DRIVING LICENCES · SERVING LONDON
Driving licence translation in London.
Certified driving licence translation from £35, with a signed certification letter for insurers, hire desks and employers who need your licence in English.
Accepted by UK courts, the Home Office, universities, HMRC and banks
- From £35
- Signed Statement of Truth
- Same-day PDF before 12:00
WHICH RULE APPLIES
It depends on where your licence was issued.
GOV.UK sets out three routes for new residents of Great Britain. Find yours before you decide on a translation.
EU or EEA licence
If you were under 67 when you became resident, you can drive on it until you are 70, or swap it for a GB licence sooner without retaking your test.
Designated country or territory
The list includes Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Drive on it for 12 months, then exchange it within 5 years of becoming resident. Ukraine is on the list too, with longer driving rights if you came on a Ukraine visa scheme.
Any other country
A full, valid licence covers you for 12 months from becoming resident. Then you need a GB provisional licence and must pass the theory and practical tests.
Check your own case with the GOV.UK tools first.
WHEN A TRANSLATION HELPS
Who has to read your licence in English.
- Insurers, hire desks and employers may want to read your licence in English while you drive on it. Each sets its own rules, so ask first.
- A licensing office abroad. If you move overseas, GOV.UK says you may need a local licence. If that office wants your UK licence in its language, we translate it and can arrange notarisation or an FCDO apostille, allowing 2 to 5 extra working days.
- DVLA. The GOV.UK exchange steps list what to send for each country. Where they name an official translation, as for Japan, Korea and Taiwan, it must come from the embassy or the Taipei Representative Office, not from us.
WHAT WE CHECK ON A LICENCE
The small print decides what you may drive.
- Both sides. On many card licences the back carries the categories, their dates and any restriction codes.
- Category letters such as B, C1 or D stay as printed, with the wording around them translated. We never guess a GB equivalent.
- Manual or automatic. For some countries GOV.UK says you can only drive a manual car here with proof of a manual test, so this is translated plainly.
- Restriction codes, such as those for glasses or lenses, keep their number with the meaning written beside it.
- Dates in a national calendar appear as printed, with the Gregorian date in a translator's note.
- Names follow your passport spelling when you give it, the licence number is copied character for character, and holograms and stamps are noted in square brackets.
ACCEPTED WHERE YOU NEED IT
One translation, several possible readers.
Our certified translations are accepted by UK courts, the Home Office, universities, HMRC and banks. A licence translation is also read by insurers, hire desks, employers and licensing offices abroad, and each of them decides what it will take.
If a UK authority ever rejects your translation, we revise it free or refund you in full.
HOW IT WORKS
From two photos to a signed PDF.
- 01
Photograph the front and the back
Upload a clear photo or scan of both sides on the quote form. Lay the card flat in good light so every code and date is readable.
- 02
Check the price
The instant quote shows the full price before you pay.
- 03
Keep your card, get the translation
The licence never leaves your wallet. Your certified translation arrives by email, signed and dated. Weekday orders before 12:00 UK time can get a same-day certified PDF.
QUESTIONS
Licence questions, answered.
Do you need both sides of my licence?
Yes. The back often holds the categories, their dates and any restriction codes, which a translation of the front alone would miss.
My licence is from Japan, Korea or Taiwan. Can you translate it for the DVLA exchange?
Not for the exchange itself. GOV.UK asks for an official translation from your embassy for Japan and the Republic of Korea, and from a Taipei Representative Office for Taiwan. We can still translate it for an insurer, a hire desk or an employer.
Will you turn my categories into GB categories?
No. Categories and codes stay as printed and the words around them are translated. Choosing a GB equivalent is not a translator's call.
Do I need anything extra to drive abroad on my UK licence?
Check the international driving permit rules first. GOV.UK says you might need an IDP in some countries, and you can get one in person at certain shops with PayPoint.
Should I send my licence with a UK visit visa application?
It is unlikely to help. The Home Office guide to supporting documents lists a driving licence among the documents that are less useful as evidence in a visit application.
GET STARTED