Guides · Honduras · Birth certificate
USCIS asks for a photocopy of your birth certificate, issued by the civil authority in your country and naming at least one of your parents, plus a complete English translation with the translator's certification. For Honduras, the State Department names the Copia de Folio del Libro de Nacimientos (copy of the birth folio) from the RNP, with the registrar's original seal and signature.
Updated October 26, 2026 · Sources · General information, not legal advice
The State Department's country-by-country document list (the Reciprocity Schedule) names the Copia de Folio del Libro de Nacimientos, issued by the National Registry of Persons (RNP) as a certified copy with the registrar's original seal and signature.
The Form I-485 instructions point to that same list to find out how to get each country's birth certificate, and say USCIS only accepts a birth certificate that lists at least one parent.
For immigrant visas, the State Department does not accept expedientes de vida, hojas de vida, literales or certificaciones: it requires the copy of the folio. USCIS says nothing different, so the safest choice is to have the copy of the folio.
Folios from before 1984 may be handwritten; since 2000 they are typed. If a birth wasn't registered on time, the record goes through a Reposición por Omisión with a resolution from the RNP's Oficialía Civil.
In Honduras: at RNP offices. From the United States: the State Department explains you can send a proxy to an RNP office; they may be asked for a notarized power of attorney, which you can get at any Honduran consulate and mail to them.
On your phone: the official RNP MOVIL app from the National Registry of Persons lets you get birth records and validate them with a QR code. For immigrant visas, remember the State Department requires the copy of the folio, not a certificación.
The RNP law requires certifications to include the annotations that affect civil status.
We found no official printed sample of the Honduran record, and older folios may be handwritten. This list covers the information required by the RNP law and the State Department, with the usual translation. Copy names, numbers and dates exactly as they appear.
| On the document | In English | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Copia de Folio del Libro de Nacimientos | Copy of Birth Folio (Register of Births) | Name used by the State Department. |
| Certificación del acta de nacimiento | Certified Copy of Birth Record | |
| Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP) | National Registry of Persons (RNP) | Keep the acronym RNP. |
| Registrador Civil | Civil Registrar | Signs and seals. |
| Folio / Libro de Nacimientos | Folio / Register (Book) of Births | |
| Lugar, hora, día, mes y año del nacimiento | Place, time, day, month and year of birth | |
| Sexo | Sex | |
| Nombres y apellidos | Given name(s) and surname(s) | Keep both surnames and their order. |
| Número de identidad (de los padres) | Identity number | |
| DNI | National ID (DNI) | National Identification Document. |
| Nacionalidad / Domicilio (de los padres) | Nationality / Domicile | |
| Anotaciones | Annotations | Changes that affect civil status. Translate them in full. |
| Reposición por Omisión | Registration of an omitted birth (late registration) | |
| Oficialía Civil / Oficial Civil | Civil Registry Office / Civil Registry Officer | |
| Sello y firma del registrador | [Registrar's seal and signature] | Described in brackets. |
Also translate everything that isn't on this list: seals, signatures, codes, handwritten notes and margin notes. Describe anything without words in brackets, for example [seal] or [signature].
The Copia de Folio del Libro de Nacimientos issued by the RNP, as a certified copy with the registrar's original seal and signature. It's the one the State Department names, and the I-485 instructions point to that list.
The app is the RNP's official app and validates records with a QR code. But for immigrant visas the State Department says certificaciones aren't acceptable and requires the copy of the folio. USCIS says nothing specific about the app version, so the safest choice is to have the copy of the folio.
The Form I-130 and I-485 instructions ask for a legible photocopy and a complete English translation certified by the translator, and don't mention an apostille. USCIS can ask for the original at any time.
According to the State Department, you can send a proxy to an RNP office in Honduras. They may be asked for a notarized power of attorney, which you can get at any Honduran consulate and mail to them.
If a birth wasn't registered on time, it's recorded through a Reposición por Omisión with a resolution from the RNP's Oficialía Civil. That resolution and any annotations are part of the record and get translated in full.