I-693 Translation: What USCIS Requires for Your Records

Form I-693 itself is completed in English by the civil surgeon, so there is nothing on the form for you to translate. Translation comes up because of the records you bring to the exam. Any vaccination or medical record in another language needs a full English translation, and the responsibility for providing a reliable one is yours, not the doctor’s. Bring the translation to your appointment with the original record and the exam can be finished in one visit. At ImmigrationMedicalExams.com, we have performed only Form I-693 exams since 2007, and records that arrive without a usable translation are one of the most common reasons an exam stalls.

TL;DR

• You do not translate Form I-693. You translate the records you bring: mainly vaccination cards and any foreign medical records.
• CDC’s instructions for civil surgeons put the duty to provide reliable English translations on the applicant.
• USCIS asks for a full English translation with a signed certification of completeness, accuracy and competence from the translator.
• Keep the original record, the translation and the translator’s certification together, and bring all three to the exam.
• Keep the sealed I-693 envelope closed. Translations belong with your records, never inside the sealed envelope.

Table of Contents

• Why the I-693 Process Involves Translation at All
• What Needs a Translation and What Does Not
• What USCIS Requires From a Translation
• A Worked Example: A Spanish-Language Vaccination Card
• How Translation Affects Your Vaccination Result
• Step by Step: Getting Your Records Translated Before the Exam
• Handling the Sealed Envelope Correctly
• When Translations Go Wrong
• For Attorneys and Consultants
• Our Perspective
• Ready to Book Your Exam
• FAQ
• Sources

Why the I-693 Process Involves Translation at All

Form I-693, the Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, is the document a designated civil surgeon completes to report your medical exam to USCIS. A civil surgeon is a doctor USCIS has authorized to perform this exam. Most adjustment of status applicants need one. USCIS’s Policy Manual explains that the form is required for applicants who did not have a medical exam before admission or whose file lacks an overseas exam, and that if the exam was not done overseas, a designated civil surgeon in the United States must do it and document it on Form I-693.

The civil surgeon works from what you can prove. For vaccinations, that means your immunization history. If it was recorded abroad, on a card, a booklet or a clinic printout, it is probably not in English. The doctor has to read it, compare it to the vaccines USCIS requires and record what counts. A record the doctor cannot read cannot be credited, and any missing dose has to be given or confirmed another way.

That is why the translation question matters at the exam and not only at filing.

What Needs a Translation and What Does Not

The Form I-693 instructions also tell you to bring any medical records, including vaccination records, to the first appointment. Bringing them early, already translated, saves a second trip.

What USCIS Requires From a Translation

The I-693 instructions repeat the general USCIS rule. If you submit a document with information in a foreign language, you must also submit a full English translation. The translator must certify in a signed statement that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English. The same wording appears in the Form I-485 instructions, and the USCIS Policy Manual cites the underlying regulation, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3).

In practice, a translation that meets the rule has these parts:

1. A complete translation. Every line that carries information is translated: dates, vaccine names, lot numbers, stamps, signatures lines and handwritten notes. A summary is not a translation.
2. A certification statement. A short signed paragraph saying the translation is complete and accurate and the translator is competent in both languages.
3. The translator’s details. Signature, printed name, the date of signing and contact information, as the I-485 instructions list them.
4. The original or a clear copy of the record. The translation is read against the source document.

The rule describes a certification. It does not describe a notary’s stamp or a special “USCIS-approved” credential, and you should not pay extra for either on the strength of a sales claim. If you are unsure whether a particular translation will satisfy a particular officer, the person to ask is your immigration attorney.

Who can translate

The certification speaks of a translator who is competent in both languages, which is the test. A professional translation service qualifies. So does a bilingual person who is fluent in both languages and willing to sign the statement. Applicants are cautioned that they should not translate their own records. USCIS guidance for the application as a whole is written around a third-party translator, and a relative with fluent English and the source language is the safer choice than yourself. Do not ask the civil surgeon to do it for you as a matter of course: the CDC notes that although some civil surgeon offices may be able to translate records into English, the responsibility stays with the applicant.

