Colorado Document Translation Services
Apostille Authentications provides certified document translation for people and businesses in Colorado, from $65 per page. Most translations are ready in 1 to 2 business days. We work remotely from the Portland, Oregon area: you upload your document through the quote form and we return the translation electronically or by mail. Each translation comes with a signed certificate of accuracy. This page sets out what Colorado agencies publish about translated and foreign-language 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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What Colorado agencies ask for in a translation
There is no single Colorado standard for a translated document. Each agency sets its own rule, and the differences matter. The table below summarizes what the main ones publish.
The Colorado DMV rule is the strictest of these on format. For a document that is not in English, the DMV asks for a complete, certified translation with a set affirmation in which the translator states that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are fully competent and proficient in both languages. The affirmation must be typed or electronically printed on the same page as the translation, not on a separate sheet, and the translation must show the number and state of issuance of the translator’s unexpired driver’s license or ID card.
| USCIS (federal) | A full English translation that the translator certifies as complete and accurate, plus the translator’s certification of competence to translate into English: 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). |
|---|---|
| Colorado DMV | A complete certified translation with the DMV’s affirmation wording on the same page, and the translator’s unexpired driver’s license or ID number and state of issuance. |
| Colorado Secretary of State | A document sent for an apostille may be in another language, but the notary’s statement on it must be in English. |
| Colorado state courts | Interpreters are provided at no cost to parties in interest under Chief Justice Directive 06-03. Ask your court what it needs for a translated exhibit or filing. |
How to order a translation from Colorado
We do not have an office in Colorado. Orders are handled online and by phone from Lake Oswego, Oregon.
- Upload. Send your document through the quote form as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file. A clear phone photo is usually enough for a quote.
- Confirm. We confirm the price, which starts at $65 per page, and the delivery date. Most translations take 1 to 2 business days.
- Receive. The certified translation and its signed certificate of accuracy are returned electronically or by mail.
- Ask. Call (971) 514-3743 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. if the receiving agency has given you written requirements, so the translation can follow them.
Colorado apostilles: the Secretary of State's process
Apostilles and authentications for Colorado documents come from the Colorado Secretary of State, 1700 Broadway, Suite 550, Denver, CO 80290, phone 303-894-2200. There is no county-level certification step for a notarized document: the Secretary of State authenticates the Colorado notary’s signature directly.
The office lists three things to send: the original document, the completed Apostilles and Authentications Request Form, and payment. The document must carry one of three things: a Colorado notary public’s signature, a Colorado Vital Records certification, or a Colorado county clerk’s certification. Signatures must be original, not stamped or photocopied, and a notarization needs a complete notary statement that includes the state and county where it took place.
The office says it cannot provide online apostilles and does not notarize documents itself. It also offers a pre-submission review by email at Authentications@coloradosos.gov, with a stated turnaround of 3 to 5 business days.
| Mail-in or drop-off | $5 per apostille. Processed in the order received, with no guaranteed timeline. |
|---|---|
| Expedited walk-in | $15 per apostille. The office attempts same-day processing for documents hand-delivered before 4:30 p.m., but may ask you to return when demand is heavy. |
| Payment | Check or money order payable to Colorado Secretary of State. No credit or debit cards. |
| Return | Hold for pickup, your own prepaid label, or standard USPS mail at no extra charge. |
| Not processed | Weekends and holidays. Apostilles are not issued for use in the United States or its territories. |
Translations and apostilles together
A translation is not a public record, so it cannot be apostilled on its own. The usual route is for the translator to sign a statement of accuracy in front of a notary, and for the Secretary of State of the notary’s state to authenticate that notary’s signature. Colorado’s office accepts a document in another language as long as the notary’s statement is in English.
We can have our translator’s statement notarized. When the translation needs a Colorado apostille, we hire a Colorado notary to notarize it, because the Colorado Secretary of State authenticates Colorado notaries. If the receiving country wants the apostille on the original Colorado record, such as a birth certificate, the record itself goes to Denver and the translation travels with it. Ask the receiving authority which of the two it expects before you order, and we can help you plan the apostille step.
Where certified Colorado records come from
- Birth and death certificates. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Vital Records office is at 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO 80246. It takes orders online and by mail, and is open to the public by appointment only. County vital records offices also issue birth and death certificates.
- Marriage records. CDPHE directs you to the county clerk and recorder’s office for marriage records.
- Divorce records. Decrees of divorce, separation or annulment come from the clerk of the district court that handled the case.
- Copies a notary cannot certify. Colorado notaries may not certify a copy of a record that can be obtained from a clerk and recorder, the Secretary of State, the state archives or an office of vital records. The Secretary of State rejects apostille requests that rely on such a copy.
Colorado notaries and the 'notario publico' rule
Colorado’s notary law, the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, bars a notary who is not a Colorado attorney from drafting legal records, giving legal advice or acting as an immigration consultant. Under C.R.S. 24-21-525, such a notary may not use the term ‘notario’ or ‘notario publico’, and any advertising of notarial services must carry a notice, in each language used, that the notary is not an attorney and not an immigration consultant.
The Secretary of State’s notary guidance explains why: in Latin America a notario publico is a high-ranking official who is usually an attorney, which a U.S. notary is not. A Colorado notary notarizes a signature. The notary does not check or vouch for a translation, and must be able to communicate with the signer. An interpreter may help at a notarization but has to appear in person; a phone interpreter service or a translation app is not allowed.
Courts, interpreters and language in Colorado
Chief Justice Directive 06-03 governs language access in Colorado’s state courts. Under it, the courts provide interpreters at no cost for all parties in interest during or ancillary to a court proceeding. The directive ranks interpreters in four tiers: certified, credentialed, qualified and registered, with registered interpreters used as a last resort. The Judicial Department’s Office of Language Access keeps the interpreter rosters and oversees training and testing.
According to the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey one-year estimates, as published by Census Reporter, 16.7 percent of Colorado residents speak a language other than English at home, about 941,900 people, and 10.6 percent of the population was born outside the United States.
Our most requested languages are Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Czech. We work in 100 languages, so ask if yours is not on that short list.
Translation pages for Colorado cities
We have a page for each of these Colorado cities, with the local offices, courts and schools that affect a translation there:
Denver · Aurora · Colorado Springs · Fort Collins · Boulder
- Colorado apostille service, when the original record needs an apostille too
- All document translation services
Colorado document translation questions
USCIS does not require a Colorado license or a state-certified translator. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), the translator must certify that the English translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English.
Apostille Authentications charges from $65 per page for certified translation, and most orders are ready in 1 to 2 business days. The service is provided remotely from the Portland, Oregon area.
The Colorado DMV asks for a complete, certified translation of any document that is not in English. The translator’s affirmation must be on the same page as the translation, and the translation must show the translator’s unexpired driver’s license or ID number and state of issuance.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s request form lists $5 per apostille for mail-in or drop-off requests and $15 per apostille for expedited walk-in service. Payment is by check or money order; cards are not accepted.
A Colorado notary notarizes signatures and does not vouch for a translation. Colorado law also bars notaries from certifying copies of records held by a clerk and recorder, the Secretary of State, the state archives or a vital records office, and from using the title ‘notario publico’ unless they are attorneys.
Order it from CDPHE Vital Records at 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South in Denver, online, by mail or by appointment, or from a county vital records office. Marriage records come from the county clerk and recorder instead.
Sources
The local details on this page come from these official sources.
- Colorado Secretary of State: Apostilles and Authentications
- Colorado Secretary of State: Apostilles and Authentications Request Form
- Colorado Secretary of State: common reasons for rejection
- Colorado Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (C.R.S. 24-21-501 and following)
- Colorado Notary Handbook
- Colorado Secretary of State: Notary Public FAQs
- 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), eCFR
- Colorado DMV: required identification documents
- CDPHE Vital Records
- Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Directive 06-03
- Colorado Judicial Department: Need an Interpreter?
- Census Reporter: Colorado profile (ACS 2024 1-year)
Get your Colorado 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.