Translation of Barangay Certificates and Affidavits (Katunayan ng Barangay)
PSA certificates are issued in English and do not need translating. Your local documents, however, are often in Filipino: barangay certificates, affidavits, sworn statements. Asiatis translates them and accompanies them with an affidavit, the route IRCC provides for Tagalog.
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Get my quote onlineAlso known as
Katunayan ng Barangay — barangay clearance · barangay clearance · barangay certificate · katunayan ng barangay · sinumpaang salaysay · salaysay · affidavit tagalog · certificate of indigency · certificate of residency · traduction document tagalog IRCC · traduction filipino Canada
What is the barangay clearance?
The barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines, and its office issues a family of certificates that Canadian applications regularly call for: certificate of residency, certificate of good moral character, certificate of indigency, certificate of cohabitation. Alongside them sit affidavits — sinumpaang salaysay — sworn statements used to establish what no register documents: a de facto cohabitation, a discrepancy in a name between two documents, a late registration of birth. These documents are written in Filipino, or in a mix of Filipino and English, frequently by hand, and bear the barangay seal and the captain's signature. This is where the real demand for translation sits in a Philippine application.
Variants of the document
| Name | Type | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Katunayan ng Barangaybarangay clearance | Barangay certificate | Attests residency and the absence of any known local complaint. Issued by the barangay office, under the seal and the captain's signature. |
| Sinumpaang Salaysaysinumpaang salaysay | Affidavit | A sworn statement before a notary. Used to explain what no register states: a name discrepancy, a cohabitation, a late registration of birth. |
| Katibayan ng Kahirapancertificate of indigency | Certificate of indigency | Attests to means. Requested for certain fee exemptions, and to support an explanation of financial capacity. |
How to obtain the document in the Philippines
- 1
Go to your barangay office
The certificate is requested at the barangay office of your place of residence, on presentation of identification. Fees and timelines are set locally and vary from one barangay to another.
- 2
For an affidavit, go through a notary
A sworn statement has to be notarized to carry evidentiary weight. Check that the document bears the notary's seal, register entry number and date: without them it is only a letter.
- 3
First check what is already in English
Your PSA birth certificate, your CENOMAR and your NBI Clearance are in English and do not need translating. Do not pay to translate them: send us the local Filipino-language documents instead.
- 4
Send us the scanned document
A clear, complete scan is enough, seals, signatures and handwritten entries included. Hard-to-read handwriting lengthens the work: photograph flat, in full light.
What an acceptable translation requires
IRCC requires any document that is not in English or French to be accompanied by a translation into one of those two languages, and expressly provides for the affidavit route where no certified translator exists for the language in question. That is the case for Tagalog: no Canadian professional order issues certification in this language, and an agency claiming otherwise would be announcing an accreditation that does not exist. Your translation is therefore accompanied by an affidavit from the translator, sworn before a commissioner for oaths or a notary, attesting to the accuracy of the work and to their command of both languages. The translation must be complete — seals, handwritten entries and signatures included — and may not be produced by the applicant, by a family member, or by a representative on the application.
The pitfalls specific to this document
Nobody certifies Tagalog in Canada
No Canadian professional order — not OTTIAQ, not ATIO, not their provincial counterparts — issues certification in Tagalog. An agency selling you a "certified translation by an accredited Tagalog translator" is selling you an accreditation that does not exist. The route provided is the affidavit.
Do not pay to translate what is already in English
The PSA birth certificate, the CENOMAR and the NBI Clearance are issued in English; IRCC states for the NBI that no translation is required. Only handwritten Filipino annotations, sometimes entered in the margin, warrant a translation.
An affidavit without a notarial seal proves nothing
A sworn statement draws its weight from the notary before whom it was sworn. Check for the seal, the register entry number and the date. Translating an unnotarized statement will not give it what it lacks.
Philippine names carry components English flattens
The mother's maiden name carried as a middle name, Jr. and III suffixes, compound particles: the structure of a Philippine name does not transpose mechanically. The translation keeps the form of the document, and your passport governs the spelling.
What you receive
- Complete translation of the document, seals and handwritten entries included
- Translator's affidavit sworn before a commissioner for oaths
- A copy of the original the translation was made from, as IRCC requires
- Names kept in the form of the document, spelling aligned with your passport
- PDF delivery — the digital format is enough for IRCC; paper copy on request
Pricing depends on the number of pages in your document. Get your quote online in a few minutes.
Get my quote onlineFrequently asked questions
Does my PSA birth certificate need translating?
No, in the great majority of cases: PSA certificates are issued in English. Only handwritten Filipino annotations, sometimes entered in the margin following a legitimation or a court order, call for a translation. Send us a photo and we will tell you.
How much does it cost to translate my Filipino documents?
The price depends on the number of pages, and a barangay certificate or an affidavit generally runs to one or two. Upload the document to our online quote form to get your price in a few minutes, with no commitment.
Get my quote onlineAre your Tagalog translators certified by a Canadian order?
No, and nobody is: no Canadian professional order issues certification in Tagalog. That is why IRCC expressly provides the affidavit route for these languages. Your translation is accompanied by the translator's affidavit, sworn before a commissioner for oaths.
Is an affidavit really enough for IRCC?
It is the route IRCC provides where no certified translator exists for the language concerned. The affidavit attests to the accuracy of the translation and to its author's command of both languages, and it is sworn before a commissioner for oaths or a notary.
Can a family member translate the document for me?
No. IRCC does not accept translations made by the applicant, by a family member, or by a representative on the application, even where that person is a professional translator. That is precisely the conflict of interest the affidavit exists to rule out.