Certified Translation Services in Boston, Massachusetts

Apostille Authentications prepares certified translations for Boston residents, students and businesses, from $65 per page. Most are ready in 1 to 2 business days. The work is done remotely from our office in Lake Oswego, Oregon, near Portland, so there is no Boston counter to visit: you send the document through the quote form and receive the translation electronically or by mail, with a signed certificate of accuracy and a notarized translator’s statement if the receiving office requires one.

Upload your document below as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file, or call (971) 514-3743 for a quote.

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Submission source

Boston is where Massachusetts apostilles are issued

The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Commissions Section has its main office at One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108, phone (617) 727-2836. That is both the walk-in counter and the mailing address for apostille requests, so a Boston resident can hand documents over in person instead of mailing them.

The fee is $6.00 per document and the request form asks for the destination country. The office says up to three documents can be done per customer at the counter and that mailed requests take two to three weeks. It certifies original signatures of Massachusetts notaries, justices of the peace, city or town clerks, court clerks and the Registrar of Vital Records.

If your translation must be notarized for a Massachusetts apostille, we hire a notary commissioned in Massachusetts to notarize the translator’s statement, and we can help you with the apostille request.

Boston birth, marriage and death records

The City of Boston Registry Division issues certified copies for people born in Boston or whose parents listed Boston as their residence. It holds birth records from 1870 to the present.

Office	Registry Division, 1 City Hall Square, Room 213, Boston, MA 02201
Hours	Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phone	617-635-4175
Birth certificate in person	$12 per copy
Birth certificate online or by mail	$14 per copy
State alternative	Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, 150 Mount Vernon Street, 1st Floor, Dorchester, MA 02125, records from 1936, $20 per copy in person

Courts that serve Boston

Suffolk Probate and Family Court. 24 New Chardon Street, Boston, MA 02114. It serves Boston along with Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop.
Suffolk County Superior Court. 3 Pemberton Square, Boston, MA 02108, with the civil clerk on the 12th floor and the criminal clerk on the 14th.
U.S. District Court. John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Way, Suite 2300, Boston, MA 02210.
Office of Language Access. Two Center Plaza, 9th Floor, Boston. It assigns court interpreters and translates court forms, but does not translate documents offered as evidence in a case. Parties hire a translator for those.

Consulates in Boston

Several countries keep a consulate general in Boston, and consulates often set their own translation and legalization rules. Ask the consulate what it accepts before ordering. Addresses below come from each government’s own site.

France. 31 Saint James Avenue, Suite 750, Boston, MA 02116, by appointment. Serves Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Germany. Three Copley Place, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02116, by appointment. Serves New England except Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Japan. 100 High Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02110.
Italy. 600 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02210.

University rules on translated records

Boston University’s international applicant checklist says all documents written in another language must be accompanied by a notarized English translation, and that both the original and the translation are required.

Northeastern University says official English translations are required for documents in other languages and that a school official or a translation agency accredited in the country of the institution can issue them. Because that wording is specific, confirm with the admissions office that a translation from a U.S. company will be accepted before you order.

Languages spoken in Boston

Census QuickFacts reports that 35.6 percent of Boston residents age 5 and over spoke a language other than English at home in 2020 to 2024, and 27.8 percent of residents were foreign born.

The City’s 2023 Language and Communications Access report, using 2017 to 2021 American Community Survey data, ranks the most common languages among residents with language access needs as Spanish, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Portuguese, Cabo Verdean Creole, Russian, French, Arabic and Somali. The City translates vital documents into those eleven languages.

Ordering a translation from Boston

Send a scan or phone photo through the quote form in PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word format and name the office, school or consulate that will receive it. You get a price and a delivery date back. For USCIS filings the certificate follows 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3): a full English translation certified as complete and accurate by a translator who certifies competence in both languages.

Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Czech are requested most often among our 100 languages. Ask us about Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Cabo Verdean Creole or any other language you need. Call (971) 514-3743 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Related services for Boston

Massachusetts document translation services: the statewide rules for courts, notaries, vital records and driver licensing
Massachusetts apostille service
All document translation services

Boston translation questions

Where do I get an apostille in Boston?

At the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Commissions Section, One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108. The fee is $6.00 per document and requests are taken at the counter or by mail.

How much does a certified translation cost in Boston?

Apostille Authentications charges from $65 per page, with most translations ready in 1 to 2 business days. Orders are handled online from the Portland, Oregon area.

Where can I get a certified copy of a Boston birth certificate?

From the City of Boston Registry Division, 1 City Hall Square, Room 213. Copies cost $12 in person and $14 online or by mail.

Does Boston University require translated transcripts to be notarized?

Boston University’s international applicant checklist says documents in another language must be accompanied by a notarized English translation, submitted together with the original.

Do Boston courts translate documents for a case?

No. The Trial Court Office of Language Access provides interpreters and translates court forms, but parties must hire a professional translator for case documents.

What languages are most spoken in Boston besides English?

The City of Boston’s 2023 language access report lists Spanish, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Portuguese as the most common among residents with language access needs.