# Translations and Apostille



## gleeruss (Sep 3, 2012)

Planning to move to Mexico in about a year. I understand that I will need official copies of documents like birth certificate and marriage certificate and that these will need an "official" translation and apostille. So, do I get the document, get it translated and then get both apostilled, or get the document, get the apostille then get it translated? I'm confused.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

You must request the apostile from the Secretary of State, in the state where the document was signed. Then, after you get to Mexico, you will need an authorised perito, translator, to translate the documents.
Once that is done, make several copies of each, as you will probably need them in the future.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

gleeruss said:


> Planning to move to Mexico in about a year. I understand that I will need official copies of documents like birth certificate and marriage certificate and that these will need an "official" translation and apostille. So, do I get the document, get it translated and then get both apostilled, or get the document, get the apostille then get it translated? I'm confused.


Here's what I believe you will be required to do, but you can confirm the requirements with the Mexican Consulate closes to you where you will begin your immigration/visa process before heading to Mexico:

Documents which require an apostille need to be apostilled in the state in which they originate and the apostille certification must not be more than 90 days old when you present the documents for immigration purposes. Some of the apostilled documents may need to be notarized, first. Translations, "official translations" take place in Mexico, best I can determine. The consultate will advise you if there is someone in your region who has been pre-approved to translate/certify in the USA for submission to Immigration. In my own situation I wsa required to have the documents translated in Mexico. But I think I've read comments that some consulates have a network of "official" translations they'll accept from the USA. Best bet is to check with the consulate so that your documents aren't 'kicked back' to you and delay your move to Mexico.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Longford said:


> Here's what I believe you will be required to do, but you can confirm the requirements with the Mexican Consulate closes to you where you will begin your immigration/visa process before heading to Mexico:
> 
> Documents which require an apostille need to be apostilled in the state in which they originate and the apostille certification must not be more than 90 days old when you present the documents for immigration purposes. Some of the apostilled documents may need to be notarized, first. Translations, "official translations" take place in Mexico, best I can determine. The consultate will advise you if there is someone in your region who has been pre-approved to translate/certify in the USA for submission to Immigration. In my own situation I wsa required to have the documents translated in Mexico. But I think I've read comments that some consulates have a network of "official" translations they'll accept from the USA. Best bet is to check with the consulate so that your documents aren't 'kicked back' to you and delay your move to Mexico.


What documents need an "apostille? I have been here for years, have a visa, a mexican drivers license, a senior credential, IMSS, own a house, but I have never had to have anything apostilled. I did have to translate some bank statements for my Residencial Permanente but that was it. And they accepted my translation.

Incidentally, I applied to be one of the official translators (traductor perito), but never heard back from that application.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> What documents need an "apostille? I have been here for years, have a visa, a mexican drivers license, a senior credential, IMSS, own a house, but I have never had to have anything apostilled. I did have to translate some bank statements for my Residencial Permanente but that was it. And they accepted my translation.
> 
> Incidentally, I applied to be one of the official translators (traductor perito), but never heard back from that application.


I had to get my original birth certificate translated for my IMSS "Numero de Seguridad Social". I asked where and they said the Centro de Idiomes at the UASLP [local universsity] and costs me $150.00 pesos and took 1 1/2 hours.

I had to get a copy of my final divorce decree appostilled and it needed to be less than 90 days old. They did not request a translation, in my case. This was when the INM required foreigners to get a "Permiso to Marry a Mexican National" no longer required but the Registrar Civil needed it also before the marriage could be performed. 

So I would imagine getting a marriage license, final divorce decree and birth certificate apostilled is a good idea but in my case getting them all translated would not be a good idea but to wait until it is requested and go to the local university and get it done for a reasonable fee.

Other than that the INMs didn´t need anything translated in my case.


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## makaloco (Mar 26, 2009)

TundraGreen said:


> What documents need an "apostille? I have been here for years, have a visa, a mexican drivers license, a senior credential, IMSS, own a house, but I have never had to have anything apostilled. I did have to translate some bank statements for my Residencial Permanente but that was it. And they accepted my translation.


