For a typical one-page document - a birth certificate, a marriage certificate, a police record - certified translation online usually costs between about $20 and $40 at 24- to 48-hour turnaround. Where a quote lands in that range, and what it grows to by checkout, depends on a handful of things you can check before you order.
Per page or per word
Providers that focus on immigration documents mostly price per page; general translation agencies often price per word. Per-page pricing is predictable for short civil documents. Per-word pricing can be cheaper for a short excerpt and dearer for a dense page.
Check what a “page” means. Some providers count a page as 250 words of source text, so one dense document can be billed as two or three pages. Others, Verdacert included, count the pages of the document you upload.
What makes the price go up
- Speed. Same-day and few-hour delivery usually costs several times the 48-hour rate.
- Document type. Court records, medical records, contracts and other dense documents often carry a surcharge.
- Language. Many providers charge more for less common languages. Verdacert doesn't: every language costs the same per page.
- Length. Longer orders sometimes earn a discount. Ask, or check whether it's applied automatically.
Add-ons to watch for at checkout
- Notarization. USCIS doesn't require it; some state courts and foreign authorities do.
- Mailed hard copies. Only needed when an office wants a paper original with a wet-ink signature.
- Expedited service. Check whether it's a fixed deadline or an estimate, and when the clock starts. Some providers start it when a translator is assigned, not when you pay.
- Revisions. Ask whether corrections are free, and for how long.
How to compare two quotes
- Compare at the same turnaround. A 48-hour price and a 24-hour price aren't the same product.
- Compare the total for your actual document with the add-ons you need, not the advertised starting rate.
- Check what the guarantee covers if the receiving office rejects the translation.
- Check whether the certifying translator is named, and how the receiving office can verify the certificate.
What Verdacert charges
Verdacert charges one per-page rate in every language at each speed, from 48-hour Standard to 4-hour delivery, with a flat surcharge for complex documents and an automatic discount on orders of 8 pages or more. The current rates are on the pricing page, and the order form shows your exact price before you pay.