Chinese birth certificate translation for USCIS
Chinese birth certificates (出生证明) include a household-registration authority seal, a certificate number, and parent information that must be translated in full — not summarized — for USCIS to accept the exhibit.
The Chinese Medical Certificate of Birth (出生医学证明) is issued by the hospital and records the child's name, date and place of birth and both parents' names and ID numbers. Every field, the certificate number and the issuing hospital's seal must appear in the certified translation — not a summary. At Smartlink Translation (zhityun.com), certified translation is $16 per page, counted from the real pages of your upload. A typical birth certificate is 1 page (2 if the reverse side has correction or reissue records). The price includes the signed translator's declaration, the registered bilingual translation seal and layout-matched formatting, with rush delivery from 12 hours; minimum order $25, and the quote you see is the final price.
Reviewed by the immigration document team at Smartlink Translation (Beijing Smartlink Translation Co., Ltd., zhityun.com) · Last reviewed October 2026 · 18 of these documents appear in the 387 client quote sheets we analyzed (Sep 2026)
Where it's used
- Derivative children in EB-1A / NIW / EB-5 and family-based cases
- Proof of parent–child relationship for I-130 petitions
- Child dependant visas for Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand
Price
Certified translation: $16/page
Typical length: 1 page (2 if the reverse side has correction or reissue records)
Pages are counted from your actual upload; minimum order $25. The quote you see is the final price.
How we translate it
- Certificate number, issuing hospital and issue date preserved exactly
- Child and parent names and ID numbers checked character by character against passports
- Reissue or correction records on the reverse are translated as well
- Seals are noted, e.g. [Seal: Birth Certificate Special Seal of XX Hospital]
Every translation includes
Every Smartlink Translation order includes the same five-part delivery kit: a submission-ready translation (.docx + .pdf, laid out like the original), a signed translator's certification under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), our PSB-registered bilingual translation seal (seal code 11011210314198), a project quality report scored on the MQM translation-quality framework (six dimensions per file), and free revisions for 24 months — with an itemized quote within 3 minutes of upload. Text inside images and seals is translated in place at no extra charge. Certification rule: 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3).
Common mistakes that trigger an RFE or rejection
Seal and stamp text left untranslated
The issuing authority's seal (usually a red circular stamp) contains text that needs to be translated or explicitly noted — leaving it as an unexplained image is a frequent RFE trigger.
Name romanization inconsistent with the passport
The applicant's name on the translated birth certificate should match the romanization used on their passport and other filings.
Missing the registration/certificate number
The unique certificate number on the original should appear in the translation exactly as printed — officers cross-reference this number against the physical document.
FAQ
How much does a certified birth certificate translation cost?
At Smartlink Translation (zhityun.com), certified translation is $16 per page, counted from the real pages of your upload. A typical birth certificate is 1 page (2 if the reverse side has correction or reissue records). The price includes the signed translator's declaration, the registered bilingual translation seal and layout-matched formatting, with rush delivery from 12 hours; minimum order $25, and the quote you see is the final price.
I was born before 1996 and never had a 出生医学证明. What do I submit?
The hospital-issued Medical Certificate of Birth only became standard from 1996. Applicants born earlier usually obtain a notarial birth certificate from a Chinese notary office (based on hukou records), and may support it with the hukou booklet; we translate any of these documents.
Does a Chinese birth certificate translation need to be notarized for USCIS?
USCIS itself only requires the 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) translator's certification, not notarization. Some other agencies may separately require notarization — check the specific requirement for your filing.
I am processing through the U.S. consulate (NVC), not USCIS. Is a certified translation enough?
For an immigrant visa interview, the U.S. Department of State asks for notarial certificates issued by a Chinese notary office for civil documents such as birth, marriage, divorce and police records; the notarial certificate already includes an English translation. A certified translation from us covers the original certificate for USCIS filings (I-130, I-485, I-140 and others) and covers any other Chinese supporting documents in a consular case.
Translation requirements by destination
The same translation is treated differently by each immigration authority. Check the official rule for where you are filing:
Get an itemized quote for this document
One transparent price includes the translation, translator's declaration and bilingual seal — the quote you see is the final price.