Certified Driving Licence
Translation
The words on a foreign licence are the easy part. What matters is the vehicle categories, the restriction and information codes, the issue and expiry dates for each category, and any endorsements – because that is what the DVLA, an insurer or a hire desk is reading.
We translate the whole card, both sides, and render the code table as a table rather than as prose, so the reader can check it at a glance against the UK equivalents.
WHAT THE HOME OFFICE asks for
This is the requirement in the Home Office’s own words, and it is the standard every certified translation we issue is built to meet:
Where documents provided are not in English or Welsh, you must provide a full dated and signed translation in English that can be verified. This must be dated and include the full name and signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company and their contact details.
UK Home Office guidance, gov.uk
Read it closely and it is a short list: a full translation, not a summary; in English; dated; signed; with the translator or an authorised official of the translation company named; and with contact details so it can be verified. Every one of those is on the certification page we issue with your driving licence.
WHAT YOU GET with every certified translation
- Accredited and sworn, fully bilingual philologist and linguist human translators
- An additional native-speaking proofreader on every project for quality assurance
- Professional DTP editing and formatting, so the translation mirrors your original
- A signed affidavit and declaration of translation accuracy
- The company wet stamp for authenticity
- Official certification on company letterhead
- Full compliance with the ISO 17100 quality standard
- A physical copy with wet stamps and company letterhead where one is needed
- Nothing of yours has to travel – a scan is enough, and hard copies come to you
- Any iterations, corrections and editing free of charge, same day or next day
WHEN YOU NEED a certified driving licence translation
Exchanging your licence for a UK one
Where a foreign licence can be exchanged, the DVLA needs it in English before it can process the application.
Insuring a car in the UK
Insurers ask for a certified translation when the licence is not in English, particularly where entitlement dates affect the premium.
Hiring a vehicle
Hire companies routinely require a certified translation, or an International Driving Permit, alongside a non-English licence.
Driving for work
Employers and fleet operators verify categories and endorsements before letting anyone drive on company business.
Proving your driving history
Length of entitlement is often what an insurer is really checking, and it is printed on the card.
Court or licensing proceedings
Where entitlement or endorsements are in issue, a certified English translation is required.
WHO ACCEPTS it
Issued to the standard the Home Office publishes, and routinely accepted by:
- The DVLA
- Motor insurers and brokers
- Vehicle hire companies
- Employers and fleet operators
- HM Courts & Tribunals Service
- The Home Office and UKVI
- Banks and identity-check providers
- Foreign embassies and consulates in the UK
If the body you are dealing with is not on this list, ask us before you order – checking what they actually require is free, and it is the fastest way to avoid paying for a level of certification you do not need.
THINGS PEOPLE get caught out by
Both sides, always
The categories, the code table and the entitlement dates are on the reverse of almost every licence. A translation of the front alone is not usable and will be sent back.
Codes are rendered, not converted
A restriction code is translated and explained; deciding what UK entitlement it corresponds to is the DVLA’s decision. Nobody translating a licence can grant you a category.
Exchange is not automatic
Whether a licence can be exchanged at all depends on where it was issued, and that is a DVLA question rather than a translation one. We will happily translate it either way, but check the rules before you spend anything.
An IDP is a different document
An International Driving Permit is issued alongside your licence and is not a substitute for a certified translation where one is asked for. Some hire desks want both.
HOW IT works
Send a scan
A photograph from your phone is fine, as long as every corner is in frame and the text, the stamps and anything written on the back are readable. Your original never leaves you.
Get a fixed price
We read the document, confirm the language and the certification the receiving body wants, and send back an itemised price and a delivery date. Free, and with no obligation.
Translation and checking
An accredited, sworn linguist translates it; a second linguist who is a native speaker of the target language reads the whole thing against the source.
Certification
The translation is issued with a signed declaration of accuracy on company letterhead, dated, with the translator named and our wet stamp applied.
Delivery
By email the day it is finished, with a wet-stamped hard copy posted to your address if you need one. Corrections afterwards are free.
The full five-stage service process, and the three-stage quality assessment behind it, are set out on How It Works and Quality Assurance.
PRICE AND turnaround
PriceQuoted per job
A standard driving licence is priced per document with certification included, and a posted hard copy is priced per page. You get the figure in writing, itemised and fixed, before you commit – and the analysis that produces it is free.
Standard24–72 hours
One to three working days for a standard certificate, in any of the 76 languages we work in.
ExpeditedAs fast as 24h
When a deadline is close – without taking the second linguist out of the process.
0 +Years of Excellence
0 +Happy Customers
0 +Official Translators
0 Countries Approved EKO 4's Certified Translations
At EKO 4 Translations we guarantee 100%
- Document Acceptance
- Accuracy and Quality
- Delivery on Time
- Free Corrections
WHAT ELSE your document might need
A certified translation is enough for most UK purposes. Documents going abroad, or to a body that has asked for a solicitor or notary, need a layer on top – and it is ordered with the translation rather than afterwards.
Certified translation
The full service and what it covers – 114 document types, 76 languages, and what certification actually is.
Certified document translation →Sworn & notarised
When an authority wants the declaration sworn before a solicitor, or witnessed and sealed by a notary.
Sworn & notarised translation →Apostille & legalisation
For documents going abroad: an FCDO certificate on the translation we prepared, plus embassy legalisation where it is needed.
Apostille & legalisation →76 languages
The full European and Asian lists. The language changes who does the work, not what you get.
Translation languages →Some of our clients
As featured on
DRIVING LICENCE questions, answered
Will the DVLA accept this?
Yes. It carries a dated declaration that it is a true and accurate translation of the original, the translator named and signed, our contact details, company letterhead and our wet stamp. Whether your licence can be exchanged is a separate DVLA decision that no translation affects.
Do you need both sides?
Yes, always. The vehicle categories, the code table and the entitlement dates are on the back, and they are the part the reader actually needs.
How much and how fast?
Priced as a single document with certification included, normally back within 24 to 72 hours and expedited as fast as 24 hours. The quote is itemised and fixed before you commit.
Can you tell me which UK categories my licence gives me?
No – that is the DVLA’s decision, and anyone who tells you otherwise inside a translation is overstepping. We render your categories and codes exactly so the DVLA can decide.
Is a translation the same as an International Driving Permit?
No. An IDP is issued in your own country alongside your licence. A certified translation is what a UK body asks for when it needs the licence itself in English. Some hire companies want both.
Do you need the physical card?
No. Clear photographs of both sides are enough, provided the small print in the code table is readable.
Send us the driving licence
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 or whether you need a solicitor, a notary or an apostille on top – free, with no obligation, and handled confidentially under UK GDPR.
CERTIFIED TRANSLATION wherever you are in the UK
The service runs digitally end to end, so where you live makes no difference to the price or the timing. Send a scan, approve the quote, and the finished translation comes back by email – with the wet-stamped hard copy posted to your address when you need one.
Certified Government Translation Service Near You
Looking for a certified government translation service near you in London? Look no further, we've got you covered!
124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX
