Foundation for International Services, Inc.

What Foundation for International Services, Inc. does

Foundation for International Services, Inc. (FIS) is a privately held, for-profit U.S. corporation founded in 1978 and headquartered in Edmonds, Washington, that provides foreign credential evaluation services, certified translations in 100+ languages, and expert opinion letters to international professionals, students, immigrants, law firms, universities, government agencies, and U.S. military recruiters. The company operates a self-serve e-commerce platform (store.fis-web.com) supplemented by phone, email, and walk-in service, delivering standardized evaluation reports electronically as high-resolution PDFs with optional notarized hard copies.

FIS's core products are three evaluation report formats — Document-by-Document ($110–$315 by turnaround tier), Modified Document-by-Document ($160–$315), and Course-by-Course ($245–$375) — each priced as a one-time service fee with rush options from same-day to one month. The translation line covers certified document translations with a Certificate of Translation Accuracy, business translations, and notarized hard copy add-ons ($30). Expert opinion letters from university professors support USCIS petitions including H-1B, O-1, EB-1, EB-2/NIW, L-1, TN, P-1/P-3, and PERM audits at $495–$850+. The underlying technology stack includes a proprietary online platform with secure document upload, evaluation databases built over 40+ years, integration with ATA-certified translator coverage of 100+ languages, and interoperability with ACCRAO Edge and the My eQuals, Parchment, and Digitary verified credential networks.

FIS monetizes almost entirely through transactional, pay-as-you-go service fees with no disclosed subscriptions or enterprise contracts; revenue is not publicly disclosed. The company is a founding member of NACES (since March 1987), NAFSA, ATA, NOTIS, and TAICEP, and is one of only eight NACES charter organizations — the accreditation that U.S. universities, employers, licensing boards, and immigration agencies rely on to accept credential reports. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees, and the company serves thousands of clients annually across 100+ countries.

Name

Foundation for International Services, Inc.

Legal name

Foundation for International Services, Inc.

Website

https://www.fis-web.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Foundation for International Services (FIS) provides foreign credential evaluations, certified translations in 100+ languages, and expert opinion letters for international professionals, students, immigrants, law firms, universities, and government agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Credential Evaluation Services

NAICS

Translation and Interpretation Services (54193), Offices of Notaries (541120), Document Preparation Services (561410)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Immigration Support Services (Translations, Certified Copies, Biometrics, Medicals) (THACAKAH)

Keywords

• Foreign credential evaluation
• Certified document translation
• Expert opinion letters
• Academic credential assessment
• Immigration evaluation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonds

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Credential Evaluations: One-time service fees for Document-by-Document, Modified Document-by-Document, and Course-by-Course evaluations with various turnaround times ranging from same-day to one-month processing.
2. Translation Services: Separate fees for certified document translations, business translations, and translation-only services. Includes Certificate of Translation Accuracy. Additional $30 for notarized hard copies.
3. Expert Opinion Letters: Specialized immigration support letters from university professors covering various petition types (H-1B, O-1, EB-1, EB-2/NIW, L1, TN, P-1/P-3) with pricing ranging from $495 to $850+ depending on complexity.
4. Reprints and Revisions: $30 reprint fee for additional copies (electronic or paper). $55 for Document-by-Document revisions, $110 for Course-by-Course revisions. Available up to five years after original issue date.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FIS issues foreign credential evaluation reports — Document-by-Document, Modified Document-by-Document, and Course-by-Course formats — that translate international academic credentials into U.S. equivalents recognized by U.S. institutions, employers, and immigration authorities. The firm also produces ATA-certified document translations in 100+ languages issued with a Certificate of Translation Accuracy, plus Expert Opinion Letters authored by university professors to support U.S. immigration petitions (H-1B, O-1, EB-1, EB-2/NIW, L-1, TN, P-1/P-3).

