Maine Document Translation Services
Apostille Authentications provides certified document translation for people and businesses in Maine, with a signed certificate of accuracy on every job. Pricing starts at $65 per page and most translations are ready in 1 to 2 business days. We have no office in Maine. The work is done remotely from our office in Lake Oswego, in the Portland, Oregon area: you upload your documents, and the translation comes 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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What a certified translation is, and the federal rule behind it
Most certified translations ordered from Maine are for immigration filings. The federal rule is 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3): any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and accurate, along with the translator’s certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.
Our certificate of accuracy is written to that standard. It is signed, names the languages, and is attached to the translation. Each agency, school or court decides for itself what it will accept, so check the instructions you were given before you order.
Apostilles in Maine: who issues them and what they cost
Maine apostilles and authentications come from the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions, in Augusta. The office explains that an apostille is the form of authentication for countries bound by the 1961 Hague Convention, and that a regular authentication is used for other countries. It certifies two kinds of paper: vital records issued by municipal, court and state officials, and documents certified by Maine notaries public.
The office says the most common reason it rejects a request is a notary error, usually a missing notarial statement. A jurat or acknowledgment has to appear on the document or be attached to it.
| Fee | $10.00 per special certification, payable to the Secretary of State in U.S. funds |
|---|---|
| Processing time | 10 to 15 business days, as published by the office |
| Form | Request for Authentications/Apostilles, which asks for the country of destination and the number of documents |
| Mailing address | Secretary of State, 101 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0101 |
| Courier and physical address | 6 E. Chestnut Street, 5th Floor, Augusta |
| Payment | Check or money order, or Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express with the credit card voucher |
| Large requests | Call 207-624-7752 for an appointment if you have more than 5 documents |
| Mailing abroad | A shipping label is required if you want the office to send documents outside the United States |
How a translation gets a Maine apostille
A translation is not a public record, so it cannot be apostilled on its own. The usual route is to have the translator’s signed statement notarized, which turns it into a notarized document the Secretary of State can certify. When a translation needs to be notarized for Maine, we hire a notary commissioned in Maine to notarize the translator’s statement.
Many countries want the apostille on the original record as well. Ask the receiving authority whether it needs the original, the translation, or both carrying a certification.
Maine vital records: where certified copies come from
Certified copies of birth, death, marriage and divorce records come from the Maine CDC’s Data, Research, and Vital Statistics office at 220 Capitol Street in Augusta, which holds records from 1892 to the present. Municipal clerks also keep and issue vital records, and older records are held by the municipality or the Maine State Archives. Maine is a closed record state, so you have to show a direct and legitimate interest in the record.
For apostille purposes, the Secretary of State advises people ordering by mail to ask Vital Records to forward the certified copy to the Secretary of State’s office. If you order through VitalChek, call Vital Records at 207-287-1919 after placing the order to arrange forwarding.
| Certified copy | $15.00 for the search and first copy, $6.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time |
|---|---|
| Non-certified copy | $10.00 |
| Walk-in | 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 220 Capitol Street, Augusta |
| Mail orders | 5 to 7 business days from receipt, with a copy of your ID and a self-addressed stamped envelope |
| Online | VitalChek, which adds its own processing fee |
Maine notaries, translations and the 'notario publico' rule
Maine follows the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, found in Title 4, chapter 39. A notarial officer may take acknowledgments, administer oaths, take verifications, witness signatures and certify copies. Certifying that a translation is accurate is not on that list. What a notary does with a translation is notarize the signature on the translator’s own statement.
Title 4, section 1926 bars a notary who is not an attorney from using the title ‘notario’ or ‘notario publico’, from acting as an immigration consultant, and from drafting legal records or giving legal advice. A non-attorney notary who advertises must include a disclaimer, in each language used, saying he or she is not an attorney and may not give advice on legal matters, including immigration. Violations carry a fine of up to $5,000.
Courts and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Maine’s state courts provide interpreters at the State’s expense for people with limited English proficiency who are parties or witnesses, under Administrative Order JB-06-3. That covers spoken interpreting in court proceedings. It does not cover translating your own exhibits and records. The Judicial Branch keeps a three-tier interpreter roster: applicants pass a National Center for State Courts written exam and an oral proficiency interview, and Tier III requires federal certification or passing all three NCSC oral exam sections. The Language Access Plan reports Arabic, American Sign Language, Spanish, Somali and French as the top languages by interpreter expense in fiscal year 2022.
The Bureau of Motor Vehicles lists the immigration documents it accepts as proof of legal presence, and gives new residents 30 days to get a Maine license. Conversion without testing is described for licenses from other U.S. states and Canadian provinces. The knowledge test is offered in Arabic, French, Lingala, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish and Swahili as well as English, with a free interpreter for other languages. The BMV pages we reviewed do not publish a translation rule for foreign licenses, so call License Information at 207-624-9000, ext. 52114 before ordering a translation for that purpose.
Languages in Maine and how to order
Census Reporter’s profile of the 2024 American Community Survey puts Maine’s population at 1,405,012, with about 6 percent of residents speaking a language other than English at home and 4.7 percent born outside the United States.
We translate in 100 languages. The most requested are Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Czech. If you need another language, ask and we will tell you whether we cover it.
- Upload. Send your document through the quote form as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file.
- Confirm. We reply with the price, from $65 per page, and the delivery date.
- Receive. The certified translation arrives electronically or by mail. Tell us up front if you need the translator’s statement notarized or an apostille.
- Questions. Call (971) 514-3743 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Translation pages for Maine cities
We have a page for each of these Maine cities, with the local offices, courts and schools that affect a translation there:
Augusta · Portland · Lewiston · Bangor
- Maine apostille service, when the original record needs an apostille too
- All document translation services
Maine document translation questions
The Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions in Augusta issues apostilles and authentications. The published fee is $10.00 per certification and the published processing time is 10 to 15 business days.
Apostille Authentications charges from $65 per page for certified translation, and most jobs are ready in 1 to 2 business days. The service is provided remotely from the Portland, Oregon area.
No. Maine law lets a notary take acknowledgments, administer oaths, witness signatures and certify copies, but not vouch for a translation’s accuracy. The notary notarizes the translator’s signed statement instead.
The federal rule, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), requires a full English translation with the translator’s certification of accuracy and competence. It does not mention notarization.
Order a certified copy from Maine CDC Vital Records or a municipal clerk, then send it to the Secretary of State with the request form and the $10.00 fee. The Secretary of State suggests asking Vital Records to forward mail orders directly to its office.
No. Title 4, section 1926 of the Maine statutes prohibits a notary who is not an attorney from using the title ‘notario’ or ‘notario publico’ and from acting as an immigration consultant.
Sources
The local details on this page come from these official sources.
- Maine Secretary of State: Authentications and Apostilles
- Maine apostille request form
- Maine CDC Vital Records: Request Documents
- Maine CDC Vital Records
- Maine Revised Statutes Title 4, section 1926
- Maine Revised Statutes Title 4, chapter 39
- 8 CFR 103.2
- Maine Judicial Branch: Spoken-language Interpreters
- Maine Judicial Branch: Information for Interpreters
- Maine Judicial Branch Language Access Plan
- Administrative Order JB-06-3
- Maine BMV: Driver’s License Exam
- Maine BMV: Legal Presence for Non-Citizens
- Maine BMV: Moving from a Different State
- Census Reporter: Maine
Get your Maine 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.