A Worked Example: A Spanish-Language Vaccination Card

María is adjusting status and has a vaccination booklet from her childhood clinic in Guadalajara. It lists the vaccines by Spanish names and abbreviations, with dates in day/month/year order.

What a usable translation does:

• Spells out each vaccine in English next to the original entry (for example, the Spanish measles-mumps-rubella entry becomes MMR).
• Keeps the dates exactly as written, and says that they are in day/month/year format. A date such as 04/03/2009 can be April 3 or March 4 depending on the convention, and a wrong guess changes whether a dose was valid at the child’s age.
• Translates stamps, clinic names and any notes in the margins.
• Ends with the signed certification and the translator’s contact details.

With the booklet, the translation and the certification in hand, the civil surgeon can credit the documented doses and identify what, if anything, is still needed. Without them, the doctor has no basis to credit anything, and María would be treated as undocumented for those vaccines.

How Translation Affects Your Vaccination Result

Vaccination is where translation matters most. The civil surgeon compares your record against the required vaccines for your age and notes what is complete, what is missing and what may be handled by a blood test or a new dose. Our guide to USCIS vaccination requirements for I-693 lists the vaccines and the age groups.

Two practical points:

• A readable record can reduce what you need on the day. Documented doses count. An unreadable or untranslated record leaves the doctor to treat the vaccine as missing, which can mean new doses or titer testing that a good translation might have avoided.
• Digital and paper records both work when they are legible and translated. If your home country has an online immunization portal, a printout is fine. See digital versus paper immunization records for how each is handled.

If some records are simply gone, the exam is not lost. Many applicants find that a single dose clears a requirement, and for MMR the requirement is explained here. Adults can read about adult vaccines for I-693.

Step by Step: Getting Your Records Translated Before the Exam

1. Gather everything in the original language. Vaccination cards, booklets, clinic printouts, and any medical records you want considered. Scan or photocopy every page, including blank-looking ones with stamps.
2. Find a competent translator. Look for someone fluent in the source language and English who will sign a certification with the details above. Ask for the translation of every entry, not a summary.
3. Check the translation against the original. Compare names, dates and vaccine entries. Your name must match your passport and your other filings. A misspelling or a swapped day and month is the common error.
4. Confirm the certification is complete. It should say the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent. It must carry a signature, a printed name, the date and contact details.
5. Bring all three pieces to the appointment. The original (or clear copy), the English translation and the certification. Keep the originals; you are asked to submit photocopies to USCIS unless an original is specifically requested, according to the Policy Manual.
6. Schedule the exam. Our online scheduling is open 24/7, so you can book once your records are ready.

If you are not sure whether your record is complete, bring what you have anyway. We review vaccination records as part of the exam and can tell you at the visit what the doctor can credit.

Handling the Sealed Envelope Correctly

Translation papers and the I-693 envelope are two separate things, and mixing them up causes trouble. USCIS states that after the exam, the civil surgeon must give you the completed, signed Form I-693 in a sealed envelope. You should not accept the form if it is not sealed, and you, not the civil surgeon, submit it to USCIS. If you file Form I-485 online, you open the envelope, upload the completed form and keep the original form and envelope until a final decision.

The I-693 instructions add that USCIS will return the form if it is not in a sealed envelope or if the envelope is opened or altered. So:

• Do not put your translations into the sealed envelope.
• Do not open it unless you are following the online filing steps above.
• Keep translations with your other supporting evidence, if USCIS asks for them.

The doctor uses your translated records during the exam. The results are written on the form. You do not need to send the translation of a vaccination card separately unless USCIS asks.

If an envelope is damaged or lost, we offer a replacement sealed envelope.

When Translations Go Wrong

Most problems come from a few repeated mistakes:

• Missing certification. A translation with no signed statement of accuracy and competence does not meet the USCIS rule.
• Partial translation. Only the vaccine names are translated, while stamps and notes are skipped.
• Date confusion. Day/month/year read as month/day/year.
• Name mismatch. The record spells your name differently than your passport.
• Illegible source copy. The photo of the card is too dark to read.

