India Document Translation Requirements

USCIS requires a full English translation of every document containing a foreign language. The translator must certify that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate into English.

• A document issued entirely in English normally does not need translation.
• A bilingual or mostly English document still needs translation of every Hindi or regional-language entry.
• Translate seals, stamps, signatures, handwritten notes, and text on the reverse.
• Keep names aligned with the passport while preserving the spelling shown on the source.

USCIS does not automatically require an Indian apostille or notarization of the translation. Authentication and translation are separate requirements.

The U.S. Department of State's India reciprocity schedule distinguishes records by date of birth. Birth certificates are considered available for people born on or after 1 April 1970 and unavailable for people born before that date.

• Born on or after 1 April 1970: obtain the municipal birth certificate. If it cannot be obtained, request a certificate of non-availability (often called an NABC) from the authority with jurisdiction over the place of birth and provide acceptable secondary evidence.
• Born before 1 April 1970: the reciprocity schedule treats the birth certificate as unavailable; follow the case-specific instructions for secondary evidence.

A consular certificate based only on a passport is not the same as the municipal civil record named in the reciprocity schedule. Translate every non-English document included in the evidence packet.

India's Ministry of External Affairs issues apostilles for eligible Indian public documents. The route depends on the document and whether its issuing authority participates in e-Sanad.

• Documents available through e-Sanad use its electronic verification and apostille workflow.
• Other personal or educational documents generally require the applicable state or Union Territory verification or pre-authentication before submission through an authorized service provider.
• MEA does not accept walk-in submissions directly from individuals for the outsourced route.

Use an apostille only when the destination or receiving authority requires authentication. A routine USCIS translation filing does not become apostille-required merely because the source document was issued in India.

WES requirements depend on the credential, institution, destination country, and the document list generated in the applicant's account. WES says Indian applicants may need a degree or provisional certificate and all years of marksheets.

• Academic records should come from the degree-granting university or autonomous college in the required channel.
• Records from an affiliated college alone may be insufficient.
• Translate only documents WES lists that are not already in English.
• Preserve percentages, divisions, grades, credits, failed attempts, and backlogs exactly; do not convert them into a guessed U.S. GPA.

Translation does not replace institutional transmission or document verification.

India does not apply one universal translation format to every foreign document and every proceeding. Follow the instructions of the Indian authority receiving the record. For example, official OCI guidance requires certain foreign-language court orders or marriage certificates to be translated into English or Hindi by an authorized translator.

If a foreign public document comes from another Apostille Convention member and has been properly apostilled in its country of origin, India's MEA states that no further attestation or legalization should be required in India. The receiving authority may still require an English or Hindi translation.