Death certificate translation from Russian & Ukrainian
We're sorry for your loss — and we'll make this part simple. Certified, notarized English translation of death certificates from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and the USSR for USCIS, probate courts, Social Security and insurers. $25 per certificate, ready in 1–2 days.
Which document do you have?
A death is recorded in more than one document. Most U.S. offices ask for the civil registry certificate; some — probate attorneys and insurers in particular — also want the medical one.
Death certificate
Свидетельство о смерти (Ukrainian: свідоцтво про смерть) — issued by the civil registry office (ZAGS). This is the document USCIS, the SSA and courts ask for. Soviet booklets, new Russian forms with a barcode and reissued duplicates.
Medical certificate of death
Медицинское свидетельство о смерти, Form 106/u — filled in by the doctor and listing the cause of death. Current Russian and Ukrainian certificates don't show the cause, so this form is where it is found.
Extracts and archival records
ZAGS statements and archival certificates of a death record, extracts from Ukraine's State Register of Civil Status Acts and Belarusian and Kazakh forms — useful when the original certificate is lost.
See what your translation will look like
A new Russian Federation certificate and a reissued Ukrainian certificate with its apostille. Names, dates and numbers are replaced with sample data.
- Layout mirrors the original, so it can be compared line by line
- Dates in figures and in words, as on the certificate
- Stamps and seals described in brackets; signatures marked [Signed]
- Names spelled as in the U.S. documents of the family
A U.S. death certificate for Russia or Ukraine
When a relative passes away in the United States, the family back home often needs the American certificate to open an inheritance, close bank accounts or stop a pension. We translate U.S. death certificates from every state into Russian and Ukrainian — every box, including the cause of death, the informant and the funeral home.
- Apostille first. Order a certified copy from the county or state vital records office and get an apostille from the Secretary of State of the same state. We translate the apostille together with the certificate.
- Notarized in Russia. Russian notaries often ask for a translation certified by a Russian notary. We can have our translation notarized by a notary public in Russia and mail it to the notary handling the estate.
- Don't wait. In Russia an inheritance is normally accepted within six months of the date of death (Article 1154 of the Civil Code), and gathering U.S. documents takes time.
Translations into Russian and Ukrainian are quoted individually — send us the certificate and we'll reply with the price and turnaround.
Small details that matter in a death certificate
This certificate is often used years later, alongside the family's other documents — so it has to line up with them exactly.
The name on the certificate
We keep the full name with the patronymic and spell it the way it appears in the family's U.S. documents — for example on the spouse's marriage certificate or the I-130 petition.
Places that were renamed
Leningrad, Sverdlovsk, Dnepropetrovsk — older certificates use Soviet names. We translate what is written and add a translator's note with today's name.
Cause of death
Soviet certificates and medical certificates list the cause of death. We translate medical terms precisely, using standard English terminology.
Who asks for a translated death certificate
A death certificate closes one chapter on paper and opens others — immigration, benefits and the estate. These are the places we see it most:
- USCIS — proof that a previous marriage ended when a former spouse died (Forms I-130, I-129F for a K-1 visa, I-485), widow(er) petitions, and cases that continue after the petitioner's death
- Social Security — survivors benefits for a widow, widower or children
- Probate courts and attorneys — settling an estate or property in the U.S.
- Life insurance companies and banks — claims and closing or transferring accounts
- Marriage license — some county clerks ask how a previous marriage ended
Death certificate, Russian or Ukrainian → English. Medical certificates, archival records and English → Russian or Ukrainian are quoted individually.
- Certified and notarized
- Draft sent to you to check names and dates
- PDF by email in 1–2 days
- Hard copy by mail: Regular USPS +$13, Priority +$18, Priority Express +$39
Four simple steps
Send your documents
Scan or photograph your document — we accept all file types. Email it to us or send it on WhatsApp.
Make a payment
We email the price, turnaround and payment details. Pay by card, PayPal or Zelle, and send the English spelling of names.
Review the draft
We send a draft so you can check that names, dates and details match your other documents.
Done!
Receive your certified, notarized translation as a PDF by email, or by mail with wet signatures and stamps.
What our customers say
“Thank you for quick and accurate translation of my birth certificate. The manager asked all the right questions and helped me get the documents quickly, and the price was less than the other competitors. I highly recommend this service.”
“The translation of my power of attorney was done very well and fast. Their prices are very affordable. Do not be afraid to contact them. 100% positive company.”