Product overview

Foundation for International Services (FIS) provides a unified platform of credential evaluation and translation services for international professionals, students, companies, and institutions. The core offerings consist of Document-by-Document Evaluations (straightforward US equivalency reports), Course-by-Course Evaluations (detailed reports including coursework, credit hours, and grades), and Modified Document-by-Document Evaluations (document evaluation with GPA calculation). These evaluation services are supplemented by Certified Document Translations (100+ languages with Certificate of Translation Accuracy), Business Translations (fast turnaround for business materials), Expert Opinion Letters (university professor letters for immigration petitions), and Reprints/Revisions (additional copies and updates to prior evaluations). All services work together to help clients achieve immigration, employment, and educational admission goals in the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Document-by-Document Evaluation A foreign credential evaluation report that lists each foreign academic credential earned and provides its U.S. equivalent (e.g., high school, bachelor's, master's). Used by individuals pursuing U.S. employment, immigration, licensure, or further education.
• Course-by-Course Evaluation A detailed evaluation that breaks out each post-secondary course, credit hours, U.S. semester-credit equivalent, grade, and an overall U.S. equivalent GPA. Used for transfer credit, professional licensure boards, and graduate admissions.
• Modified Document-by-Document Evaluation A modified evaluation report tailored for use with professional licensing boards and immigration petitions. Used by individuals whose profession requires licensure in the U.S. or who are filing specific visa categories.
• Certified Document Translation ATA-certified translation of foreign-language documents (birth certificates, diplomas, transcripts, marriage certificates, etc.) into English, delivered with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy. Available in 100+ languages.
• Business Translation Professional translation service for business documents including contracts, manuals, marketing materials, and corporate communications, handled by certified translators across multiple language pairs.
• Expert Opinion Letter A subject-matter expert letter authored by a U.S.-based university professor in support of immigration petitions (H-1B, O-1, EB-1, EB-2/NIW, L-1, TN, P-1, P-3). Used by foreign nationals and their attorneys to establish qualifications or extraordinary ability.
• Reprints Duplicate copies of an existing FIS evaluation report for use by multiple recipients (employers, schools, licensing boards). Includes a $5 discount on the third or additional copy.
• Revisions Updates to an existing FIS evaluation report, including GPA modifications and the addition of newly earned credentials, for a $40 fee. Used when source documents are re-issued or new credentials are obtained.
• Notarized Copies of Reports Optional notarization of FIS evaluation reports for a $25 add-on fee when an issuing agency requires a notarized copy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Evaluations accepted by Fortune 500 companies, major law firms, universities, and government agencies
• +1 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 1987Charter/founding member in good standing of NACES since March 1987. NACES sets ethical and professional standards for credential evaluation services. Being a founding member establishes FIS as an industry leader and validates the quality and reliability of its evaluations to U.S. universities, employers, and immigration agencies.
• NAFSA: Association of International EducatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of NAFSA, the world's largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange. NAFSA works to advance policies and practices that ensure a more interconnected world.
• ACCRAO EdgesupportingTechnology or IntegrationFIS uses ACCRAO Edge to strengthen credential evaluations. ACCRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) provides standards and resources for evaluating international credentials.
• American Translators Association (ATA)coreTechnology or IntegrationAll U.S.-based FIS translators are members of ATA, which sets high standards for quality and professionalism in translation. ATA certification ensures translators meet rigorous competency standards.
• Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society (NOTIS)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of NOTIS, a nonprofit organization established in April 1988 as a forum for professional translators and interpreters in the Pacific Northwest to meet and learn from peers.
• TAICEP (The Association for International Credential Evaluation and Proficiency)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of TAICEP, which aims to be a major worldwide trusted knowledge association for the credential evaluation community and a key supporter of professionals who undertake this work.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Direct peers

• World Education Services (WES): WES is the largest NACES-member credential evaluation service in North America, offering course-by-course and document-by-document evaluations plus verification for immigration, employment, and university admission — directly overlapping with FIS's core evaluation business. WES also operates WES Gateway, a software/API platform for institutions, which FIS competes against at the institutional layer.
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE): ECE is a NACES member and one of FIS's closest direct competitors, providing general and course-by-course credential evaluations used by U.S. universities, employers, and immigration authorities. ECE also offers the ECE Insight portal for institutional ordering, mirroring FIS's self-serve platform.
• Scholaro / Evaluation Company: Scholaro (branded as The Evaluation Company / TEC) is a NACES-affiliated provider of foreign credential evaluations for immigration and academic admission, including a course-by-course evaluation product. Operates on a fully online self-serve model comparable to FIS.
• International Education Evaluations (IEE): IEE is a NACES-member credential evaluation service providing general, course-by-course, and professional evaluations used for U.S. immigration and university admission. Comparable scale and service mix to FIS, positioning IEE as a direct competitor in the same niche.
• SpanTran Evaluation Services: SpanTran provides credential evaluations and certified translations for immigration, education, and professional licensing with a NACES-affiliated evaluation arm. Directly comparable service portfolio to FIS — evaluations, certified translations, and immigration-focused deliverables.
• Transcript Research: Transcript Research is a smaller NACES-affiliated credential evaluation service focused on foreign credential evaluation and immigration support letters. Operates in the same niche as FIS with overlapping customer base (immigration attorneys and individual applicants).
• Josef Silny & Associates (JS&A): JS&A is a NACES-member foreign credential evaluation service based in Florida, serving universities, immigration attorneys, and licensing boards. Operates at similar scale and with the same NACES-recognized evaluation types as FIS.

Broad incumbents

• TransPerfect / Translations.com: TransPerfect is the largest global language services provider, offering certified translation and notarization services used by immigration attorneys, corporations, and government agencies. While TransPerfect does not provide credential evaluations, it competes with FIS on the certified translation and business translation revenue stream.
• Lionbridge: Lionbridge is a global enterprise translation and localization provider serving regulated industries, with capabilities overlapping FIS's certified document translation and business translation offerings. Competes primarily for high-volume enterprise translation work rather than FIS's individual immigration-applicant niche.
• RWS Group: RWS is a global provider of translation, localization, and IP services, including certified translations used for legal and immigration submissions. Represents a broader incumbent in the same translation-and-certified-document space as FIS's translation services line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Foundation for International Services, Inc.