Certified Translation Services for San Diego, California
Apostille Authentications provides certified translation for San Diego residents from $65 per page, and most orders are ready in 1 to 2 business days. Each translation comes with a signed certificate of accuracy. We are not a San Diego office: the work is done remotely from Lake Oswego, in the Portland, Oregon area. You upload your document through the quote form and receive the translation electronically or by mail. The rest of this page covers the local offices and rules your paperwork may meet.
Upload your document below as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file, or call (971) 514-3743 for a quote.
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County records in San Diego: where the originals come from
A translation starts with the right source document. In San Diego County, certified copies of birth records are issued by the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, and only for births that took place in the county. The office publishes a fee of $34 per birth certificate and takes requests in person without an appointment, by mail, or online through VitalChek.
| Recorder/Clerk main office | County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway, Suite 260, San Diego, CA 92101 |
|---|---|
| Chula Vista office | 590 3rd Ave., Chula Vista, CA 91910 |
| San Marcos office | 141 E. Carmel St., San Marcos, CA 92078 |
| East County office | 10144 Mission Gorge Rd., Santee, CA 92071 |
| Published hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Mail requests | San Diego Recorder/County Clerk, ATTN: Vital Records, P.O. Box 121750, San Diego, CA 92112-1750 |
Cross-border paperwork and the Mexican consulate
The Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego is at 1549 India St., San Diego, CA 92101, according to the directory of Mexico’s foreign ministry. Mexican civil records such as birth and marriage certificates are issued in Spanish. When one of them goes to a U.S. agency, the receiving agency decides what kind of English translation it needs.
For immigration filings the rule is federal. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS must come with a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and accurate, along with the translator’s certification of competence to translate from that language into English. Our certificate of accuracy is written to address those points. Whether a filing is accepted is always up to the agency.
San Diego courts and translated documents
The Superior Court of California, County of San Diego lists its Central Division at 1100 Union Street and the Hall of Justice at 330 W Broadway, both in downtown San Diego. The court provides interpreters at no cost to parties and witnesses for courtroom proceedings. You request one with the Interpreter Request/Cancellation form, SDSC Form ADM-348.
Interpreting covers speech in the courtroom, not your paperwork. The court’s Family Law Facilitator says that if you need documents translated before filing them, you can hire a private translator or look for a state-certified interpreter or translator through the California Courts website. The court’s language access plan lists Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, American Sign Language, Tagalog and Mandarin as its most requested interpreter languages.
The federal trial court for the area is the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Its clerk’s office is at 333 West Broadway, Suite 420, San Diego, CA 92101.
What San Diego universities publish about foreign transcripts
- UC San Diego (graduate). Academic records must be issued in the language of instruction and accompanied by official English translations. Translations from the degree-granting institution are accepted, as are translations by accredited members of the American Translators Association. Credential evaluations from private agencies are not accepted.
- San Diego State (international graduate). Each original-language document needs an official certified literal English translation, from the issuing university or a certified translator, with the same content and format as the original.
- University of San Diego (graduate). Applicants with degrees from outside the U.S. must submit a course-by-course credential evaluation from one of the evaluation services the university names.
Languages in San Diego
Census Bureau American Community Survey figures published by Census Reporter put San Diego’s population at about 1.4 million. About 40.9 percent of residents speak a language other than English at home, and 26.7 percent were born outside the United States.
San Diego County’s Board Policy A-139 commits the county to language access services at no cost and sets a threshold of 5,000 limited English-speaking residents who share a language.
We translate 100 languages. The ones customers request most are Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Czech. If yours is not named here, ask before you order.
From San Diego to a California apostille
Apostilles for California documents come from the California Secretary of State, not from the county. The state charges $20 per apostille. In-person requests also carry a $6 special handling fee for each different public official’s signature.
There is no state apostille counter in San Diego. The walk-in counters are in Sacramento at 1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor, and in Los Angeles at 300 South Spring Street. Mail requests go to the Notary Public Section, P.O. Box 942877, Sacramento, CA 94277-0001, with the original document, the cover sheet naming the destination country, a check or money order, and a self-addressed return envelope. Mail is handled in the order received and cannot be expedited. The state posts its current processing date online.
The Secretary of State says a birth or death certificate signed by a local health officer or county registrar may first need certification by the county clerk in the county that issued it, or you can get a certified copy from the county recorder instead. The state will apostille a document in another language as long as the notarization is in English.
We can help you with the apostille steps and can have the translator’s statement notarized when the receiving authority asks for it.
How to order a translation from San Diego
- 1. Upload. Send a scan or clear photo through the quote form as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file.
- 2. Confirm. We reply with the price, from $65 per page, and the delivery date.
- 3. Receive. The certified translation is returned electronically or by mail. Most are ready in 1 to 2 business days.
- Questions. Call (971) 514-3743 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Related services for San Diego
- California document translation services: the statewide rules for courts, notaries, vital records and driver licensing
- California apostille service
- All document translation services
San Diego translation questions
Apostille Authentications serves San Diego remotely from the Portland, Oregon area. You upload the document through the quote form and receive a certified translation with a signed certificate of accuracy electronically or by mail.
Our certified translations start at $65 per page. Most are ready in 1 to 2 business days.
Yes, the federal rule applies everywhere. 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires a full English translation that the translator certifies as complete and accurate, plus a certification that the translator is competent to translate into English.
Not from a state counter. California apostilles are issued by the Secretary of State, with walk-in counters in Sacramento and Los Angeles and a mail option through Sacramento. The fee is $20 per apostille.
The San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk issues certified copies for births in the county at $34 each. The main Recorder/Clerk office is at 1600 Pacific Highway, Suite 260, San Diego.
The court provides interpreters at no cost for courtroom proceedings. For documents, its Family Law Facilitator says you can hire a private translator or find a state-certified interpreter or translator through the California Courts website.
Sources
The local details on this page come from these official sources.
- San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk: office locations
- San Diego County ARCC: birth certificates
- San Diego Superior Court: language access
- San Diego Superior Court Family Law Facilitator: translating documents
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California: clerk’s office
- Mexico SRE directory: Consulate General in San Diego
- UC San Diego Graduate Division: international applicants
- San Diego State University: international graduate steps to apply
- University of San Diego: international graduate checklist
- County of San Diego Board Policy A-139
- Census Reporter: San Diego city profile (ACS)
- California Secretary of State: Request an Apostille
- California Secretary of State: Apostille FAQs
- 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), translation rule (eCFR)
Get your San Diego 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.