Document Translation Services for North Carolina
Apostille Authentications provides certified document translation for people and businesses in North Carolina, from $65 per page, with most translations ready in 1 to 2 business days. We work remotely from the Portland, Oregon area: you upload your document through the quote form and receive the translation electronically or by mail. Each translation carries a signed certificate of accuracy. This page also sets out what North Carolina agencies publish about translations, notaries, vital records and apostilles.
Upload your document below as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file, or call (971) 514-3743 for a quote.
Upload Your Documents For Translation
What North Carolina's apostille office says about translations
Apostilles for North Carolina documents are issued by the Authentication Office of the North Carolina Secretary of State in Raleigh. Its apostille instructions tell applicants to obtain a certified or notarized English translation of the document if the document is in a language other than English.
The same instructions explain which documents need a notary. You either appear before a North Carolina notary public to sign the document or obtain a certified copy from the entity that issued it. Certified copies from a Register of Deeds, a Clerk of Superior Court and North Carolina Vital Records are among the documents the office lists as not requiring notarization. School records are treated differently: transcripts and diplomas from North Carolina schools must be notarized by a North Carolina notary, and the office states that a school seal applied by the registrar is not acceptable.
How to get an apostille from North Carolina
A complete request, according to the Secretary of State, contains a cover letter, payment, the original document with its certifications, and a prepaid return envelope or carrier label. The cover letter should name the country where the document will be used.
| Fee | $10.00 per document |
|---|---|
| Payment | Check or money order payable to North Carolina Secretary of State; the office manual says the front counter does not take debit or credit cards |
| Mail to | Authentication Office, NC Secretary of State, PO Box 29622, Raleigh, NC 27626-0622 |
| Hand delivery | 2 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27601-2903 |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Phone | 919-814-5400 |
| Timing | The office says you may bring documents without an appointment and that mailed requests generally take five business days longer than hand-delivered ones; current turnaround is posted on its website |
Where certified North Carolina vital records come from
If the document you are translating or sending abroad is a birth, death, marriage or divorce record, start with the right certified copy. North Carolina Vital Records in Raleigh holds birth certificates from 1913, death certificates from 1930, marriage certificates from 1962 and divorce certificates from 1958.
The state search fee is $24.00, which includes one certificate; additional copies ordered at the same time are $15.00 each. In-person service is by appointment only, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekdays, and expedited in-person service adds $15.00. Mail orders go to North Carolina Vital Records, 1903 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1900.
Vital Records also points out a local option: birth, death and marriage certificates are available from the Register of Deeds in the county where the event took place, often the same day, and divorce certificates can be obtained from the county Clerk of Court.
North Carolina notaries, translations and immigration advice
A notarized translation means a notary has notarized the translator’s signed statement. It does not mean the notary checked the translation. North Carolina’s notary statute, G.S. 10B-20, draws firm lines around what a notary who is not an attorney may do:
- No help with the document itself. A nonattorney notary shall not assist another person in drafting, completing, selecting or understanding a record or transaction requiring a notarial act.
- No immigration consultant claims. A nonattorney notary may not represent or advertise as an immigration consultant or expert on immigration matters unless accredited under federal regulations.
- Required notice in other languages. A nonattorney notary who advertises in a language other than English must include a notice, in English and in that language, stating that the notary is not an attorney licensed in North Carolina and may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice.
- No claimed powers. A notary shall not claim powers the office does not provide, including the power to counsel on immigration matters.
Courts and interpreters: the Office of Language Access Services
The North Carolina Judicial Branch runs the Office of Language Access Services (OLAS), based at the North Carolina Judicial Center in Raleigh (phone 919-890-1407). OLAS provides court interpreters and sets language access policy for the state courts.
Under the Judicial Branch Standards for Language Access Services, the state pays for interpreters in all court proceedings for parties, victims, testifying witnesses and certain parents or guardians. Interpreters are classified in tiers. A certified interpreter has passed all three sections of the state certification exam with at least 70 percent, and a master certified interpreter has scored at least 80 percent on each section or passed the federal court interpreter exam.
Written translation is handled separately. The Standards say translations at state expense are provided only in limited circumstances and only OLAS may assign them, and that court forms are filed in English. In practice that means a party who wants to rely on a foreign-language document usually arranges its own translation. Ask the clerk or your attorney what form the court expects.
USCIS, the DMV and language in North Carolina
Federal immigration filings follow one rule nationwide. Under 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, together with the translator’s certification of competence to translate from the foreign language into English.
The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles accepts, as proof of identity, a valid unexpired passport from any nation when it is accompanied by a valid U.S. visa and I-94 record. NCDMV offers language interpreters for customers who are not fluent in English; request one online or at (919) 715-7000. Its public pages do not spell out a translation standard for foreign-language documents, so check with NCDMV before your visit.
Census Bureau figures (ACS 2024 one-year estimates) put the state’s population at 11,046,024. About 14.4 percent of residents speak a language other than English at home and 9.9 percent were born outside the United States.
How to order a translation from North Carolina
You do not need to visit an office. Send your document through the quote form as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file, tell us the language and where the translation will be used, and we confirm the price and timing. Translation starts at $65 per page and most orders are ready in 1 to 2 business days, delivered electronically or by mail.
We translate 100 languages. The most requested are Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Czech; ask about any other language. If your translation must be notarized for North Carolina, for example for a North Carolina apostille, we hire a notary commissioned in North Carolina to notarize the translator’s statement. We can also help with the apostille request. Acceptance is always decided by the receiving agency, so confirm its requirements first. Questions: (971) 514-3743, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Translation pages for North Carolina cities
We have a page for each of these North Carolina cities, with the local offices, courts and schools that affect a translation there:
Raleigh · Charlotte · Greensboro · Durham · Winston-Salem · Fayetteville · Cary
- North Carolina apostille service, when the original record needs an apostille too
- All document translation services
North Carolina document translation questions
The Authentication Office of the North Carolina Secretary of State in Raleigh issues apostilles for North Carolina documents. Its street address is 2 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27601-2903.
The North Carolina Secretary of State charges $10.00 per document. Payment is by check or money order payable to North Carolina Secretary of State.
Yes. The Secretary of State’s apostille instructions say to obtain a certified or notarized English translation if the document is in a language other than English.
A notary’s role is to notarize signatures. Under G.S. 10B-20, a North Carolina notary who is not an attorney may not help you draft, complete or understand a document and may not advertise as an immigration consultant unless federally accredited.
The rule is federal and the same in every state: 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires a full English translation that the translator certifies as complete and accurate, plus the translator’s certification of competence.
Order from North Carolina Vital Records in Raleigh ($24.00 search fee including one certificate) or from the Register of Deeds in the county where the birth took place.
Sources
The local details on this page come from these official sources.
- NC Secretary of State: Apostille Certificates
- NC Secretary of State: Authentications
- NC Secretary of State: Turn Around Times
- N.C. General Statutes 10B-20
- NC Judicial Branch: Office of Language Access Services
- NC Judicial Branch: Standards for Language Access Services
- North Carolina Vital Records: ordering certificates
- NCDMV: Proving Age and Identity
- NCDMV: Request Interpreter Services
- 8 CFR 103.2 (eCFR)
- Census Reporter: North Carolina (ACS 2024)
Get your North Carolina 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.