Driver licence translation into English, with a NAATI-certified translator option

It depends who you show it to, and the table above quotes each of them. Queensland points to NAATI’s list of translators, South Australia and the ACT name NAATI translators, and Europcar and SIXT name a NAATI translation. New South Wales asks visitors for an English translation without saying who prepares it, and VicRoads’ visitor page names no one either — though its conversion page adds, under its sentence about staying less than 6 months, “If your driver licence or learner permit is not in English, you must have it translated by any NAATI accredited translator or the country’s consulate in Australia.” Tasmania asks for “an official translation”, and the same page says “an English translation of your licence by a person accredited to translate”. For driving or hiring a car on your licence, choose the NAATI option.

A licence is two pages, the front and the back, and the order page sets that for you. The price of the Standard translation and of the NAATI option is shown above and on the order page, with Urgent and ASAP delivery priced beside it. We add nothing at checkout. If you pay from outside Australia, Stripe may show the price already converted into your currency with its own conversion fee; you can switch back to Australian dollars on the payment page.

Normal delivery is within 3 days, Urgent is 12–24 hours, and ASAP is within 4 hours where a translator for your language is available at that moment. We do not deliver on Sundays: a delivery that would fall on a Sunday arrives on the Monday. These are estimates rather than fixed arrival times. The clock starts when you order, and it pauses if a photo cannot be read or if the document turns out to have more pages than were paid for.

Always. The back carries the vehicle categories, codes and conditions, and hire desks and road authorities read those. Victoria’s regulations want them explained in full, and Europcar’s terms describe a translation that explains any conditions and the vehicle category. A front-only translation leaves out exactly the lines a reader needs.

We deliver a PDF, and with the NAATI option its digital stamp carries a QR code the reader can scan. None of the hire companies we quote says whether its desk takes a translation on a screen or only on paper, so ask the one you will deal with. Some counters do say originals only: South Australia’s visitor page does, Queensland’s transfer page does without mentioning translations, and VicRoads publishes no position, so ring them before a licence transfer appointment. Print in colour at full size and keep the PDF on your phone as well.

No single answer covers every state. For driving as a visitor, every state and territory we have checked except the Northern Territory names an English translation carried with the licence; Queensland, South Australia and the ACT name NAATI translators and Tasmania names “a person accredited to translate”, so a translation with the NAATI option matches the most wordings. We have verified only one line for Western Australia. For converting your licence the rules split: Victoria names “any NAATI accredited translator or the country’s consulate in Australia”, Queensland “an approved National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) translator”, and New South Wales only four named sources, none of them an independent translator. The detail, state by state.

It depends on the company. Hertz’s and Thrifty’s terms name a certified English translation; SIXT and Europcar name a translation or an International Driving Permit, and SIXT adds that a licence with no photo needs a permit beside it. Budget’s FAQ says a licence not in English “must be accompanied by an approved translation such as an International Driving Permit”, and Avis’s says a licence “must be in English, or if not in English, the renter must have an English translation thereof”. Each also carries a line saying an “International Drivers Licence” is required when the licence is not in English, so ask those two before you book. Carry the licence card itself, always; the translation sits next to it and never replaces it. What to have ready at the airport desk.

Not from the Australian Automobile Association, which issues permits here. Its answer is “Only Australian driver licence holders can apply for an IDP in Australia. If you hold an overseas driver licence you must apply for a permit in the country that issued your licence.” Whether your home motoring association or embassy will issue one while you are abroad is for them to say. If you are already here without a permit, a translation is the document you can arrange from Australia.

Send us your order number and we correct and re-issue it at no charge.

It depends on the state, because Australia has no single national limit. Austroads, the association of Australia’s road transport agencies, sums it up as 3 months in the Northern Territory and 6 months in New South Wales and Victoria, with the other states and territories letting visiting drivers drive “indefinitely on their overseas licence as long as it is current” until they become a permanent resident or citizen. For anyone moving here, the state page is the one to follow: VicRoads, for example, says you must convert if you plan to live in Victoria for more than 6 months. What each state says about time limits.

Yes, as a tourist or temporary overseas visitor, for up to six months, while your licence is current and you carry it. If it is not in English, the NSW Government says you “must also carry an English translation, or an International Driving Permit”, and it names no translating body for visitors. Staying on is different. A visitor who intends to live in NSW for longer than six months needs a NSW licence within six months to keep driving, and for a NSW licence Transport for NSW accepts translations only from four named sources, which do not include us. Driving in NSW on an overseas licence.

Yes, while you are visiting. Queensland’s page says “If you’re visiting Queensland, you can drive if you have a valid interstate or overseas licence”, and names no time limit for visitors. Drive only the class of vehicle your licence allows, under its conditions. If the licence is not in English, the page says to carry a recognised English translation and show it to police with your licence. Your overseas licence stops being enough after 3 months living in Queensland as an Australian citizen or on a permanent or special category visa, and anyone who moves there has to transfer to a Queensland licence. Driving in Queensland on an overseas licence.

It depends on where your licence was issued and which state you move to. In Queensland, a car licence from a recognised country, such as Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom or the United States, held within the last 5 years, needs no road rules test and no practical driving test. A licence from a country not on that list, such as China, India, South Korea or Taiwan, needs both. Tested or not, a licence not in English still needs a translation for a Queensland transfer. New South Wales also tests by country of issue, and takes translations only from four named sources, not from us. Queensland’s transfer rules.

Yes, if you qualify for the government’s Free Translating Service, which lists a “Driver or motorcycle licence” among the documents it translates. It is for permanent residents and holders of listed visas, granted in the past 2 years and still valid, who are in Australia. Tourists, working holiday makers and Australian citizens cannot use it. For a New South Wales licence, check it before anything else: the service is delivered for the Department of Home Affairs, one of only four sources Transport for NSW accepts. Who qualifies for the free service.

Not by itself, but it only ever describes one card: its number, its issue and expiry dates, its classes and its conditions. When your licence is renewed, the new card carries new dates, so a translation of the old card no longer matches the one in your hand, and the renewed card needs its own translation. The two are read together: Queensland tells drivers to show the translation to police when they show their licence. A translation cannot keep an expired licence going either, because NSW lets visitors drive only while they “have a current overseas licence”. What to show if you are pulled over.

You do not need one nearby. We have no shopfront, and the whole order runs from your phone wherever you are in Australia, or from overseas before you fly: photograph both sides of the card, order, and the PDF arrives by email. If you would rather have someone with you, we visit in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Logan for A$80 on top of the translation price. We photograph the licence with you, hand it straight back and place the order together. Everywhere else, the order is online only. Book a visit.

NAATI stopped issuing accreditation in 2018, so a form that asks for a “NAATI accredited translator” today means one who holds current NAATI certification. That is who prepares the certified option: a NAATI-certified translator for your language direction — a Certified Translator or Certified Advanced Translator, or a Recognised Practising Translator where NAATI does not test the language. Their practitioner number is on the translation and you can check it in NAATI’s online directory.