Requirements
What US courts, banks and immigration authorities actually require
For most Israeli documents filed abroad, what is asked for is a complete English translation with a signed certificate of accuracy from the translator — not a notarized or apostilled translation. Here is what the rules actually say, and where to check the one that governs your file.
The short answer
Three different things get called "certification", and they are priced very differently. A certified translation is a complete, faithful translation delivered with a signed statement from the translator that identifies the document and attests that the translation is complete and accurate. A notarized translation adds a notary's certification on top of it. An apostille is an authentication stamp under the Hague Convention, applied to an original public document or to a notary's certification — which is how a notarized translation carries one. It authenticates the signature, never the accuracy of the translation.
For most submissions — filings made with USCIS, most bank files, and many court filings — the first of those is what is required. The heavier routes are asked for by some authorities and not by others, and the difference is hundreds of shekels and several days.
Which one governs your file is set by the authority receiving it, and confirming that rests with you or your advisor — we do not make that determination for you. What we provide is the certified translation and its signed certificate. Where a notarized translation is required, we're happy to refer you to a notary.
US immigration filings: the regulation is one sentence
Everything filed with USCIS is governed by a single paragraph, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3):
Translations. 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.That is the whole of it: no accreditation, no register to appear on, no seal — and no notary. The USCIS Policy Manual restates the same two certifications and adds one rule the regulation leaves out — "a summary of a document prepared by a translator is unacceptable". The current form instructions add four elements the certification itself must carry: the translator's signature, printed name, the signature date and their contact information.
Consular processing is a different stage with different instructions, published by the post handling the case rather than by USCIS. Read the checklist your own post publishes and follow that one.
US courts: each court sets its own rule
There is no single national rule for filing a translated document in a US court. Federal district courts publish their own local rules and each state has its own rules of procedure, so the requirement that binds you is the one your court publishes. The common shape is the same as the immigration rule: the complete translation, plus a signed statement from the translator giving their qualifications and attesting that the translation is accurate.
New York's civil practice rules put it this way, and the wording is typical:
Where an affidavit or exhibit annexed to a paper served or filed is in a foreign language, it shall be accompanied by an English translation and an affidavit by the translator stating his qualifications and that the translation is accurate.Note the word affidavit. Some courts want the translator's statement sworn rather than simply signed — a formality about the signature, not a second check of the translation. If the rule your filing runs under specifies particular wording or a sworn form, send it to us with the documents: that is far easier to settle before the certificate is issued than after.
Which rule governs your filing is a question for your attorney. We do not answer it for you, and we would rather say so than guess.
Banks abroad
Most bank submissions run on the translation itself. The reviewer wants a document they can read and check, and a signed certificate of accuracy answers the question of who stands behind it. Portuguese banks generally accept income documents in English.
Stricter banks — and the notaries who handle a property deed — sometimes require the notarized route, and occasionally an apostille on top. That demand usually arrives in writing, with specific wording, so it can be matched exactly rather than bought in advance.
One distinction is worth carrying into that conversation: an apostille authenticates an original public document, or a notary's signature. In Israel those are two different authorities — the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for original public documents, the Magistrates' Court for a notary's certification — and neither authenticates the translation itself: an apostille on a notarized translation attests the notary's signature, not the accuracy of the English.
The four words, in one place
Certified translation (certificate of accuracy)
A complete, faithful translation delivered with a signed statement identifying the document and attesting to the accuracy of the work, carrying the translator's name, signature, date and contact details. Most files are built on this.
Notarized translation
A notary's certification attached to the translation. Under Israel's Notaries Law a notary may certify that a translation is correct only where the notary is fluent in both languages; otherwise what is issued is a certification of the translator's signed declaration rather than of the translation itself. The fee is set by regulation rather than by the notary, and rises with the length of the document.
Sworn translation
A translation signed by a court-authorized "sworn translator". Israel has no sworn-translator register, and neither does Portugal. Where another country uses that system, ask the receiving institution what it accepts instead.
Apostille
Not a translation service at all: an authentication stamp under the Hague Convention, applied to a public document or to a notary's certification — which is how a notarized translation receives one; in Israel, at a Magistrates' Court. It authenticates the signature on the document, never the accuracy of the translation.
What we do, and what we don't
We produce certified translations of Israeli financial and official documents, and the translator certifies each translation personally. The certificate identifies the documents it covers, carries a serial number recorded in our register, and invites the receiving institution to confirm it with us.
We are translators, not notaries. We do not determine what your bank, court or authority requires — that is the authority's rule to set and your advisor's call to confirm. Where a notarized translation or an apostille is genuinely required, we're happy to refer you to a notary.
Where we checked
8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) and the USCIS Policy Manual (Volume 1, Part E, Chapter 6) were read from the publishers' own texts, alongside the instructions to Form I-864 (edition 10/17/24) and to Forms I-485, I-526E and N-400 (edition 01/20/25). The New York provision is CPLR 2101(b), read from the published statute in August 2026. The Israeli notarial rules are the Notaries Law, 5736-1976 and the fee regulations made under it.
Rules and form instructions are reissued. The edition in force is the one printed on the form you download, and the local rule in force is the one your court publishes today.
Straight answers
Does a US court require a notarized translation of an Israeli document?
Not as a general rule. Courts publish their own requirements, and the common form is a complete translation with a signed statement from the translator giving their qualifications and attesting that the translation is accurate — New York's CPLR 2101(b) is a typical example. Some courts ask for that statement in sworn form, which is a formality about the signature rather than a second check of the translation. The rule that governs your filing is the one your court publishes: confirm it with your attorney and send us the wording.
Does USCIS require a notarized translation?
No. 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) asks for a full English translation, the translator's certification that it is complete and accurate, and the translator's certification of competence to translate from the foreign language into English. There is no notary in that paragraph. The current form instructions add that the certification must carry the translator's signature, printed name, the signature date and their contact information.
Will a bank abroad accept an English translation with a certificate of accuracy?
For most bank submissions, yes — and Portuguese banks generally accept income documents in English. Where a bank, or the notary handling a property deed, asks for a notarized translation or an apostille, that request normally arrives in writing with specific wording. Match it exactly rather than paying for the heavier route in advance.
Can you tell me what my court, bank or authority requires?
No, and we would rather say so plainly: the requirement is the receiving authority's to set, and confirming it rests with you or your advisor. What we can do is match the translation and the certificate to the wording you are given — send it to us with the documents.
What is an apostille, and does it go on the translation?
An apostille is an authentication stamp under the Hague Convention. It is applied to an original public document, or to a notary's signature — which is how a notarized translation carries one — and a translator does not issue one; it authenticates the signature, never the accuracy of the translation. In Israel the Ministry of Foreign Affairs apostilles original public documents and the Magistrates' Court apostilles a notary's certification.
Do you provide notarized translations?
We provide the certified translation and its signed certificate. We are not notaries; where a notarized translation is required we're happy to refer you to a notary, who certifies on top of the translation we deliver.
Have the authority's wording in hand?
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