Chinese ID Card Translation
Chinese ID card translation to English for USCIS, a bank, a DMV, a university or a landlord that wants proof of identity from China in a certified English copy. We translate both sides of the 居民身份证 on one page, with the name and address in English and the 18-digit number copied exactly as printed.
- Up to 250 words per page
- $25 per page
- Standard turnaround
- From 24 hours
- Certificate of accuracy
- Signed & stamped
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Written for Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified id card records
Reading a 居民身份证
The card is small and every line on it is in characters, including the two that US recipients most need, the name and the address.
The 18-digit 公民身份号码
The number is not random. The first six digits are the code of the county where the holder was first registered, the next eight are the date of birth, the next three are a sequence with an odd last digit for men and an even one for women, and the final character is a check digit that can be the letter X. The translation copies the number without spaces and explains the structure in a translator's note, which is what lets a US officer see that the date of birth on the card and the number agree. First-generation cards had 15 digits, and the translation says so if you send one.
The address and the 民族 line
The 住址 is the household registration address, not where the person lives, and it reads from the province down to the building number. The translation keeps that order and labels it as the registered address so nobody compares it with a US lease and finds a mismatch. 民族 gives one of the 56 recognized nationalities, 汉, 回, 维吾尔 or 朝鲜 among them; it has no US equivalent and is translated as ethnicity with the Chinese term kept beside it.
The back: issuing office and validity
The reverse names the 签发机关, usually a county or district 公安局 or 公安分局, and the 有效期限. Under the Resident Identity Card Law a card is valid 5 years for a child under 16, 10 years from 16 to 25, 20 years from 26 to 45 and 长期, long-term, from 46. A 长期 card has no expiry date, and the translation writes that out rather than inventing one. We ask for a photo of each side and certify them as a single page.
Who is asking for your Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified id card translation?
The translation is the same. What changes is whether the recipient wants anything added to it.
USCIS
USCIS asks for a complete English translation and a signed certification from the translator. No notarization is needed.
State DMVs and Social Security offices
An ID card offered as proof of identity or date of birth is accepted with a certified translation. A few offices want it notarized as well, so check with your office before you order.
IRCC
IRCC accepts a certified translation with the translator's affidavit. Order the certified translation and add notarization if your application guide asks for it.
Before you upload
Three things that save a day of back and forth on a Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified id card.
Scan both sides
The issuing office, the expiry date and the address are usually on the back. Upload the front and the back in one order so the translation covers the whole card.
Give us the spelling you use in English
The translation shows the name as the card prints it and notes the spelling on your passport or green card. Say which at checkout so the two documents match.
A phone photo works if every character is readable
Lay the card on a plain surface, avoid glare on the hologram and take one picture per side with the whole card in frame.
Details and pricing
What is included in a Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified id card translation
One price per page covers the translation and its certification. A page is up to 250 words, and the quote tells you the page count before you pay.
Everything on the id card is translated, including stamps, seals and handwritten notes. Tell us the English spelling you use for each name when you order.
Certified Translation
Word-for-word translation with a certificate of accuracy for official use.
$25
USD / page
up to 250 words per page
Included
- Signed & stamped certification of translation accuracy
- Certified by a professional translator
- Digital delivery via PDF
- Review and approve final translation
- 100% Guaranteed Acceptance
- Standard turnaround starting at 24 hours
Optional services
- Expedited turnaround
- Priority handling when your deadline is shorter than the standard turnaround.
- By deadline
- Notarization
- A notary public signs and stamps the certification statement.
- $20 per order
- Physical copy
- A wet-ink original of your translation, mailed by express courier.
- $35 per order
- Apostille
- Authenticates the notary’s signature and seal for use in Hague Convention countries.
- $180 per document
What the certificate of accuracy states
Your translation arrives with a Certification of Translation Accuracy issued by ImmiTranslate. It is the page the receiving organization checks first.
- The translation is complete and accurate.
- The document title and the language pair.
- The translator is competent in both languages.
- A signature and the ImmiTranslate certification stamp.
- Our American Translators Association corporate membership.
Our translation process
Our goal is to make the translation process as simple as possible for you. Our service is streamlined specifically for documents of this nature.
Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified ID Card FAQ
Most questions about pricing and turnaround can be answered faster by requesting a quote.
- USCIS wants a copy of my ID. Do I send the card or the translation?
- Both. Send a copy of the card, front and back, with the certified translation. Chinese offices themselves want the 正反面 on one sheet, and we lay the translation out the same way, with the photo side and the issuing-office side labeled. If your passport spells your name differently from the pinyin you use at work, say so, because the card has no pinyin for us to follow.
- Can you translate a temporary ID or a residence permit instead?
- Yes. A 临时居民身份证 is a paper card valid for three months while a new one is made, and it carries the same number. A 港澳居民居住证 or 台湾居民居住证 is issued to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents living on the mainland, and the 外国人永久居留身份证 to foreign permanent residents. Each has its own numbering and issuing office, and we translate them as what they are.
- The card is expired. Does that matter?
- For the translation, no. We translate the card as it is and carry over the expiry date; the recipient decides whether an expired ID is enough. If you hold a current card and an older one with a different address, send both when the address matters, for example to show where you lived during a period an officer has asked about. The 18-digit number stays the same for life unless a correction was made, so the two cards tie together.
- How much does a certified translation cost?
- Certified translation is $25 per page, with a page counted as up to 250 words. Notarization, a mailed physical copy and an apostille are optional and priced separately.
- How long does a certified translation take?
- Standard turnaround starts at 24 hours and depends on the length and language of your documents. If you have a deadline, include it in your quote request.
Other Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified documents we translate
ID card translation in other languages
Each of these pages is written for that language's id card records.
Sending it with an application? Read the USCIS translation requirements before you order.