Translating Iranian Documents for Use in the U.S. and Canada: What You Need to Know

Why This Comes Up So Often

Iranians in the U.S. and Canada regularly need to submit Iranian documents to schools, employers, courts, immigration authorities, and government agencies. Iranian documents — including your Shenasnameh, passport, marriage certificate, divorce decree, or death certificate — are issued entirely in Persian. No U.S. or Canadian institution will process a document it cannot read. Translation is not optional. What confuses most people is the additional layer of certification, notarization, and authentication that may be required on top of a basic translation. The requirements vary depending on who is asking for the document and why.

The Difference Between Translation, Certified Translation, and Notarized Translation

These three terms are often used interchangeably, but they mean different things.

• Translation: A plain rendering of the document from Persian into English. No certification or attestation is attached. Most institutions will not accept this alone.
• Certified translation: The translator (or translation company) signs a statement declaring they are competent in both languages and that the translation is accurate and complete. This is the standard requirement for U.S. government agencies, including USCIS, and most courts.
• Notarized translation: A notary public witnesses the translator's signature on the certification statement. The notary is not verifying the translation itself — only that the signature is genuine. Some institutions, particularly in Canada or in U.S. state court proceedings, specifically require this extra step.
• ATA-certified translator: The American Translators Association (ATA) certifies individual translators who pass a rigorous exam. USCIS and many courts accept translations from ATA-certified translators without further notarization, though they do not require ATA certification specifically.

Which Iranian Documents Are Most Commonly Translated

Almost any official Iranian document may need translation at some point. The most frequently translated documents include:

• Shenasnameh (Iranian birth certificate / civil registry booklet) — required for name changes, naturalization, school enrollment, and inheritance proceedings
• Iranian passport — for identity verification with employers, banks, and some government agencies
• Iranian marriage certificate (Aghd Nameh or registration extract) — required for spousal visa applications, name changes, and insurance enrollment
• Iranian divorce decree — required for remarriage, certain immigration applications, and court proceedings
• Iranian death certificate — required for inheritance claims, estate proceedings, and updating civil status records
• Iranian educational transcripts and diplomas — required for credential evaluation by agencies like WES or ECE
• Power of attorney documents authenticated in Iran — required for U.S. notaries or attorneys to act on the document

Translation Requirements by Use Case

The level of certification required depends entirely on who will receive the document.

• USCIS (immigration applications): Requires a certified translation with a signed translator statement. The translator may not translate their own document. ATA certification is not mandatory but is widely accepted.
• U.S. federal and state courts: Requirements vary by jurisdiction. Many courts require a notarized translation. Confirm with the specific court clerk before submitting.
• Social Security Administration: Requires a certified translation for foreign-language documents used to establish identity or age.
• U.S. universities and graduate schools: Most accept certified translations. Some require evaluation by a NACES-approved credential evaluation agency (such as WES) in addition to translation.
• Canadian immigration (IRCC): Requires certified translations by a translator who is a member of a provincial translation association or is otherwise qualified. IRCC has specific translator qualification rules — review their current guidelines before submitting.
• Canadian courts and provincial agencies: Requirements vary by province. Quebec has stricter requirements given its civil law tradition.
• Banks, employers, and private institutions: Often accept any professional certified translation, though policies differ.

A Critical Detail: The Translation Must Cover the Entire Document

Many people assume that only the main text of an Iranian document needs to be translated. This is incorrect. A certified translation must include every element of the document: all stamps, seals, handwritten notations, marginal notes, registration numbers, and official signatures — even if some of those elements are partially illegible. If your translator skips stamps or seals, USCIS or a court may reject the submission. Additionally, if your Shenasnameh has multiple pages or contains updates added over time (such as a marriage notation or a child's birth entry), every page and every notation must be translated. Partial translations will be returned.

Document Condition Matters Before You Translate

A translation is only as reliable as the source document. If your Iranian document is damaged, faded, partially illegible, or contains errors in the original Persian text, those problems will carry through into the translation — and may cause additional complications. A document with a name that is spelled inconsistently across multiple pages, or a birth date that appears in two different formats, will raise questions at whatever institution receives it. Before committing to translation, review your Iranian documents carefully. If your Shenasnameh is outdated, damaged, or contains discrepancies, it may be worth correcting or renewing the source document first through the Iranian Interests Section in Washington, D.C. or the relevant Iranian consulate in Canada. Translating a defective document and then discovering the problem later wastes time and money.

How Iranian Citizen Services Can Help

Iranian Citizen Services does not perform translations and is not a translation agency. What ICS does is help clients get their Iranian source documents into proper order before translation becomes necessary. If your Shenasnameh is expired, damaged, or contains errors, ICS can guide you through the process of renewing or correcting it through the Iranian Interests Section in Washington, D.C. If you need a power of attorney authenticated in Iran before it can be translated and used in the U.S., ICS can help draft and coordinate that document. ICS also helps clients understand which Iranian documents they actually need for a given purpose, so they are not paying to translate documents that are unnecessary or that will be rejected because the underlying Iranian record is incomplete. ICS serves clients throughout the U.S. and Canada entirely remotely. All consultations are conducted by Shirin Salamat, an Iranian attorney and member of the Iran Central Bar Association since 2004, with over 22 years of experience in Iranian legal and civil registry matters. ICS is not a law firm and does not provide U.S. immigration legal advice.

Practical Steps Before You Order a Translation

Taking a few minutes to prepare will save you significant frustration later.

1. Identify exactly which document the institution needs and confirm its specific certification requirements — ask in writing if possible.
2. Obtain a clean, complete, high-resolution scan or photocopy of the Iranian document. Every page, every stamp, every margin.
3. Review the document for accuracy. Check that names, dates, and ID numbers are consistent across all pages and match your other Iranian documents.
4. If the document is expired, damaged, or contains errors, address those issues first through the Iranian Interests Section (Washington, D.C.) or a Canadian Iranian consulate before proceeding.
5. Select a qualified translator — ideally ATA-certified for U.S. use, or provincially certified for Canadian immigration purposes.
6. Confirm whether the receiving institution requires notarization in addition to certification, and arrange that before submitting.
7. Keep the original Iranian document and a copy of the certified translation together for your records.