Published standards
Members learn and are held to published standards for official-document translation.
International Board of Certified Official Translators
The Professional Body for Official-Document Translators.
IBCOT is a professional membership organization for translators of immigration, court, academic and civil records. Membership is reviewed. Standards are taught. Certification is earned. All members are trained on IBCOT's document translating standards during orientation; Professional Members receive a public profile and are included in the translator matching program, where their information is sent to clients searching for their language pair. Any member in good standing may earn the IBCOT Certified Official Document Translator credential by examination.
Choose your path
- I translate professionally Join through the experience pathway: a public profile, translator matching, the included training program, and the path to the credential.
- I'm bilingual and want to start Join as an Associate Member: learn the standards through the included orientation and training program, and work toward certification.
- I need a translator Tell us the language pair and document type; we email you up to three matching members.
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
Need a translator for an official document?
Tell us the language pair and document type and we email you up to three IBCOT members who list that pair, Certified members first. Placement is never paid. Languages are member-declared, and a match is not a guarantee of acceptance by any agency. How matching works
Membership
What membership includes
Four things every member gets, for one annual amount. The CODT certification examination is a separate purchase.
$249 a year · CODT examination $195, separate
Professional standards
A required Member Standards Orientation on official-document practice, a Code of Ethics, a truthful-claims policy, and a complaints process that applies to every member.
- Professional Members
Visibility and matching
A public profile page with your language pairs, specialties and live status, and translator matching: when a client asks IBCOT for your language pair, your profile may be among the members we send.
The training program, included
The full IBCOT Official Document Translation Training Program: twelve self-paced lessons with knowledge checks and practice exercises, at no separate charge. The CODT examination is separate ($195).
Practice resources
Education on AI, automation and client confidentiality, a LinkedIn kit and share images, a member card and badge, and a partner marketplace with disclosed relationships.
How IBCOT governs its members
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.
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 orientation and training program and access to the certification examination (a separate purchase). Not yet listed in the directory or included in translator matching.
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 and included in translator matching.
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 Professional Members
Clients ask IBCOT for a translator. Be among the members we send.
- A public profile page. Your language pairs, document specialties and live status, with a link anyone can check at ibcot.org/verify.
- Translator matching. When a client asks for your language pair, IBCOT may email them your profile with up to two other members. Certified members go first; placement is never paid.
- Inquiries come through IBCOT. Clients write to you from your profile. Your email stays private until you reply.
- See your reach. Your dashboard shows profile views, matches sent and inquiries.
Sample
Alex Sample, CODT
Certified
- Spanish → English
- Portuguese → English
- Civil records
- Academic records
- Identity documents
Houston, TX · Typical turnaround: 1–2 days
Two ways in, one standard
Already translating
For working translators, interpreters and bilingual legal professionals. Apply through the experience pathway: a public profile, translator matching, the included training program, and the path to certification.
New to translation
For bilingual professionals who want to translate official documents to a published standard. Admitted as Associate Members: the orientation and training program are included; the certification examination is a separate purchase ($195). A public profile and translator matching come with promotion to Professional Member.
Annual dues
One membership. What it includes, and what is separate.
$249per 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: $249 membership + $195 examination.
Everything in the four pillars above, for one annual amount, the same at every renewal.
What costs extra
- CODT certification examination: $195 for one attempt
- Examination retake: $129
- Printed credential certificate: $49, optional, after a pass
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, the required Member Standards Orientation, the included training program, and, for Professional Members, a public profile and translator matching. 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 orientation and training program, and access to the certification examination (a separate purchase), without a public profile or translator matching 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 translator matching decide who is sent?
A client tells IBCOT the language pair and document type they need. Staff look at the request, then IBCOT emails the client up to three Professional Members who list that pair: Certified members first, then Professional Members, with the member sent least recently going first so the same people are not sent every time. Placement is never paid. How matching 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.
Do I pay a fee to keep the CODT credential?
No. The credential has no separate fee. It stays active while your IBCOT membership is active and renews with your annual dues. Anyone can check its current status and the date it is valid through on your verification page.
Is the training program a course I buy?
No. The 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 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.
What does $249 a year cover, and what costs extra?
Dues cover the Member Standards Orientation, the training program, practice resources, the member card and badge, and, for Professional Members, the public profile and translator matching. The certification examination is separate: $195 for one attempt and $129 for a retake. A printed credential certificate is optional at $49. Dues and eligibility
What do Associate Members not yet receive?
A public profile page, translator matching, and the Professional Member title. Associate Members pay the same dues and have the same orientation, training program and examination access, and become Professional Members by passing the Core section or through an approved experience review. Professional or Associate
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.