Guides

Nikah Nama translation for USCIS and the NVC

If you are filing an I-130 for a spouse married in Pakistan, or sending documents to the National Visa Center, the Urdu Nikah Nama needs a full English translation with a certification from the translator. Here is what the rule says, what applicants report the NVC asks for, and how to prepare the translation.

The rule

USCIS regulation 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) says: "Any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS shall be accompanied by a full English language translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, and by the translator's certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English." (Cornell LII)

Two things follow from the wording. The translation must be full, so every column of the form is translated, blank ones included. And the rule asks for a competent translator who signs a certification; it does not ask for a professional company or a notary.

What applicants report the NVC asks for

Pakistani applicants on VisaJourney report that the NVC wants the Urdu Nikah Nama, its English translation and the NADRA marriage registration certificate together, and that it returns files with only one of them (VisaJourney thread). These are applicant reports, not official guidance: check the State Department's reciprocity page for Pakistan and your own NVC instructions before you upload. Our page on the NADRA certificate and the Nikah Nama explains the difference.

A certification in the USCIS wording

This is the statement NikahDraft puts under the translation. The translator fills in the blanks and signs.

I, [full name], confirm that I am competent to translate from Urdu into English, and that the above is a complete and accurate English translation of the original Nikahnama, to the best of my knowledge and ability.

Signature: ____________
Name: ____________
Address: ____________
Phone: ____________   Email: ____________
Date: ____________

Who should sign

Anyone fluent in Urdu and English can be competent. Many applicants still use someone other than the petitioner or the beneficiary, so the person vouching for the translation is not the person who benefits from it. If you are unsure, ask your attorney.

Common mistakes that cause a request for evidence

• Translating only the filled columns and leaving out blank or struck-out ones.
• Names spelled differently from the passports and the I-130.
• No translator's address or date on the certification.
• Uploading the translation without the Urdu original next to it. One immigration firm describes a Pakistani spouse case denied for exactly this (Hacking Law Practice).