I was going to ask the same thing. I've been here since 2007, bought and remodeled a home, have a fideicomiso, will, CURP, RFC, local bank account, car, driver's license, and Residente Permanente status. No one has asked for a translation or apostille of anything.


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

The purpose of an apostille is to certify that a document from a foreign country is recognized by that country as authentic and official. So Mexico would never require an apostille on a Mexican document, because it’s not foreign, nor would it need a document already in Spanish to be translated.

All the examples you were citing are documents that are Mexican and in Spanish. You wouldn‘t need them translated for Mexican trámites because they’re already in Spanish and you wouldn’t need them apostilled, because they’re national documents that Mexican officials recognize as authentic.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

maesonna said:


> The purpose of an apostille is to certify that a document from a foreign country is recognized by that country as authentic and official. So Mexico would never require an apostille on a Mexican document, because it’s not foreign, nor would it need a document already in Spanish to be translated.
> 
> All the examples you were citing are documents that are Mexican and in Spanish. You wouldn‘t need them translated for Mexican trámites because they’re already in Spanish and you wouldn’t need them apostilled, because they’re national documents that Mexican officials recognize as authentic.


I think Tundra was insinuating he applied and recieved all those without needing his US documents apostilled or officially translated. I remmeber he translated his bank statements himself and they accepted them.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

If someone will be applying for a visa with permission to work, it's frequently the case that apostilled college transcripts, birth certificates and other documents requested as part of the visa application process. In my case, back when I had an FM3 with permission to work, about a half-dozen documents had to be apostilled. The requirements aren't applied uniformly, though. One office of INM will ask for a shopping list full of documents and apostilles while another may ask for just a couple. I haven't applied for permission to live in Mexico as a retiree so I can't comment on what could be asked for in that circumstance.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I have been here 13 years and I had to get an apostille twice. Once was our marriage certificate for one of the many renewals of FM3 or maybe for going to to FM2 I do not remember but I had to have that and the other time was my apostilled birth certificate when I applied for Mexican citizenship.
Since the interpretation of the rules vary fro year to year and each office is different as well it is hard to argue weher you need an apostille or not. In both cases it had to be under 90 days so no point getting one until someone asks for it.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

It was the same for us, many years ago: Marriage and birth certificates, for INM if I recall correctly.


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## JoanneR2 (Apr 18, 2012)

Longford said:


> If someone will be applying for a visa with permission to work, it's frequently the case that apostilled college transcripts, birth certificates and other documents requested as part of the visa application process. In my case, back when I had an FM3 with permission to work, about a half-dozen documents had to be apostilled. The requirements aren't applied uniformly, though. One office of INM will ask for a shopping list full of documents and apostilles while another may ask for just a couple. I haven't applied for permission to live in Mexico as a retiree so I can't comment on what could be asked for in that circumstance.


Same for me. When I arrived here to work two years ago I has to get my birth certificate, marriage certificate and all my educational qualifications apostilled. That was to work in DF .


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## Lorij (Jul 8, 2012)

I think I would get the birth certificate apostilled before going, but I don't think you will need anything else. Honestly, you may not even need that, depending upon where you go. I did not even need my birth certificate apostilled to get married by a judge in Pochutla, which is the normal procedure, I had a new certified copy from the county in which I was born in Alabama, and the judge accepted it. Also, I did not have to have mine apostilled for the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta when I got my Residente Temporal. So, many places and people you will deal with will want different things, and some will be more lenient. Take the birth cert apostilled to be on the safe side, and you can get it translated there in Mexico.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Lorij said:


> I think I would get the birth certificate apostilled before going, but I don't think you will need anything else. Honestly, you may not even need that, depending upon where you go. I did not even need my birth certificate apostilled to get married by a judge in Pochutla, which is the normal procedure, I had a new certified copy from the county in which I was born in Alabama, and the judge accepted it. Also, I did not have to have mine apostilled for the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta when I got my Residente Temporal. So, many places and people you will deal with will want different things, and some will be more lenient. Take the birth cert apostilled to be on the safe side, and you can get it translated there in Mexico.


