Chinese Passport Translation
Chinese passport translation to English for USCIS, a DMV, a bank, a university or an employer that asks for a certified translation of every foreign document in a file. The PRC 普通护照 is partly bilingual already, so the work is in the parts that are not: the remarks page, the stamps and the older booklets.
- 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 passport records
What on a PRC passport is still only in Chinese
The biodata page of a Chinese e-passport prints its field labels in Chinese and English, which is why people are surprised to be asked for a translation. The rest of the booklet is not bilingual.
Biodata page values
The name prints twice, in characters and in pinyin, and place of birth and place of issue give a province in characters with its pinyin beside it. So this page needs little real translation. Recipients who want it certified are after a signed English copy of the passport number, which starts with E on the e-passport and G on the earlier series, and of the dates. We copy the number character by character and check the pinyin against the characters, since a typo there follows you through every US form.
The 备注 page
The remarks page near the back carries handwritten or stamped notes with no English at all: a name change with the former name, 本护照系换发 showing that this passport replaced an earlier one and giving its number, an extension, a correction. For an I-485 or an N-400 the earlier number on that note is what links your travel history across two booklets. We translate every note and the seal under it.
Entry and exit stamps
Chinese 边检 stamps read 入境 or 出境 with the port and the date, and other countries' stamps share the same pages. The travel history on Form N-400, or the answer to an I-485 question about absences, is rebuilt from these stamps, and an officer may ask for the translated pages. Send a clear photo of every stamped page and tell us whether you want only the Chinese stamps translated or the whole page described. Stamp pages run well under 250 words, so each is a single $25 page.
Who is asking for your Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified passport 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.
DMVs, banks and employers
A foreign passport used as proof of identity is accepted with a certified translation of the data page. Digital delivery as a PDF is usually enough; ask for a hard copy if they want one.
Consulates and registries abroad
A US passport sent abroad for a marriage, a residency permit or a property purchase often needs the translation notarized. Tell us the country in your order notes.
Before you upload
Three things that save a day of back and forth on a Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified passport.
Send the data page and any page with a stamp
The photo page carries the name, number and dates. Visa pages, entry stamps and an amendment page matter too when the recipient is tracing travel history, so include them if the checklist asks.
Give us the spelling you use in English
The translation keeps the name as the passport prints it and notes the romanized spelling you use elsewhere. Say which at checkout so the recipient can match the two.
Scan it flat with the machine-readable lines in frame
The two lines of characters at the foot of the photo page are copied exactly as printed. A crooked or cropped photo hides them and slows the translator down.
Details and pricing
What is included in a Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified passport 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 passport 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 Passport FAQ
Most questions about pricing and turnaround can be answered faster by requesting a quote.
- Do I really need a certified translation of a bilingual passport?
- Often not for USCIS, which reads the biodata page as it is because the fields are labeled in English. A DMV, a bank, a state licensing board or a school is less flexible and may want a signed English version of every foreign document in the file, passport included. If your checklist says certified translation, we do the biodata page and any other page you name, and one certification covers them together.
- Can you translate an expired or older-format Chinese passport?
- Yes. The 97-2 series issued until 2012 has a pinyin name and bilingual labels too, but its extension notes are in Chinese only, and booklets from before 1997 are mostly Chinese throughout. Expired passports matter for an I-485 or a naturalization timeline because they hold the older visas and stamps. Send photos of the biodata page, the remarks page and any page with a stamp.
- Can you translate a 旅行证 or a 港澳通行证?
- Yes. Chinese consulates in the US issue the 中华人民共和国旅行证 in place of a passport, often to a US-born child of Chinese parents, and it carries Chinese-only entries much like the passport. The 往来港澳通行证 and 往来台湾通行证 are card permits for trips to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, with a 签注 endorsement for each visit. We translate the card, the endorsements and the stamps.
- 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
Passport translation in other languages
Each of these pages is written for that language's passport records.
Sending it with an application? Read the USCIS translation requirements before you order.