When you need a signed paper copy
A PDF is enough for online filings — USCIS online applications and NVC uploads. Order a signed, notarized paper copy if you will need your translation in one of these situations.
Immigrant visa interview at a U.S. consulate
You upload scans to the NVC, but at the interview you must show the documents themselves. Bring the paper translation together with your original certificate.
“Every visa applicant … must bring … the original or certified copy version of all civil documents submitted to NVC.”
Source — U.S. Department of State, Interview Preparation: travel.state.gov
USCIS interview (Green Card, citizenship)
Photocopies are fine when you file, but the officer may ask to see the originals. Bring the signed paper translation to your interview.
“USCIS may, at any time, request submission of an original document for review.”
Source — 8 CFR 103.2(b)(5): www.ecfr.gov
Courts
Requirements vary by court. Many courts ask for a signed original translation, sometimes with a notarized translator's affidavit. Check with the clerk before you file — we can prepare either.
DMV and REAL ID
Your documents are checked in the original, so bring a paper translation too. Rules differ from state to state.
Paper copy by mail: Regular USPS +$13 · Priority (2–3 days, tracking) +$18 · Priority Express (1–2 days, tracking) +$39. Choose it when you order online.
Send us the English spelling of every name
With your documents, please send the last name, first name and patronymic of every person in them — exactly as spelled in your U.S. documents or foreign passport (Green Card, Social Security card, visa). This way everything stays consistent with your other American documents, immigration applications and forms you have already filed. If a name has no English spelling yet, we'll transliterate it by standard rules. Already made your own translation? Send it along — we'll use it as a reference for names and places, while the certified translation is done from the original.
The patronymic stays in
Many clients don't use a patronymic in the U.S. and ask us to leave it out. We can't: a certified translation must be complete and match the original, so if the document shows a patronymic (Sergeyevich, Ivanovna), the translation shows it too. This does not cause problems — officers expect it on documents from Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet countries. Have a passport from another country — Germany or Israel, for example — with no patronymic at all? Same rule: your first and last name are spelled exactly as in that passport, so they match your American documents and applications, and the patronymic from the original is transliterated by standard rules.
Qualified linguists, not a translation app
Since 2007 we have translated more than 12,000 Russian and Ukrainian documents — over 30,000 pages — and not one of our translations has ever been rejected by USCIS.
Never rejected by USCIS
Every translation comes with a signed certificate of accuracy that meets USCIS translation requirements.
Court-certified interpreters
Our team includes California court-certified interpreters and Washington State certified translators.
Degreed linguists
Every translator holds a university degree in linguistics or foreign-language teaching.
Notarized at no extra cost
Accepted by USCIS, NVC, WES, ECE, U.S. courts, SSA, DMV, schools and employers.
Do I need an ATA-certified translator? No. USCIS, the NVC, WES, ECE and U.S. courts do not require ATA certification for document translations. They require a complete, accurate English translation with a signed statement that the translator is competent to translate — which is exactly what we provide.
Death certificate translation questions
Does USCIS accept a translated Soviet or Ukrainian death certificate?
Yes. USCIS accepts foreign civil documents with a complete English translation and the translator's certification of accuracy — that is what we provide. Soviet certificates remain valid documents, and an apostille is not required for USCIS. If the certificate already has one, we translate it too.
Do I also need the medical certificate of death?
Usually not — USCIS and the SSA ask for the civil registry certificate. Insurance companies and probate attorneys sometimes want the cause of death, which today appears only on the medical certificate (Form 106/u). Ask whoever requested the documents, and send us both if needed.
A relative died in Russia or Ukraine and I don't have the certificate. How do I get it?
Relatives can request a duplicate (повторное свидетельство) or an archival statement from the ZAGS office that registered the death — in person, by power of attorney or through a consulate. We can also help get documents from Russia.
My spouse died before we came to the U.S. What do I need for my new marriage or Green Card?
USCIS asks for proof that each previous marriage ended. If it ended because a spouse died, that proof is the death certificate. We usually translate it together with your marriage certificate; for a marriage that ended in divorce, see divorce certificate translation.
Can you translate an American death certificate into Russian?
Yes — from any U.S. state, into Russian or Ukrainian, together with the apostille. For Russian notaries and banks we can have the translation notarized in Russia. Send us a scan and we'll quote the price and turnaround.
How fast will it be ready?
Usually in 1–2 days as a PDF by email, weekends included. Paper copies with signatures and stamps go out by USPS.
General questions — whether USCIS accepts our translations, apostilles, PDF or paper — are answered on the certified translation page.