Certified translation of a U.S. birth certificate for dual citizenship in Mexico – read this not to be rejected
This morning a young man called and asked us to translate a U.S. birth certificate into Spanish for a dual citizenship in Mexico. I gave him a quote and told him that he needs to get an apostille first, and he said he didn’t know. He could have submitted it to the consulate and then get it rejected. So here is the information to help you, when you need a certified translation of a U.S. Birth Certificate.
Requirements
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Apostille: Before a U.S. (or other foreign) birth certificate can be translated, it must first be authenticated with an Apostille from the Secretary of State in the state where the document was issued.
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Certified Translation: The apostilled birth certificate—and the Apostille page itself—must be translated into Spanish.
Translation Specifics by Processing Location
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Filing in Mexico (Registro Civil): If the dual citizenship process is handled directly in Mexico, the translation strictly must be performed by a Perito Traductor (a court-certified translator authorized by the Mexican judiciary). Translations done by standard U.S.-based agencies will generally be rejected by Mexican authorities.
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Filing at a Mexican Consulate in the U.S.: Consulates (such as the Los Angeles location) also require certified Spanish translations of the apostilled documents. However, specific rules vary by location; some consulates have a list of approved translators or accept standard certified translations, so it is best to verify with the specific consulate beforehand.
Critical Translation Details
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Exact Name Matching: The translator must preserve the exact spelling and order of names. Even a minor mismatch (e.g., omitting a middle name or abbreviating a parent’s surname) between the U.S. birth certificate and the Mexican parent’s acta de nacimiento will cause the application to be rejected.
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Geographical Locations: Place names (cities, counties, states) must be transcribed exactly as they appear in English, not translated into Spanish.
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Official Terminology: Administrative titles and terms must be translated using their official legal equivalents in Spanish (e.g., “Registro Civil”). Identifiers like tracking numbers should be transcribed without alteration
