Sample
Alex Sample, CODT
Certified
- Spanish → English
- Portuguese → English
- Civil records
- Academic records
- Identity documents
Houston, TX · Typical turnaround: 1–2 days
International Board of Certified Official Translators
Membership is reviewed. Standards are taught. Certification is earned.
The professional body for translators of official documents: immigration records, court filings, academic and financial documents. Members are admitted by review, trained to published standards, and may earn the IBCOT Certified Official Document Translator credential by examination.
Choose your path
- I translate professionally Join through the experience pathway, get listed in the directory, and sit for the certification exam.
- I'm bilingual and want to start Learn the standards through the included training program and work toward certification.
- I need a translator Search members by language and document type.
Every application is reviewed before approval; nothing is approved by payment. A payment method is saved with your application and charged only if you're approved.
Find a translator
Find a translator for official documents
Listings are IBCOT members in good standing. Directory order is never paid. A listing is not a guarantee of acceptance by any agency. How ranking works
The path
Three steps to the credential
Status: Certified · Verified at ibcot.org/verify
Associate Member
Where applicants new to translation begin: admitted after review, bound by the Code of Ethics, with the included training program and access to the certification examination (a separate purchase). Not yet listed in the directory.
Professional Member
Admitted directly through the experience pathway, or reached from Associate Member by passing the Core section of the certification examination or through an approved experience review. Listed in the directory.
Certified
Pass the IBCOT certification examination and earn the CODT credential, verifiable by anyone at ibcot.org/verify.
Membership, training completion and certification are separate statuses. Only the examination confers the credential.
For members
Clients search by language. Be the name they find.
- A profile page built to be found. Your language pairs, document specialties and status, on a page search engines can index.
- Inquiries come to you. Clients contact you through IBCOT; your email stays private.
- A link clients trust. Every profile shows your live status from ibcot.org/verify.
- See your reach. Your dashboard shows profile views, search appearances and inquiries.
Two ways in, one standard
Already translating
For working translators, interpreters and bilingual legal professionals. Apply through the experience pathway, get listed, and sit for certification.
New to translation
For bilingual professionals who want to translate official documents to a published standard. Admitted as Associate Members. The training program is included and optional; the certification examination is a separate purchase ($195).
Annual dues
One membership. The examination is a separate step.
$395per year, the same at every renewal
The certification examination is a separate, optional purchase: $195 for one attempt; retakes $129.
The route to the CODT credential: $395 membership + $195 examination.
- Get found by clients. A directory profile, ranked by published rules, never by payment. (Professional Members)
- Learn the standards. The IBCOT Official Document Translation Training Program: self-paced, included.
- Show your standing. Member ID, member card and member badge.
- Practice resources, AI and technology education, and the Partner Marketplace.
Built like a professional body
Published standards
Members learn and are held to published standards for official-document translation.
Ethics and discipline
A Code of Ethics, a truthful-claims policy, and a complaints and discipline process apply to every member.
Public verification
Anyone can check a member's status at ibcot.org/verify. A printed certificate never replaces that check.
How admission works
Apply
A short application and one piece of evidence for your pathway.
Reviewed before approval
Every application is reviewed before approval, typically within one business day. Nothing is approved by payment.
Begin
On approval, dues are charged and your membership, orientation and training open.
Questions people ask first
What does membership do for my practice?
Membership gives you a reviewed professional status, a directory profile clients can find (Professional Members), and the included training program. The certification examination is a separate, optional purchase.
I'm bilingual but haven't translated professionally. Can I join?
Yes, if you meet the eligibility criteria for the new-to-translation pathway. You are admitted as an Associate Member: the same dues, the included training program and access to the certification examination (a separate purchase), without a directory listing until you become a Professional Member by passing the Core section or through an approved experience review.
Can I list the credential on LinkedIn and in my email signature?
Certified members may use the CODT designation and badge as set out in the Truthful Credential Claims and Badge Usage Policy. Members who are not certified may describe themselves only as IBCOT Professional Members.
How does the directory decide who appears first?
Certified members appear first, then Professional Members. Order within each group rotates evenly. Placement is never paid. How ranking works
Does membership make me a certified translator?
No. Professional Membership is admitted after an eligibility review and a successful dues charge. The IBCOT Certified Official Document Translator credential is a separate status, earned only by passing the IBCOT certification examination while a member in good standing.
Is the training program a course I buy?
No. The IBCOT Official Document Translation Training Program is included in annual dues for every active member and is never sold through a public checkout. Completing it earns a Certificate of Completion, which is not a credential and does not indicate examination passage.
Does IBCOT test my language fluency?
No. Languages are member-declared, and every public display of a member’s languages says so. IBCOT reviews eligibility and teaches standards; it does not test general language fluency.
Is IBCOT a government agency or a licensing authority?
No. IBCOT is a private, for-profit professional membership organization. An IBCOT credential is not a government license and does not guarantee that USCIS or any other agency will accept a translation.
What happens if my application is not approved?
You are not charged. The decision email states the outcome, the no-charge statement, and how to appeal. The saved payment method is detached.
How do I check whether someone is certified?
Enter their Member ID or credential ID on the verification page. The result shows the current status, the issue date, and the member-declared languages. Cite the verification page, not a copy of a certificate.
Membership
Apply for membership
Every application is reviewed before approval; nothing is approved by payment. A payment method is saved with your application and charged only if you're approved.