Requirements one must meet when seeking permission to work for someone else (as compared to being self-employed) in Mexico differ from the requirements to just reside or get married in Mexico. It's an apples to oranges comparison of requirements which must be met. If someone arrives in Mexico without the required documentation it's often necessary for them to return back to their home country to obtain the documents and that can be both inconvenient and expensive to accomplish. The best advice is always to first learn what the requirements are (best one can) and then to comply. Also, too, the employer in Mexico should have advice to offer based on its prior experience hiring foreigners. Flying by the seat of one's pants may be okay to do sometimes, but not when it comes to legal and/or immigration matters. INM sets the rules and is the source from which the OP should learn what the requirements are or may be - recognizing that the regulations are not always applied uniformly throughout Mexico. The Mexican consular office closest to where the OP now resides and will begin the paperwork process is where the most relevant information will be obtained. Then, after than ... it may be necessary for the OP to guess a little as to what additional requirements may be once in Mexico and then to overprepare in order to avoid having to return home to start over again.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

[_QUOTE=TundraGreen;3145498]What documents need an "apostille? I have been here for years, have a visa, a mexican drivers license, a senior credential, IMSS, own a house, but I have never had to have anything apostilled. I did have to translate some bank statements for my Residencial Permanente but that was it. And they accepted my translation.

Incidentally, I applied to be one of the official translators (traductor perito), but never heard back from that application.[/QUOTE]_

I just recently applied to SRE for Mexican citizenship and had to order an apostilled birth certificate from the Alabama Department of Vital Statistics in Montgomery - not the county in which I was born. The apostille was certified by the Alabama Secretary of State. All documents were in English and I received them quite promptly via overnight Courier. The total cost to me charged by the state of Alabama, including courier charges, was $85USD. When I received those documents, I simply took them to a Jalisco State officially recognized translator in Chapala who translated the documents overnight for about $250 Pesos. I had to submit the apostilled birth certificate to SRE in Guadalajara within 90 days of the date of the certification. 

The birth certificate was the only document requiring an apostille in accordance with international agreements. In addition to that certificate, there were several other documents I had to submit including letters of certification from the state of Jalisco and the federal pólice in Coyocan, Mexico City, that I had no criminal record. That latter non-criminal certification must be picked up at the Coyocañ pólice offices in person so if you decide to apply for naturalization, you´ll have to go to Mexico City in person but, what the hell, it´s a fun town. 

The SRE website will tell you what you will need to submit to them to apply for naturalization and getting that accomplished may take up to six months after your application is filed and, believe me, SRE will go over your application documents with a fine tooth comb so be meticulous in its preparation.


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## socksthecat (Feb 22, 2014)

Hounddog, I'm new here and can't pm yet, but I'd really like to talk to you about applying with the SRE, something I plan to do immediately. I've been trying to investigate certain aspects and have found that few people here on the border have a clue about how to help me make sure I have everything I need before I make the trip to Monterrey from Nuevo Laredo to apply.

The immigration lawyers that advertise here are all lawyers to immigrate people into the US, not the other way around.

Apparently I must take my apostilled birth certificate and marriage certificate, which I already have, (as my application is through marriage to a Mexican citizen) to be translated by an officially recognized translator in Tamaulipas. How do I find one of those?

What did you have to take with you to Mexico City to get that letter of no criminal record? I found out only this morning that I would need one. Looks like I'll be buying a plane ticket to the DF ASAP, but I'm not going until I know what I must bring.

Oh, and did your birth certificate itself have to be less than 90 days old? Or just the apostille?


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

THe trick is the timing as the apostille and its translation have to be less than 3 months old and same with the state and Federal police records. I have hear that some office will accept apostilles over 3 months old so you may want to chec with the SRE office where you plan to apply. 
Once you get the apostilled documents that you need you need to go to Mexico CIty in Coyoacan to get your Federal carta de policia. It is a simple process and it takes less than one hour but you have to go the
re.. Then the State carta de policia and then you can go to the local office with your application and the documents needed. 
Make sure you take a copy or two I forget how many with you to Mexico and do not let them have the originals.
You can chec all the requirements on the SRE.site , make ure you do exactly what they tell you to do. It is all pretty simple.
I forget what I took, pretty sure it was the birth certificate aapostilled and the certified translation , original and copies of passport and FM whatever and then I took a CFE bill I did not need.


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