Driving Licence Translation

Order a driving licence translation that UK authorities and overseas offices accept. Every translation is done by a professional translator and comes with a signed statement of accuracy, our company stamp and contact details.

Send us a clear scan of both sides of the card, then get your certified PDF by email.

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Driving licence translation for every official requirement

Different offices ask for a translation for different reasons, so it helps to know which one applies to you.

DVLA licence exchange: If your licence is not in English, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) asks for a certified translation alongside your D1 application.
Car insurance: Insurers may ask for a translation so they can read your vehicle categories, codes and endorsements before they quote.
Vehicle hire: Hire companies usually ask for a certified translation or an International Driving Permit alongside a non-English licence.
Employment checks: Lorry, bus and delivery employers often want a translated licence to confirm what you are entitled to drive.
Living or working abroad: A UK licence used in another country usually needs to be translated into the local language before an authority will accept it.
Proof of identity: Banks, universities and landlords abroad will often take a licence as photo ID once it has been translated.

What’s included in our driving licence translation service

Every driving licence translation includes the following:

Both sides of the card translated, including your name, dates, licence number, vehicle categories, codes and endorsements.
A signed and dated statement of accuracy from the translator.
Our company letterhead, stamp and contact details.
A PDF by email.
Printed copies by post (on request).

A licence follows the same standard as any other document we handle through our certified translation services. We certify birth certificates, degrees, and licences the same way.

Order your driving licence translation in 3 simple steps

You can place your orders online. We accept scans, photographs, Word files, and PDFs.

1. Send us your licence

You don’t need to send us the original card. Upload or email a clear scan or photo of both sides.

Check that your name, date of birth, licence number, the issue and expiry dates, the vehicle category and any endorsement codes are readable. Stamps and signatures need to be visible too.

2. We translate and certify it

A qualified translator who works in that language pair produces the translation. We then issue it on our company letterhead, which carries the signed declaration of accuracy, our stamp, and our contact details.

3. You receive your translation

The certified PDF comes to you by email. We dispatch printed copies within 24 to 48 hours (if requested).

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130+ languages translated by professional linguists

Our network handles more than 130 languages. Each job goes to a translator who works in that specific language pair and understands the codes and categories printed on driving licences.

Some countries accept work only from a sworn translator appointed by their courts or ministries. Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Brazil all work this way.

Tell us where the translation is going. We will confirm which version the authority there expects.

Driving licence translation and apostille handled in one place

When you use your driving licence abroad, some countries also require the translation to be legalised, which adds a few steps we can handle for you.

The plastic card itself cannot be apostilled. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) only legalises a copy that an FCDO-registered solicitor or notary has certified first, so the work runs in this order:

1

Translation: We translate and certify your licence in the language the destination country requires.
2

Certified copy: An FCDO-registered solicitor or notary certifies a copy of the licence.
3

Apostille: We send the certified copy to FCDO for apostille on your behalf. The FCDO attaches the apostille to that certified copy and sends the documents back to us.
4

Embassy attestation: The 127+ countries in the Hague Convention accept an apostille on its own, so a separate embassy stage is not needed. For countries outside the Hague Convention, such as Qatar, Egypt and Kuwait, the document then goes to the relevant embassy.

Driving licences do not qualify for the electronic apostille, so this is always the paper route. You can read the full process on our page covering apostille for a driving licence.

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Transparent costs, quick turnaround and secure delivery

You get a clear quote from us before you send your documents for translation.

What you are paying for	Cost	What it covers
Certified translation	From £30 per page	1 page covers up to 250 words, which is enough for most licences.
Sworn translation	Add £9 per page	Needed for countries that appoint their own sworn translators.
Notarisation	Starting from £20 additionally	A notary confirms the translator’s signature on the document.
Priority turnaround	Add £15	Your translation comes back within 24 hours.
Urgent turnaround	Add £30	Your translation comes back within 12 hours.
Apostille or legalisation	From an extra £97	Covers the FCDO fee, solicitor certification and our handling.
PDF by email	Free	Sent as soon as the translation is certified.
Printed copy by post	Add £15	UK delivery, dispatched within 24 to 48 hours.
Worldwide courier	Add £50	Tracked delivery to addresses outside the UK.

These prices cover our standard tier. Professional translations start from £40.50 per page and specialist translations from £51 per page.

Sworn versions of those two add £12.50 and £15.30 per page. We quote embassy attestation once we know the destination country.

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What our clients say

We hold a 5-star rating on Trustpilot across 380+ reviews. We also have 540+ reviews on Google.

Document checks before we translate your driving licence

We check the following before your translation starts:

Both sides of the card are readable, with no glare over the licence number, the dates or your photo.
The spelling of your name in the target language is agreed with you, since names can be written in more than one way.
The target language and the destination country are confirmed. Portuguese for Brazil and Portuguese for Portugal are separate requirements.
The receiving authority accepts a certified translation.
The licence has at least 6 months left to run, as some authorities require.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Below are the questions we are asked most about driving licence translations:

How quickly can I get my driving licence translated?

Standard turnaround is 48 hours. If you need it faster, priority takes 24 hours and urgent takes 12.

Postage, notarisation, or an apostille will add time on top.

What is the difference between a certified translation and a sworn translation of a driving licence?

A certified translation carries a signed statement of accuracy from the translator, which is the standard used in the UK.

A sworn translation comes from a translator appointed by a foreign court or ministry. The authority receiving your licence decides which one it will accept.

Will the DVLA and insurers accept your certified translation?

Yes. Our certified translations meet the standard the DVLA asks for when you exchange a non-English licence.

Insurers accept them too, though it is worth checking if they have any other specific requirements.

Is a certified translation the same as an International Driving Permit?

No. An International Driving Permit is a booklet that repeats your licence details in several languages, so police and hire desks abroad can read them.

A certified translation is a signed document you submit with an official application. The DVLA and employers ask for a certified translation.

Can you help if I am currently outside the UK?

Yes. Email us a scan from anywhere in the world, and we’ll return your certified PDF the same way.

We can also send printed documents and apostilles by tracked courier.

Why choose an FCDO-registered provider over a basic translation agency?

We are FCDO-registered as a business, so we can take your document straight through legalisation after translating it. A standard agency has to hand that stage back to you.

Our service guarantee also covers a refund if a document is rejected because of an error on our side.

Send us your licence to translate

A scan or a clear photograph is enough. You get back a fixed price, a delivery date and a straight answer on whether a plain certified translation will do. We will also tell you if you need a solicitor, a notary or an apostille on top.

Send your licenceSend your licence

Prefer to talk it through first? Call us on +44 (0) 207 0500 692 or email hello@apostillelondon.com. Our office is open from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday.