Identity card translation and local identifier fields

Check both sides and linked data

Identity cards can place address, parent names, issuing office or restrictions on the reverse. A readable front image alone may omit relevant information. Include the card’s edges and any attached official explanation while protecting identifiers through an agreed secure channel.

Keep identifier types distinct

A civil identity number, document serial number and local registry number may all appear. Translate their labels rather than collapsing them into one ID number. Do not infer nationality, residence or immigration permission from a field that merely identifies the issuing jurisdiction.

Understand translation’s boundary

The receiving office decides whether the card is valid evidence and whether a certified copy or alternative document is needed. A translator can describe visible security or seal text but cannot authenticate a hologram from an image. For damaged or expired cards, seek the recipient’s instruction instead of concealing the condition.

Preserve identifiers and local field meanings

National identity cards may show a personal identifier, card number, registry number and document serial that are not interchangeable. Keep the caption beside each number. A replacement card may carry a new document number while the person's underlying identity number stays the same. Substituting one for the other can make a later record comparison fail even when the person's name is translated correctly.

Other fields can encode residence, citizenship, family registration or a category of cardholder. Translate what the field actually states rather than inferring a broader status from the card's appearance. An issue date and expiration date concern the document; neither automatically states the person's birth date or a period of immigration authorization in another country. Preserve any source language limiting the card's use.

Check both faces and embedded explanations

The reverse often carries the issuing authority, address changes, machine-readable elements or an explanation of codes printed on the front. A front-only scan can therefore omit meaningful text. Capture both sides at readable resolution and identify whether a separate paper supplement belongs to the card. A QR code may lead to a verification service, but translation does not itself verify the identity or certify the linked database.

When preparing identity evidence for USCIS, apply its foreign-language document instructions to the actual material being submitted and check the requested identity document separately. A translator should not redesign the output to resemble an official English-language identity card. Use a plainly labeled translation associated with a source copy. During review, compare name order, diacritics, birth location, number strings and every validity label. If a field is absent from the original, leave it absent rather than importing it from a passport to make the translation seem more complete.