North Dakota Document Translation Services
Apostille Authentications provides certified document translation for people and businesses in North Dakota, from $65 per page, with most translations ready in 1 to 2 business days. We work remotely from our office in Lake Oswego, in 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, and we can have the translator’s statement notarized and help with a North Dakota apostille.
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 when North Dakota residents need one
A certified translation is a complete translation with a signed statement from the translator saying the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent in both languages. The federal immigration rule sets this standard. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a full English language translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, and by the translator’s certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.
Schools, courts, licensing offices and foreign authorities set their own requirements, and some ask for a notarized translator’s statement or an apostille on top of the certification. Ask the receiving office what it wants before you order, because no translation company can promise that a particular agency will accept a document.
Apostilles from the North Dakota Secretary of State
The North Dakota Secretary of State authenticates documents for use abroad. The office issues an apostille for countries that are party to the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961 and a certification for all other countries.
To get a document authenticated, the Secretary of State says you must first obtain a certified copy of an official document from the appropriate North Dakota entity or have the document notarized by a North Dakota notary public. Its published examples include birth, marriage and death certificates, powers of attorney, judgments, divorce decrees, diplomas, transcripts, business records and adoption papers. For school records, the office asks for an original notarized acknowledgment page that lists the attached copies and is signed before a notary by the principal or an equivalent school official.
When a translation needs to be notarized for North Dakota, for example for a North Dakota apostille, we hire a notary commissioned in North Dakota to notarize the translator’s statement. The Secretary of State’s apostille page does not publish separate rules for translations, so check with the authority abroad whether it wants the translation, the original record, or both authenticated.
| Fee | $10 per authentication |
|---|---|
| Record search | $5 for each unique notary signature to be authenticated |
| Processing | Usually within 3 business days if the information and payment are satisfactory |
| What to send | Original documents, a letter naming the destination country, payment, and a prepaid shipping label if you want expedited return |
| Mailing address | North Dakota Office of the Secretary of State, 600 East Boulevard Avenue, Dept 108, Bismarck ND 58505-0500 |
| In person | The office encourages an appointment; call the Notary Unit at (701) 328-2900 |
Where certified North Dakota records come from
A translation is only as usable as the record behind it, and an apostille needs a certified copy. North Dakota splits vital records between the state and the counties.
- Birth and death records. North Dakota Vital Records, part of Health and Human Services, issues certified copies. The mailing address is Vital Records, 600 E. Boulevard Ave., Dept. 325, Bismarck, ND 58505-0250, phone (701) 328-2360. The birth request form lists a fee of $15 per certified copy. The office asks you to allow 5 to 7 business days for processing, not counting mail time, and takes requests online, by mail or by appointment.
- Marriage records. The state says all certified copies of marriage records must be issued by the county where the license was originally purchased and filed. Depending on the county, that is the recorder, clerk of court or another county office, and fees vary by county.
- Divorce records. Copies can only be obtained from the county clerk or recorder in the county where the divorce or annulment was decreed. If you do not know the county, Vital Records can help you find it.
North Dakota courts: interpreters and foreign-language papers
North Dakota’s district courts appoint interpreters under Supreme Court Administrative Rule 50. Interpreters are provided at no cost in criminal, juvenile, mental health, guardianship and conservatorship, domestic violence protection order, and divorce and annulment cases, and may be appointed at a litigant’s cost in other proceedings. Requests go through the clerk of court. For spoken languages the rule looks for certification by a recognized interpreter certification program and listing on the statewide roster, and it allows a court to use another qualified person when a certified interpreter is not available.
The court system’s Language Access Plan reports interpreter requests from January 2021 through December 2022: Spanish 825, Nepali 148, sign language 67, Bosnian 46, Somali 42 and Chuukese 41. The plan explains that interpreters usually sight translate documents in court, and that the courts keep a limited set of translated forms. Neither the plan nor Rule 50 sets out a procedure for filing your own foreign-language exhibits, so ask the clerk or your attorney what the judge expects before you file a translated document.
Driver licensing and notary rules that affect translated documents
The North Dakota Department of Transportation says a visitor age 16 or older may drive on a valid license from the home country that is in the driver’s immediate possession. New residents applying for a North Dakota license must show proof of identity and lawful presence with original documents or certified copies, since photocopies are not accepted, and pass a vision screening, a knowledge test and a road test.
The noncommercial knowledge test is offered in 14 languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Somali and Nepali, while road tests are conducted entirely in English. NDDOT describes an International Driving Permit as a translation of your license and not a license itself. Its pages do not publish a rule on translating foreign identity or name change documents, so call NDDOT before your visit if yours are not in English.
A notary does not certify that a translation is accurate. In a notarized translation, the notary notarizes the translator’s signed statement. North Dakota law also limits how notaries present themselves: under N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-23, a notary who is not an attorney licensed in the state may not use the term ‘notario’ or ‘notario publico’, may not give legal advice or act as an immigration consultant, and must include a not-an-attorney statement in advertising. The same section bars a notary from making a certified copy of a vital record or other public record, which is why certified copies have to come from the issuing office.
Languages in North Dakota and the languages we translate
Census Bureau American Community Survey figures published by Census Reporter put North Dakota’s population at 796,568, with about 6.7 percent of residents speaking a language other than English at home and about 5.3 percent born outside the United States.
We translate 100 languages. The most requested are Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Czech. If your document is in another language, ask us and we will tell you whether we can take it.
How to order from anywhere in North Dakota
Upload a scan or clear photo of your document through the quote form as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file. We confirm the price, which starts at $65 per page, and the delivery date. Most orders are ready in 1 to 2 business days. You receive the certified translation electronically, or by mail if you need a paper copy. Questions can go to (971) 514-3743 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. We do not have an office in North Dakota; everything is handled from Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Translation pages for North Dakota cities
We have a page for each of these North Dakota cities, with the local offices, courts and schools that affect a translation there:
Bismarck · Fargo · Grand Forks · Minot
- North Dakota apostille service, when the original record needs an apostille too
- All document translation services
North Dakota document translation questions
Apostille Authentications translates documents for North Dakota customers remotely from the Portland, Oregon area. Translations start at $65 per page, most are ready in 1 to 2 business days, and each comes with a signed certificate of accuracy.
The North Dakota Secretary of State charges $10 per authentication, plus a $5 record search fee for each unique notary signature to be authenticated.
The office says requests are usually processed within 3 business days if the required information and payment are satisfactory. Mail time is extra.
Yes. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), any foreign-language document submitted to USCIS needs a full English translation that the translator certifies as complete and accurate, along with the translator’s statement of competence.
From the county where the marriage license was originally purchased and filed. The state Vital Records office does not issue them, and fees vary by county.
A notary’s commission does not cover certifying a translation’s accuracy; the notary notarizes the translator’s signed statement. North Dakota law also bars non-attorney notaries from using the title ‘notario publico’ or giving immigration advice.
Sources
The local details on this page come from these official sources.
- North Dakota Secretary of State: Apostille and Certification
- 8 CFR 103.2 (eCFR)
- ND Health and Human Services: Vital Records
- ND HHS: Certified Copies of Marriage Records
- ND HHS: Certified Copies of Divorce Records
- Request for Certified Copy of a Birth Record (SFN 8140)
- North Dakota Courts: Court Interpreters
- N.D. Sup. Ct. Admin. R. 50
- North Dakota Courts Language Access Plan (Policy 522)
- NDDOT: Drivers from Other Nations
- N.D.C.C. chapter 44-06.1, Notarial Acts
- Census Reporter: North Dakota profile
Get your North Dakota 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.