Key Takeaways
- A foreign-language vaccination record needs an English translation before the I-693 exam, because the civil surgeon must read each entry to transfer the vaccine history onto the form.
- Foreign vaccination cards list vaccines under local brand names and abbreviations, so the translation keeps each name exactly as the card prints it.
- The translator does not replace a foreign vaccine brand with a United States product, because the civil surgeon decides whether a foreign dose counts.
- Dates on foreign cards can be written day first, year first, or in mixed formats, and a translator's note states the order the card uses wherever a date could be misread.
- Lot numbers, dose numbers, and handwritten entries are checked character by character against the original, and unreadable entries are marked [illegible] instead of guessed.
- Stamps, signatures, corrections, blank dose rows, and the back of the card are all included, since later doses are often recorded on inserted or reverse pages.
- The applicant's name in the translation follows the spelling printed on the card, which keeps any difference from the passport or birth certificate visible.
- Medical records filed with USCIS as evidence, such as in support of a waiver, need a full certified translation of every page rather than a partial one.
- Each translated document should carry its own certification, and a translation company's certification is independent of the case, unlike one signed by the applicant or a relative.
- The attorney or accredited representative decides which medical records to submit, and the translation company only translates what it receives.
A vaccination record that is not in English needs an English translation before the I-693 exam, because the civil surgeon has to read every entry to copy the vaccine history onto the form. The vaccination record translation reproduces each vaccine name, brand, lot number, dose number, and date exactly as the card shows them, and it leaves the meaning of each entry to the civil surgeon.
A USCIS-designated civil surgeon completes Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, using the vaccine records the applicant brings. USCIS publishes the form and its instructions on its Form I-693 page.
What a foreign vaccination card contains
Vaccination records vary a great deal by country. Examples include the Spanish-language carnet de vacunación, the German Impfpass, the Japanese 予防接種手帳, and the childhood immunization booklets that many health ministries issue at birth. Each lists vaccines under local brand names and local abbreviations, often in a printed table that a nurse or clinic filled in by hand over many years.
Dates are a second source of trouble. One card writes the day first, another writes the year first, and a third mixes both formats on the same page. Japanese cards often count years by imperial era instead of the Gregorian calendar. The translation keeps every date as the card prints it and, where the order of day and month could be misread, adds a short translator's note that states which order the card uses, so the civil surgeon does not have to guess whether 03/04 means March or April.
Why the translator keeps foreign brand names as written
A translator's job is to say what the record says. If the card lists a vaccine under a local brand name, the translation lists the same brand name. It does not swap in a similar product sold in the United States, and it does not add the name of the disease unless the card prints it.
Whether a foreign dose counts toward the vaccines the I-693 asks about is a medical judgment, and the civil surgeon makes it. A translator who maps a foreign brand to a United States product would be making that judgment without the training for it, and a wrong mapping could change what the civil surgeon records. Abbreviations stay as written. When an abbreviation needs explaining, a short translator's note can give the meaning of the source-language words without naming any United States product.
Handwritten entries, stamps, and lot numbers on the card
Most of the risk in a vaccination card sits in the handwriting. Dose numbers, lot numbers, and dates are usually written by hand, and a single wrong digit in a lot number makes the translation disagree with the original. The translator checks each lot number character by character against the source and marks any entry that cannot be read as [illegible] instead of guessing.
Clinic stamps, signatures, and printed headings are translated or described like the rest of the page, for example "[stamp: Community Health Center]" and "[signature]". Crossed-out and corrected entries are shown as corrected. Empty dose rows are marked blank, and the back of the card and any loose inserted pages are included, since they often hold later doses.
The applicant's name follows the card, even when the card spells it differently from the passport. The difference stays visible in the translation, which is the same approach used for a birth certificate translation in the same case.
Medical records submitted as evidence with a waiver
A vaccination card is only one kind of medical paper that can come up around the I-693. Some applicants also file records of past treatment as evidence, for example in support of a waiver. USCIS regulations require a full English translation with a signed certification for those records, which is what certified document translation for USCIS provides.
Evidence records are handled differently from a vaccination card, because they are translated in full instead of being read for a few data points. Discharge summaries, lab results, doctors' letters, and hospital forms are translated page by page, including headers, footers, stamps, handwritten notes, and every field label. Units, reference ranges, and medical abbreviations stay as written in the source. A hospital letter from China, for example, needs a complete Chinese medical records translation, and the same applies to medical records translation in any other language. Machine translation does not meet the requirement, because it carries no human certification and mishandles names, dates, and medical terms.
The attorney or accredited representative decides which records to submit. The translation company translates what it receives and does not choose or edit the evidence.
Certification for vaccination records and medical evidence
Each translated document should carry its own certification with the translator's typed name, signature, date, and contact information, a statement of competence in both languages, a statement that the translation is complete and accurate, and an identification of the document. One certification per document is the safer way to file. USCIS does not keep a list of approved translators, so "USCIS-certified translation" means a translation with the certification USCIS asks for, not an endorsement by USCIS.
An applicant who signs the certification for his or her own records is certifying evidence in the applicant's own case, and officers may give it less weight. A translation company gives a certification that is independent of the case.
What to prepare before ordering
Bring the original vaccination card to the exam, and scan or photograph every page before ordering, including the cover and the inside back page. Keep any record of past treatment in a separate folder, and send each document as its own file so each one gets its own certification. The civil surgeon's office decides what it needs to see. For a card in Spanish, we translate every page with a separate certification, as described on the Spanish vaccination record translation page.