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Three cases where we will tell you not to order from us

Some of the people who write to us are about to pay for a page they cannot use. This is the honest map: three cases where the answer is do not order, two where we will ask you a question first, and what we do serve.

Published 4 September 2026 · Official Translation

The short answer: usually yes, and three times no

If you are a visitor driving or hiring a car on a non-English licence in most states, or you have a certificate, transcript or licence that a visa, citizenship, passport or marriage application wants in English, this is the right kind of service for you.

Three cases are different, and we would rather say so before you pay than after. A translation for a New South Wales licence transfer. Anything for driving in the Northern Territory. And a document the government’s own service would translate for you at no charge. In each of those, the honest answer is do not order from us, and the reasons are below in the authorities’ own words.

Two more cases are not a no, but a question we will ask first: a Queensland licence transfer, and anything in Western Australia. We close with what we do serve, and what we promise about it.

Case one: transferring an overseas licence in New South Wales

Service NSW’s transfer page leaves no room. “If your licence or letter is not in English, you must provide a translation. Transport for NSW only accepts translations from” four named sources: Multicultural NSW, the Department of Home Affairs, the Consulate-General of the Republic of Korea for licences issued there, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office for licences issued in Taiwan. The NSW Government’s prepare-your-application page, quoted on our guide to who Transport for NSW accepts, adds: “Translations obtained through any other means are not acceptable.”

We are not on that list, and no independent translator is, however well qualified. So if you are moving to NSW and converting your licence, we will not sell you a translation for it. Go to one of the four named sources; the NSW guide above walks through which one applies to you.

Visiting NSW and driving on your overseas licence is a different transaction under a different rule, and one we do serve. The restriction above is for people applying for a NSW licence.

Case two: driving in the Northern Territory

The NT does not give visitors the permit-or-translation choice the states do. Its page says “you can drive with your interstate or overseas licence for up to 3 months”, and then: “you must apply for an international driving permit if: your overseas licence is not written in English”. Where a translation comes into it at all, the same page says it “must be done by an authorised translator in the NT”.

We cannot meet that rule, so we will not sell you a translation for driving in the NT. The NT’s page says to apply for the permit before you travel. If you did not, the same page sets out the other route: an official translation into English, done by an authorised translator in the NT, carried with your licence.

That translator is not us, so ask the NT Motor Vehicle Registry who it counts as an authorised translator. The Australian Automobile Association, which issues permits here, is asked directly whether an overseas licence holder can get one in Australia: “No. 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.”

If you are already in Australia with a Darwin or Alice Springs leg ahead of you, that is the sentence to read twice: the AAA will not issue you one here. Whether the body that issued your licence will take an application from abroad is a question for that body. How the rest of the country handles the same question is on International Driving Permit or translation in Australia.

Case three: the government will translate it for free

The Free Translating Service, run through TIS National, puts it plainly: “Permanent residents and eligible visa holders can get up to 10 personal documents translated into English for free.” If that is you, use it first. We would rather you kept your money than paid us for a document the government would have translated at no charge.

Your visa has to be on its list, and three more lines decide who qualifies. “You need to be onshore (in Australia) to access the service.” “Your visa must be granted in the past 2 years, and still valid (not cancelled or expired).” And the exclusions: “Tourist visa holders and working holiday visa holders are not eligible for the Free Translating Service. Australian citizens are also not eligible for this service.”

Two limits are worth weighing before you decide. On format: “Most translations are provided in an extract summary format of up to 100 words. This will be suitable for the majority of official purposes in Australia.” On time: “Within 30 calendar days following the application’s approval, the completed translation will be available to download in the Free Translating Service portal.” If the authority you are dealing with wants every line of the document, or wants it this week, the free service may not fit, and that is the point at which a paid translation earns its place. The full picture, with every quoted rule, is on Free Translating Service eligibility and limits.

Two cases where we will ask first, and what we promise if you do order

A Queensland licence transfer. TMR’s transfer page says “All documents must be originals” and that photocopies and certified copies are not acceptable. Whether that sentence reaches the translation, or only your identity documents, is not spelled out anywhere on the page, and the words digital, PDF and printed never appear in relation to translations. We deliver a PDF you would print. So if you are transferring a licence in Queensland, ring TMR and ask before you order, and tell us what they said. The detail is on Queensland’s licence transfer rules.

Western Australia. The only WA line we have verified is the one for visitors: “You must carry your current overseas licence and a translation, or an International Drivers’ Permit (IDP) with you while driving.” We have not verified anything else about WA, including who may translate or what a licence transfer there involves, and we will not pretend otherwise. If WA is your destination, ask the WA licensing authority what it wants and tell us before you order.

What we do serve: a visitor’s licence for driving or hiring a car in the states that name a translation as one of the options, and the documents that visa, citizenship, passport and marriage applications want in English. Every order is delivered as a searchable PDF by email. The order page starts on the NAATI certification option, which is what an authority naming NAATI asks for and the one to choose for driving or hiring a car; Standard is there for when nobody has asked for certification. The list is on licences and certificates we translate, and what the hire desks say is on renting a car in Australia with an overseas licence.

And the promise. If there is an error in the translation, contact us with the order number and we correct and re-issue it at no charge. The wording is in our terms and conditions. If a translation has already been turned away, when a translation is not accepted covers what to do next.

The rules behind each case, quoted in full: who Transport for NSW accepts for a licence translation, International Driving Permit or translation in Australia, Free Translating Service eligibility and limits and Queensland’s licence transfer rules.

Sources, checked on the date shown: