Hawaii Document Translation Services
Apostille Authentications provides certified document translation for people and businesses in Hawaii, from $65 per page, with most orders ready in 1 to 2 business days. Each translation comes with a signed certificate of accuracy. We work remotely from the Portland, Oregon area: you upload your documents through the quote form and receive the translation electronically or by mail. The rest of this page sets out the Hawaii rules that affect 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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Who issues apostilles in Hawaii
Hawaii has no Secretary of State. Apostilles and non-apostille certifications are issued by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, on the 5th floor of the State Capitol in Honolulu. The same address is used for mail and for walk-in drop-off.
| Office | Office of the Lieutenant Governor, State Capitol, 5th Floor, 415 S. Beretania St., Honolulu, HI 96813 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Phone | (808) 586-0255 |
| Fee | $3 per document through December 31, 2026; $5 per document from January 1, 2027 (Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 2-3). Fees are non-refundable. |
| Payment | Credit card through the online portal at apostille.ehawaii.gov; money order, cashier’s check or cash otherwise. No personal checks. |
| Processing | 7 to 10 business days. The office states that no expedited service is available. |
| Return | By USPS, unless you supply a self-addressed prepaid envelope or choose pickup. |
What the Lieutenant Governor requires for each document type
The office authenticates Hawaii signatures and seals, not the wording of a document. What you must do first depends on the document.
- Notarized documents. The document must be notarized by a Hawaii notary public and then certified at the Legal Documents office of the circuit court for that notary’s circuit before it goes to the Lieutenant Governor. The circuits are the First (Oahu), Second (Maui, Molokai and Lanai), Third (Hawaii Island) and Fifth (Kauai).
- Birth, death and marriage certificates. Certificates issued after January 1, 2025 that carry the State Registrar’s signature and the embossed Department of Health seal can be sent directly. For certificates issued before that date, the office tells applicants to order a new certificate from the Department of Health.
- Court documents. Court orders are eligible when they bear the state seal and an official signature.
- School records. These must be notarized before they can be processed.
- Federal documents. FBI background checks go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications, not to the state.
Hawaii notaries and translations
Hawaii notaries are commissioned through the Department of the Attorney General. Its Notary Public Manual says a document written in a foreign language should be notarized only by a notary who has a thorough understanding of that language. It also says a notary should not notarize an English document when the signers do not appear to speak, read or understand English, and should refer them to a notary who speaks their language, to the foreign consulate or to an attorney.
The Attorney General’s notary FAQ states that a notary may not certify a copy of a birth certificate, marriage certificate or passport. The manual adds that a notary who is not a licensed attorney may not practice law.
In practice this means a notary in Hawaii does not vouch for a translation. The translator signs a statement of accuracy, and a notary can witness that signature. When a translation needs a Hawaii apostille, we hire a Hawaii notary to notarize the translator’s statement, so it is a Hawaii notarial act.
Vital records from the Department of Health
Certified copies of Hawaii birth and marriage certificates come from the State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring. You can order online at vitrec.ehawaii.gov, in person on Oahu at 1250 Punchbowl Street, Room 103, Honolulu (Monday to Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.), or by mail to P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801. Neighbor island residents work through the District Health Offices.
The published fee is $10 for the first copy and $4 for each additional copy of the same certificate, plus a $2.50 administration fee per order. Stated timelines are 1 to 3 working days for in-person and online pickup orders, 10 working days for online orders sent by mail, and 6 to 8 weeks for mail orders. Applicants must show a direct and tangible interest in the record.
Courts, interpreters and Hawaiian as an official language
Article XV, section 4 of the Hawaii Constitution makes English and Hawaiian the official languages of the state, with Hawaiian required for public acts and transactions only as provided by law. In January 2018 the Judiciary announced that it will provide or permit qualified Hawaiian language interpreters, to the extent reasonably possible, when parties in courtroom proceedings choose to express themselves in Hawaiian.
Under its Language Access Plan the Judiciary provides competent court interpreters free of charge to parties, witnesses and people with a substantial interest in a case who have limited English proficiency. The Court Interpreter Certification Program is run by the Office on Equality and Access to the Courts, 426 Queen Street, B17, Honolulu, phone (808) 539-4860. Interpreters are registered in tiers after an orientation workshop and testing.
The Judiciary translates its own vital forms and brochures. Interpreters speak in the courtroom; they do not prepare the written translations of exhibits or foreign records that a party wants to file.
Languages spoken in Hawaii
Census ACS data published by Census Reporter show that 24.7 percent of Hawaii residents speak a language other than English at home and 18.6 percent were born outside the United States, both above the national figures.
The Judiciary’s Language Access Plan ranks interpreter spending for fiscal year 2019: Chuukese first, then Spanish, Ilokano, Marshallese and American Sign Language. The Office of Language Access in the Department of Health oversees language access plans across state agencies.
Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese are among the languages we handle most often. For Ilokano, Tagalog, Japanese, Korean, Chuukese, Marshallese, Hawaiian or any other language, ask us before you order so we can confirm availability.
Driver licenses, USCIS filings and how to order from Hawaii
Driver licensing is run by the four counties. Hawaii County’s published document list for the limited purpose license accepts a foreign driver’s license, foreign school record or similar foreign document as proof of identity, and says foreign-language documents must be accompanied by a certified translation or an affidavit of translation into English. Check with your county licensing office for other license types.
For immigration filings, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires any foreign-language document submitted to USCIS to 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.
To order, upload a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file through the quote form, or call (971) 514-3743 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. We return the certified translation electronically or by mail. We can also help with the apostille process. We cannot promise that any agency will accept a document, so confirm the receiving office’s requirements first.
Translation pages for Hawaii cities
We have a page for each of these Hawaii cities, with the local offices, courts and schools that affect a translation there:
- Hawaii apostille service, when the original record needs an apostille too
- All document translation services
Hawaii document translation questions
The Office of the Lieutenant Governor issues apostilles and non-apostille certifications in Hawaii. It is on the 5th floor of the State Capitol, 415 S. Beretania St., Honolulu, HI 96813.
The fee is $3 per document through December 31, 2026 and $5 per document from January 1, 2027 under Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 2-3. Personal checks are not accepted.
The Office of the Lieutenant Governor states a processing time of 7 to 10 business days and says no expedited service is available.
The Attorney General’s guidance says a notary should notarize a foreign-language document only with a thorough understanding of that language, and may not certify copies of birth or marriage certificates. A notary can witness a translator’s signature on an accuracy statement but does not vouch for the translation itself.
Yes. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), every foreign-language document sent to USCIS needs a full English translation certified as complete and accurate by a translator who also certifies competence in the language.
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.
Sources
The local details on this page come from these official sources.
- Office of the Lieutenant Governor: apostille application
- Office of the Lieutenant Governor: apostille FAQs
- Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 2-3 (apostille fees)
- Hawaii Notary Public Manual, Department of the Attorney General
- Attorney General general notary questions
- Department of Health: birth and marriage certificates
- Hawaii State Judiciary: court interpreting
- Judiciary Language Access Plan
- Hawaii Constitution, Article XV, section 4
- Hawaii County: limited purpose license documents
- 8 CFR 103.2
- Census Reporter: Hawaii
Get your Hawaii 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.