South Dakota Document Translation Services
Apostille Authentications provides certified document translation for people and businesses in South Dakota from $65 per page, and most translations are ready in 1 to 2 business days. We work remotely from the Portland, Oregon area: you upload your documents through the quote form and we return the translation electronically or by mail. Each certified translation carries a signed certificate of accuracy, and we can have the translator’s statement notarized and help with the apostille.
Upload your document below as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file, or call (971) 514-3743 for a quote.
Upload Your Documents For Translation
How to order a translation from anywhere in South Dakota
We have no office in South Dakota. Everything is handled online and by mail from our office at 5 Centerpointe Drive, Suite 400, Lake Oswego, OR 97035.
- Upload. Send a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file of each document through the quote form.
- Confirm. We reply with the price, starting at $65 per page, and the expected delivery date.
- Receive. The certified translation and its signed certificate of accuracy come back electronically or by mail.
- Ask. Call (971) 514-3743 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. with questions.
Languages we translate
We work in 100 languages. The ones requested most often are Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Czech. If your language is not in that list, ask us before you order and we will tell you whether we can take it.
Census Reporter’s American Community Survey profile for South Dakota shows that about 7.1 percent of residents speak a language other than English at home and about 4.2 percent were born outside the United States. The state court system’s Language Access Plan for fiscal year 2025 gives a second view of language need: Spanish accounted for 4,239 interpreter requests, about 63 percent of the total, followed by Arabic, Kunama, Karen and Tigrinya.
The federal rule for immigration filings
USCIS applies the same translation rule in every state. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and accurate, together with the translator’s certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.
Our certificate of accuracy is written to cover those points. The regulation does not ask for notarization, and no translation company can promise how an agency will rule on a filing.
How a South Dakota apostille works
Apostilles and authentications for South Dakota documents are issued by the Secretary of State in Pierre. The office publishes the following rules.
| Fee | $25 per document; expedited service adds a $50 expedite fee |
|---|---|
| Mail address | South Dakota Secretary of State, Attn: Apostille Office, 500 E. Capitol Ave., Pierre, SD 57501 |
| Drop-off and pick-up | 500 East Capitol Avenue, Suite 112, Pierre, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| Processing | Mail requests within 2 business days of receipt; most drop-off orders in 1 to 2 business days; expedited by appointment |
| What to include | The Apostille/Authentication Request Form, the destination country, a daytime phone or email, a return mailing address and the original certified or notarized document |
| Payment | Check, money order, cash or a major credit card from a US bank |
| Return shipping | Standard USPS, or your own prepaid self-addressed envelope; the office does not accept or send DHL |
| Contact | (605) 773-5008 |
Notarized translations and South Dakota notary rules
The Secretary of State says a notarized document must be properly certified and notarized by a South Dakota Notary Public before it can receive an apostille. For that reason, when a translation needs to be notarized for South Dakota, for example for a South Dakota apostille, we hire a notary commissioned in South Dakota to notarize the translator’s statement.
The South Dakota Notary Public Handbook states that a South Dakota notary cannot certify copies of documents, although a person may certify that a copy is valid and have that signature notarized. The Secretary of State adds that birth certificates, marriage certificates and court documents must be certified by the issuing agency, not by a notary. In practice a vital record and its translation are two separate documents: the record needs its own certified copy, and the notary’s act on the translation covers only the translator’s signed statement.
The handbook also tells notaries not to draft legal documents for clients. It does not contain a section on foreign-language documents or on the term notario publico.
Vital records, courts and driver licensing
These are the state offices whose paperwork most often sits beside a translation.
- Vital records. The Department of Health Vital Records office is at 221 West Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501, phone 605-773-4961. A certificate costs $15, and the fee is non-refundable if no record is found. Orders are taken in person, by mail, online or by phone, and county Register of Deeds offices also take in-person orders. Divorce certificates come only from the state office; divorce decrees come from the county Clerk of Courts.
- State courts. The Unified Judicial System’s Language Access Plan says all submitted forms must be in English, and some forms are published in Spanish on the court website. State law requires the court to appoint a disinterested interpreter when a witness or party needs one, at no cost to that person. The court system keeps a roster of interpreters and agencies in more than 30 languages.
- Federal court. The U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota sits in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Pierre and Aberdeen.
- Driver licensing. The Department of Public Safety accepts only original, certified documents, never photocopies, including name change documents from foreign entities. Applications may be completed in English or Spanish. Its required documents page does not state a translation rule, so check with the exam station before you go.
Documents South Dakota customers send us
Typical orders include birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates, diplomas and transcripts, police clearance letters, court judgments, powers of attorney, medical records and business contracts. For university applications, check the school’s own rule first. The University of South Dakota, for example, asks graduate applicants for an official transcript in English or with a translation. Tell us where the translation is going so the certificate and any notarization match what that office asks for.
Translation pages for South Dakota cities
We have a page for each of these South Dakota cities, with the local offices, courts and schools that affect a translation there:
Pierre · Sioux Falls · Rapid City · Aberdeen
- South Dakota apostille service, when the original record needs an apostille too
- All document translation services
South Dakota document translation questions
Apostille Authentications translates documents for South Dakota residents 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 translations start at $65 per page, and most are ready in 1 to 2 business days. The exact price is confirmed after we see the document.
The South Dakota Secretary of State issues apostilles at 500 East Capitol Avenue in Pierre. The state fee is $25 per document, and requests are accepted by mail, drop-off or expedited appointment.
The Secretary of State requires a notarized document to be notarized by a South Dakota Notary Public. When that applies to a translation, we hire a notary commissioned in South Dakota to notarize the translator’s statement.
No. The federal rule at 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires a full English translation with the translator’s certification of accuracy and competence, and it is the same in every state.
No. The South Dakota Notary Public Handbook says notaries cannot certify copies, and the Secretary of State requires vital records to be certified by the issuing agency. Order a certified copy from the Department of Health or a county Register of Deeds.
Sources
The local details on this page come from these official sources.
- South Dakota Secretary of State: Apostilles and Authentications
- South Dakota Notary Public Handbook (Secretary of State)
- South Dakota Department of Health: Order Vital Records
- South Dakota Unified Judicial System Language Access Plan, Fiscal Year 2025
- South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Language Access
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety: Required Driver Licensing Documents
- 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (eCFR)
- Census Reporter: South Dakota profile (ACS)
- U.S. District Court, District of South Dakota: Court Info
- University of South Dakota: International Graduate Admission
Get your South Dakota 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.