Transferring a licence

Three accepted sources, not one

Transport and Main Roads asks you to “bring a recognised English translation (if the licence is not in English) from an approved National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) translator”. On its practical-tests page it sets out the full list. Other states word it differently: what NAATI, certified and official mean for a licence.

A NAATI-accredited translator

The route open to an independent translator, and the one we provide. TMR’s own words — “an approved National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) translator” — link straight to naati.com.au, not to a list of approved companies.

Multicultural NSW

Queensland accepts a Multicultural NSW translation. Worth knowing: the recognition runs one way only. New South Wales does not accept a Queensland NAATI translator’s work for a licence.

A Consul-General

“The translation must be on official letterhead and stamped with the official consulate stamp.” That format condition applies to this route alone, not to a NAATI translation.

Sources: TMR, transfer an overseas licence (last updated 13 April 2026) and TMR, practical tests (last updated 15 August 2025).

Driving as a visitor

A softer rule, on an older page

What TMR says

“If your licence isn’t in English, you should carry a recognised English translation of it when you’re driving. Show this translation to police when you have to show your driver licence.” Note the word “should” — TMR does not put it as a legal must on this page, and we are not going to upgrade their wording for them.

Source: TMR, driving on an overseas licence (last updated 19 February 2024)

The options narrow here

For visitors, TMR names NAATI alone: “The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) has a list of approved translators.” The Multicultural NSW and consulate routes are offered on the transfer page, not on this one.

Before you order

One thing we cannot tell you, and will not pretend to

A licence transfer in Queensland is done in person, at a customer service centre, QGAP office or licence-issuing police station.

The originals question is genuinely unclear

TMR’s transfer page says “All documents must be originals—photocopies and certified copies are not acceptable.” Whether that sentence reaches the translation, or only the identity documents, is not spelled out anywhere on qld.gov.au. The words digital, PDF and printed never appear in relation to translations.

What that means for you

We deliver digitally, so you would print your translation and take it in. You will find confident statements online that Queensland does, or does not, accept a printed digital translation. Neither position is supported on TMR’s own site. If you are transferring a licence, ring TMR and ask before you order. If you are a visitor carrying a translation for police, this does not arise. A worked example of the transfer question: transferring a Punjabi licence in Queensland.

There is no TMR list of approved translation companies, so nobody — us included — can honestly describe themselves as “TMR approved”. What TMR asks for is the translator’s NAATI credential, which you can verify yourself at naati.com.au.

Other states

Moving somewhere else instead?

Each state authority sets its own rules for overseas licences, and they differ more than most people expect. We keep a page for each, checked against the authority’s own wording.

Licence translation for Victoria

VicRoads asks for a translation by “any NAATI accredited translator or the country’s consulate in Australia”, and the path is the simplest of the three states.