Lao to English
Lao to English translation
For visitors driving on a Lao licence, and for families, partners and students who need a Lao certificate or family book in English. Translated in full, delivered by email, with NAATI certification as an option.
What a Lao document needs
Three things a Lao document brings with it
Lao has its own script and numerals, and family records are kept in a book rather than on a single certificate.
The family book
A Lao family book records everyone in a household, with dates of birth and each person’s relationship to the head of the family, and it is updated as the family changes. Every page with an entry is translated, so a reader can follow the family from one page to the next.
Lao script and numerals
Lao is written in its own script, and some documents use Lao numerals. Numbers are written as Western digits in the translation, and dates are given with the month in letters, so an Australian reader cannot read them the wrong way round.
Names, spelled once
Lao names can be romanised several ways, and a given name usually comes before the family name. The translation uses your passport’s spelling and order for your own name, and notes a different spelling where another of your documents uses one.
Driving here on a Lao licence
What to carry with a Lao licence
What South Australia says
SA accepts “a current licence with an English translation if necessary or an international driver’s licence”, and its list of translators begins with one “translated by a National Accreditation Authority for Translators & Interpreters Ltd (NAATI) approved translator”.
At the Europcar desk
Europcar’s rental terms accept a licence not in English with “an accurate translation in English of Your current licence issued by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) that includes a full explanation written in English of any condition to which Your licence is subject and the category of vehicle for which Your licence was issued.” Each vehicle class on your licence is set out in English words for that reason.
Source: Europcar Australia, rental terms and conditions, clause 7.2 (checked 19 September 2026)
How long you may drive on an overseas licence depends on the state: how long you can drive on an overseas licence.
What a careful job includes
Every page, every stamp
Licence, both sides
Name, date of birth, the licence number and classes, validity dates and the issuing office, with every code and stamp carried into English.
Certificates and the family book
Birth, marriage and death certificates and every page of a family book that carries an entry, with each seal and signature marked where it appears.
School and university records
Certificates, results and transcripts, translated table for table. A word your photo does not show clearly is marked [illegible] rather than guessed.
Choose the NAATI certification option for a translation prepared by a NAATI-certified translator, carrying their certification statement, NAATI stamp and credential number. See the birth certificate and marriage certificate pages for those documents.
Pricing
The full price on screen before you order
Translation is $39.99 per page into English, delivered digitally. Add NAATI certification for $59.99 per page, prepared by a NAATI-certified translator and carrying their certification statement, NAATI stamp and credential number. Where the translator uses NAATI’s digital stamp, it carries a QR code you can scan to check the credential.
Delivery is by email and the order page shows the delivery options. Translating a licence only? Start at driver licence translation. Need a NAATI-certified translator? See NAATI translation online. Other languages: Thai, Khmer and Vietnamese, or see every language we translate.
Driving on a licence in Lao? Check your overseas licence in 1 second.