Driving Licence Translation for Refugees in the UK

Driving licence translation for refugees: what you receive

A foreign driving licence is usually a small card or booklet with your photo, personal details, licence number, dates and vehicle categories. Many are in Dari, Pashto, Farsi, Arabic, Kurdish or Tigrinya, with little or no English.

Your foreign driving licence translation UK organisations can read includes:

• Both sides of the card, or every page of a booklet, translated in full.
• Your name spelt as on your passport, travel document or eVisa, if you tell us.
• Licence number, issue and expiry dates, with the Gregorian date added where the licence uses another calendar.
• Every category and restriction code, translated exactly as shown.
• Descriptions of stamps, holograms, photos and signatures.
• A signed certification statement with the details GOV.UK lists for certifying a document (opens in a new tab): a "true and accurate translation of the original document", the date, and the translator's full name and contact details.

You receive a PDF by email and, if you want, a posted hard copy.

Sample

Certified translation

Driving licence

Source language as on original → English

Holder's name

redacted

Date of birth

redacted

Place of birth

redacted

Licence number

redacted

Date of issue

redacted

Date of expiry

redacted

Categories

redacted

Issuing authority

Traffic / licensing authority

• [Photograph]
• [Round stamp: issuing authority, partly illegible]
• [Signature: holder]

Translator's statement

I confirm that this is a true and accurate translation of the original document.

Date

DD/MM/YYYY

Translator

Full name

Signature

Exchanging or replacing a foreign licence: what DVLA asks for

This is where many people are misinformed, so we set out what GOV.UK says. We translate; we do not give DVLA advice.

Sources: GOV.UK pages on driving in Great Britain with a non-GB licence (opens in a new tab) and exchanging a licence from the Republic of Korea (opens in a new tab).

We have not found any GOV.UK or DVLA guidance saying DVLA accepts a private certified translation for a licence exchange. So we do not sell our translation for that purpose. Many refugees hold licences from countries that are not designated, and those licences cannot be exchanged. Check GOV.UK for your own country before you apply.

Licence categories and dates

Category codes are the part people most often get wrong.

• Categories as written. Many licences use letters such as A, B, C, D and E, often based on international conventions. We translate each category and its description exactly. We do not convert it to a UK category, because that decision belongs to DVLA or the insurer.
• Restrictions and conditions. Codes such as "glasses required" or "automatic only" are translated in full.
• Calendars. Afghan and Iranian licences usually show Solar Hijri dates. We give the date as written and add the Gregorian equivalent in brackets.
• Names and places. Your name and place of birth are transliterated consistently with your other documents.

Afghan licences are usually in Dari and Pashto. Our Pashto and Dari translators handle both.

Where your translated driving licence is used

• Insurers. A driving licence translation for insurance helps the insurer see your driving history and categories. Each insurer sets its own rules.
• Employers. Delivery, care and transport jobs often ask to see a licence and a translation.
• Car and van hire. Some hire companies want a translation of a non-English licence.
• Driving schools. To record your past experience when you prepare for UK tests.

For other everyday paperwork, such as NHS, DWP, housing or bank forms, see our refugee document translation service. If an overseas authority wants the translation notarised, see notarised translation for refugees.

Driving licence translation price and delivery time

Most licences are one card, so this is one of our simplest orders.

• Price: from £15 for a single card, or from £18 per page for a booklet.
• Standard delivery: 1 working day.
• Urgent delivery: same day or within 24 hours, from £10 extra per document.

Prices shown are starting prices and include VAT. We confirm your exact price in a written quote before any work starts. See all rates on our translation prices page.

We translate licences in Arabic through our Arabic asylum document translation team, and Iranian licences through our Farsi asylum document translation team, as well as Kurdish, Tigrinya, Urdu and more.