana courts in 2020. The plan says parties cannot be charged for court interpreter services in judicial proceedings.

Court interpreters are credentialed in two tiers. A registered interpreter has completed a two-day training course and passed a written English exam and a written translation exam. A certified interpreter has also passed tested sections on simultaneous interpreting, consecutive interpreting and sight translation with at least 70 percent on each. Courts are told to appoint certified interpreters first, then registered ones.

Court interpreting and written document translation are different services. The plan requires courts to translate their own vital documents, such as forms and notices of rights. It does not set a statewide format for translations that parties file as exhibits, so ask the clerk of the court hearing your case what it expects.

Louisiana notaries and translated documents

Louisiana notaries hold a different position from notaries in other states. Under La. R.S. 35:191, a non-attorney applicant must be fluent in reading, writing and speaking English and must pass a state examination, and attorneys licensed in Louisiana may act as notaries in every parish.

Title 35 also makes it an offense to exercise, or claim the right to exercise, notarial functions without authority, with a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment and restitution. Complaints go to the Secretary of State.

A notarized translation means the translator’s signed statement of accuracy was sworn or acknowledged before a notary. Agencies that ask for one, such as a parish clerk handling a marriage license, are asking for that sworn declaration.

Languages spoken in Louisiana

Census Bureau ACS 2024 one-year estimates put Louisiana’s population at 4,597,740, with about 9 percent of residents speaking a language other than English at home and 5.2 percent born abroad.

The Supreme Court’s Language Access Plan, citing 2015 Census data, counted 119,591 residents with limited English proficiency. Spanish was the largest group, followed by French, Vietnamese, Chinese and Arabic. Five parishes held 57 percent of that population: Jefferson, Orleans, East Baton Rouge, Lafayette and St. Tammany.

We translate 100 languages. The most requested are Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Czech. For any other language, including French, ask us when you request a quote.

How to order a translation from anywhere in Louisiana

We have no office in Louisiana. Everything is handled online and by mail from Lake Oswego, Oregon.

1. Upload. Send a scan or clear photo through the quote form as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file.
2. Confirm. We reply with the price, which starts at $65 per page, and the delivery time. Tell us which agency will receive the translation and whether it must be notarized.
3. Receive. Most translations are ready in 1 to 2 business days and are returned electronically or by mail with the signed certificate of accuracy.
Questions. Call (971) 514-3743 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Translation pages for Louisiana cities

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

Baton Rouge · New Orleans · Shreveport · Lafayette · Lake Charles · Metairie

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

Louisiana document translation questions

Who does certified document translation in Louisiana?

Apostille Authentications provides certified translations for Louisiana customers remotely from the Portland, Oregon area. Each translation carries a signed certificate of accuracy and is returned electronically or by mail.

How much does a certified translation cost in Louisiana?

Our certified translation starts at $65 per page, and most orders are ready in 1 to 2 business days. You get an exact quote after uploading the document.

Who issues apostilles in Louisiana?

The Louisiana Secretary of State issues apostilles for Louisiana documents. For a birth or death certificate, the Department of Health says to get a certified copy from Louisiana Vital Records first and then send it to the Secretary of State with the fee.

How much is a Louisiana apostille?

A Louisiana public university registrar’s instructions state that the Secretary of State charges $20 per document on its Authentication Request Form. Check the Secretary of State’s apostille page for the current fee before sending payment.

Does a foreign birth certificate need to be translated for a Louisiana marriage license?

Yes. La. R.S. 9:226 requires a translated copy of a birth certificate that is not in English, with a sworn declaration from the translator that they are fluent in both languages and that the translation is true and accurate.

Does USCIS accept translations done outside Louisiana?

The USCIS rule, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), sets no location requirement. It requires a full English translation certified by the translator as complete and accurate, plus the translator’s certification of competence.