If you realize before the appointment that something is missing, fix it first. If USCIS later asks for more evidence, the response should come from your attorney or follow the instructions in the notice you receive. Applicants who already had an exam elsewhere and are now facing delays, errors or incomplete vaccination documentation often come to us, and we review what was recorded and what may still be needed. For records that are missing entirely, read how a civil surgeon handles missing vaccination records.

One more point: if a vaccine is medically unsafe for you, that is a different path. See medical contraindications to a required vaccine.

For Attorneys and Consultants

If you prepare filings for clients, ask them to arrive with translated vaccination records and the translator’s certification already attached. That shortens the visit and lets the doctor complete Form I-693 correctly the first time. We also offer exams for attorneys’ clients, families and groups. If your client is a partial-I-693 filer, such as a refugee or derivative asylee who already had an overseas panel physician exam, USCIS lists which parts (Parts 1 to 5, Part 7 and Part 10, the vaccination record) they must submit. Your client’s translated vaccination record is part of that picture.

Our Perspective

We perform immigration medical exams and nothing else: no primary care, no urgent care, no sick visits. Since 2007, that has meant seeing the same paperwork problems repeatedly, and an untranslated or uncertified vaccination record is one of them.

Our view is simple. The exam should be finished once, correctly. That is why we do the civil surgeon exam, the required lab testing, the vaccination review and any required vaccinations in one location, and why every I-693 goes through an internal quality review before it reaches you.

For applicants, the most useful thing you can do is arrive with a clean set: original record, English translation, signed certification. We read the record, tell you what counts, and handle the rest at the same visit. Our flat-package approach is designed to keep the cost predictable, and standard processing takes about 3 days, with a 2-day expedited option.

ImmigrationMedicalExams Medical Team

Ready to Book Your Exam

If you have your records and translations ready, we can complete your exam in Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego and San Bernardino counties. Choose the standard 3-day exam or the 2-day expedited exam, and book online at any hour.

For the full service, see our USCIS immigration medical exam page, or the pricing page for titer testing, additional vaccinations and record copies.

FAQ

Do I need to translate Form I-693?

No. The civil surgeon completes the form in English. What may need translation is the supporting evidence you bring, such as vaccination records and any foreign medical documents. USCIS’s Form I-693 instructions say foreign-language documents need a full English translation with a translator’s certification.

Can the civil surgeon translate my vaccination record?

Plan on providing the translation yourself. CDC’s technical instructions say the applicant is responsible for providing reliable English translations, even though some civil surgeon offices may be able to help. Arrive with the translation and certification so the visit is not delayed.

Does the translation have to be notarized?

The USCIS wording asks for a signed certification of completeness, accuracy and competence, with the translator’s signature, printed name, date and contact information. Notarization is not part of that description. If your attorney has advised something different for your case, follow your attorney.

Should I put my translation in the sealed I-693 envelope?

No. The envelope holds the completed form from the civil surgeon and must stay sealed unless you are following the online filing steps, which USCIS describes on its I-693 page. Keep translations with your records and supporting documents.

What if my vaccination records are lost or incomplete?

The civil surgeon can assess what is documented and what is missing, and may recommend titer testing or vaccination for the rest. Bring whatever you have, translated if needed, and we will go through it with you at the exam.

Sources

• CDC, Vaccination Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons
• USCIS, Form I-693 Instructions
• USCIS, Form I-485 Instructions
• USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 7, Part C, Chapter 4
• USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 4
• USCIS, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record

Recommended

• Translation of Medical Records for I-693: Complete Guide
• U.S. Clinics’ Day of Checks That Prevent I-693 Interpreter RFEs
• I-693 Results Can’t Follow a Closed U.S. Case to a New Filing
• Avoid a USCIS Request for Evidence: Interpreter and Signature for I-693