My Chinese certificate already has English on it — do I still need a certified translation?
For USCIS, the safe answer is yes: the regulation requires a full English translation and a translator's certification for any document containing foreign language, and the seals, handwritten entries and notes on a bilingual certificate are usually only in Chinese.
The situation
Many Chinese degree certificates and some birth certificates print English under the Chinese text. Applicants ask whether they can submit them as they are.
What the rules say
8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS to be accompanied by a full English translation and the translator's certification of completeness, accuracy and competence. A bilingual certificate still contains foreign language; its printed English usually covers only field labels, while the issuing authority's seal, embossed stamp, handwritten entries and back-page notes are in Chinese only, and there is no translator's certification. The regulation makes no exception for bilingual documents.
Official source: eCFR: 8 CFR § 103.2 (full text)
Sources last verified 2026-10-01
How we handle it
- Translate every piece of Chinese on the certificate, including seals, embossed text, handwritten entries and the back
- Keep the English names already printed on the certificate (university and degree names) exactly as they appear
- Attach a signed translator's declaration and our PSB-registered translation seal
Price
Certified translation is $16 per real uploaded page (minimum order $25), including the translator's declaration and translation seal; the quote you see after uploading is the final price.
Degree certificate translation: requirements and price →More special cases
- I have an English CHSI verification report — do I still need a certified translation?
- My Chinese birth certificate is handwritten — how is it translated for USCIS?
- The name on my Chinese documents is spelled differently from my passport — what does the translation use?
- Hukou translation: the whole booklet or just my page?
- Can I translate only part of a Chinese bank statement?
- My old Chinese marriage certificate is faded — can it still get a certified translation?
Upload your document for an itemized quote
One transparent price includes the translation, translator's declaration and bilingual seal — the quote you see is the final price.