Certified Translation Services for Chicago, Illinois
Chicago residents can order certified translation from Apostille Authentications from $65 per page, with most documents completed in 1 to 2 business days. Every order includes a signed certificate of accuracy. We are based in Lake Oswego, in the Portland, Oregon area, and serve Chicago remotely: you upload files through the quote form and we deliver electronically or by mail. We have no Chicago office or staff. The details below cover the Cook County, state and federal offices that ask for translated documents.
Upload your document below as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file, or call (971) 514-3743 for a quote.
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How Chicago customers order
| Phone | (971) 514-3743, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
|---|---|
| Languages | 100 available. Most requested: Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic, Czech. Ask about others, such as Polish or Ukrainian. |
- 1. Upload. Use the quote form to send a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file of each document.
- 2. Review the quote. Certified translation starts at $65 per page, and most jobs are done in 1 to 2 business days.
- 3. Delivery. Receive the translation and certificate of accuracy electronically or by mail to your Chicago address.
- 4. Extras. Say so if you need the translator’s statement notarized or the document prepared for an apostille.
Immigration filings and the Chicago Immigration Court
For USCIS, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires that a document containing foreign language be filed with a full English translation, certified by the translator as complete and accurate, along with the translator’s certification of competence.
The Chicago Immigration Court sits at 55 E. Monroe St., Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60603, with public and filing window hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Documents offered there fall under 8 CFR 1003.33: each foreign language document needs an English translation and a signed certification, typed or legibly printed, that the translator is competent and the translation is true and accurate.
The Illinois Attorney General cautions that notaries or notarios are not licensed attorneys and cannot give legal advice on immigration matters. A translation company cannot either; we translate and certify.
Cook County vital records
Certified copies of Chicago births, deaths and marriages come from the Cook County Clerk. The downtown vital records office is across from City Hall, and there are suburban counters at the Skokie, Maywood and Markham locations.
| Downtown office | 118 N. Clark St., Suite 120, Chicago, IL 60602, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
|---|---|
| Phone | 312.603.7790 |
| Birth certificate | $15, additional copies $4 each |
| Marriage certificate | $15, additional copies $4 each |
| Death certificate | $17, additional copies $6 each |
The apostille route from Chicago
Chicago has a walk-in office of the Secretary of State’s Index Department, so you do not have to mail documents to Springfield. The Cook County Clerk lists it at 17 N. State St., Suite 1010, Chicago, IL 60602, phone (312) 814-2067. The Secretary of State fee is $2 per document.
For a notarized document, the Cook County Clerk describes three steps: the clerk’s office authenticates the notary’s signature, issues a Certificate of Authenticity confirming the notary is in good standing ($2 per document), and the Secretary of State then issues the apostille.
A translation follows that same path through its notarized translator’s statement. When a translation needs to be notarized for Illinois, we hire a notary commissioned in Illinois to notarize that statement, and we can help with the apostille request. The apostille certifies the official’s signature, not the translation’s content.
Courts serving Chicago
The Circuit Court of Cook County hears state cases, with its civil hub at the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, and criminal cases at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on South California Avenue. Its 2026 Language Access Plan lists the ten languages most often requested for interpreters: Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Ukrainian, Mandarin, Polish, Urdu, Cantonese, Vietnamese and French. The court’s Office of Interpreter Services employs 61 full and part time foreign language interpreters.
Court interpreters handle spoken proceedings. For foreign language exhibits, check with the clerk or your lawyer on the translation format the judge expects. Federal cases are heard at the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse, 219 South Dearborn Street, home of the Northern District of Illinois.
Universities and translated transcripts
The University of Illinois Chicago requires documents issued in other languages to come with certified, literal English translations on the translator’s letterhead. It accepts translations from ATA certified translators, translation agencies, court-appointed translators and consulates, and it states that it will not accept plain translations, notarized translations or credential evaluations in place of a certified translation.
Going the other direction, Chicago graduates sending diplomas abroad start with the school. Loyola University Chicago notes that diplomas and transcripts must bear an original signature of a school official and be notarized by an Illinois notary before the Secretary of State will apostille them, and the University of Chicago registrar offers notarized transcripts and certified diploma copies for that purpose.
Consulates and languages in Chicago
Census Bureau estimates (ACS 2024) show 2,721,326 Chicago residents, 35.4 percent of whom speak a language other than English at home, and 22 percent of whom were born abroad. The city’s Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities lists its top five service languages as Spanish, Polish, Chinese (Simplified), Hindi and Arabic.
Many countries keep consulates here, and each sets its own rules for translations and legalization, so read the consulate’s instructions before ordering.
| Consulate General of Mexico | 204 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60607 |
|---|---|
| Consulate General of Poland | 1530 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60610 |
| Consulate General of India | 455 N. Cityfront Plaza Drive, Suite 850, NBC Tower, Chicago, IL 60611 |
Related services for Chicago
- Illinois document translation services: the statewide rules for courts, notaries, vital records and driver licensing
- Illinois apostille service
- All document translation services
Chicago translation questions
The Illinois Secretary of State’s Index Department has a Chicago office at 17 N. State St., Suite 1010, Chicago, IL 60602. The state fee is $2 per document.
Apostille Authentications charges from $65 per page for certified translation, with most orders ready in 1 to 2 business days. The service is remote, with electronic or mail delivery to Chicago.
For notarized documents, the Cook County Clerk authenticates the notary’s signature and issues a $2 Certificate of Authenticity before the Secretary of State issues the apostille. Certified vital records signed by the clerk already carry an official signature.
Under 8 CFR 1003.33, each foreign language document needs an English translation plus a signed certification that the translator is competent and the translation is true and accurate. The court is at 55 E. Monroe St., Suite 1500.
No. The University of Illinois Chicago says it requires certified, literal translations on the translator’s letterhead and does not accept plain or notarized translations in their place.
From the Cook County Clerk’s vital records office at 118 N. Clark St., Suite 120, Chicago. A birth certificate costs $15, with additional copies at $4 each.
Sources
The local details on this page come from these official sources.
- eCFR: 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)
- eCFR: 8 CFR 1003.33
- EOIR: Chicago Immigration Court
- Cook County Clerk: Notary and Apostille Services
- Cook County Clerk: Vital Records brochure
- Illinois Secretary of State: Apostilles and Certifications
- Circuit Court of Cook County Language Access Plan (2026)
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- UIC: International Requirements
- Loyola University Chicago: Apostille instructions
- University of Chicago Registrar: Apostille and Certification
- Illinois Attorney General: Immigration Service Provider FAQs
- City of Chicago MOPD: Language Access Policy
- Census Reporter: Chicago, IL profile
- Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago
- Consulate General of Poland in Chicago
- Consulate General of India, Chicago
Get your Chicago translation started
Upload your document for a quote, or call (971) 514-3743 and tell us where the translation is going. We confirm the level of certification you need before any work begins.