Translations & Credentials Evaluations

The Office of the Professions does not accept third-party evaluations of credentials. Applicants with international credentials must submit qualified translations, according to the criteria below. OP will perform its own evaluation, which is done solely to determine whether specific New York licensing requirements have been met.

Qualified Translations

Translations and qualifications of translators are reviewed on an individual basis.  The translation must be done by a properly qualified translator, submitted in the original, and be accompanied by a notarized Affidavit of Accuracy (see below).

Examples of such translators, with limitations and requirements:

  • An officer or employee of an official translation bureau or agency which is satisfactory to the Department. Translation bureaus are usually listed in the classified telephone directories.

  • A professor or instructor who is actually teaching the language to be translated in an accredited college or university in the United States. (The type of course being taught must be included in the Affidavit of Accuracy, the Affidavit must be on official school stationery, and it must be notarized.)

  • An American Consul in the country where the document being translated was issued. (If the translation has been completed by a private translator, the American official must actually verify the contents of the translation, and not just confirm the identity of the translator.)

  • A Consul General or diplomatic representative duly accredited in the United States. (The Consul General or diplomatic representative must actually verify the contents of the translation.)

  • A representative of a foreign government agency such as a Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (The representative must actually verify the contents of the translation.)

Each translation must be accompanied by a copy of the document in the original language and an Affidavit of Accuracy, in which the translator who performed or verified the translations affirms, having read the completed translation, that the entire document has been translated, that nothing has been omitted or added, and that the translation is true and correct.  An original translation can be returned to the applicant if a photocopy of the entire translation, including the Affidavit of Accuracy, is also submitted.

Private Evaluation Organizations

The Office of the Professions sometimes receives requests from persons who want/need credential evaluations for other purposes than for NYS professional licensure - such as admission to an advanced program of studies, employment, or specific need for an evaluation with credit hours assigned for individual subjects, etc. The following information on credential services is provided for this purpose only.

The Office of the Professions (OP) does not approve, register, nor endorse credential evaluation services. Evaluation by these organizations cannot substitute for the professional evaluation done by OP for the purpose of a NYS license application.

Below is a selection of the many such organizations. Information about the type of services available and fees charged should be obtained from the organizations directly.

For some other U.S. private foreign educational credential evaluation services, see those listed by NACES, http://www.naces.org.

For Canadian evaluation services, see those listed by the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials at http://www.cicic.ca/evaluation/indexe.stm.

Last Updated: April 27, 2010