English translations of foreign driving licences and letters of entitlement for the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS), insurers and Irish employers.
A certified driving licence translation for Ireland is a complete English version of your foreign licence, or of the letter from the authority that issued it, signed and dated by the translator, for the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) and others who need to read it. VisaDocTranslation prepares it at €19.19 per page, in euro, delivered by the next working day.
Before ordering, check whether your licence can be exchanged at all: Ireland only exchanges licences from the EU, the EEA and a list of recognised states, and two of those want a translation from a specific embassy rather than from us. This page sets out which is which, with the usual advice to check with NDLS. Our certified translation for Ireland page covers immigration documents.
Ireland
Accepted for
Only if it was issued in an EU or EEA country or a recognised state. Citizens Information lists the recognised states as Australia, some Canadian provinces, Georgia, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Japan, Jersey, Moldova, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and the UK, including Northern Ireland.
If your licence is from anywhere else, NDLS won't exchange it, and a translation doesn't change that, however well it's done. You go through the Irish licensing process from the theory test, although Citizens Information says you then need 6 essential driver training lessons rather than 12.
The Canadian provinces on the list are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Not every licence category can be exchanged in every case, so check the NDLS rules for your country before applying.
Sometimes. NDLS asks for a certified translation when a supporting document, such as a letter of entitlement, isn't in English. Japanese licences need a translation issued by the Japanese Embassy in Dublin and Korean licences one from the Korean Embassy, so don't order ours for those. Check with NDLS for your licence.
EU and EEA licences follow a common format with numbered fields and harmonised category codes, so they rarely need translating for an exchange. Where a translation helps is with the documents around a licence: a letter of entitlement or driving record from the issuing authority, or a licence whose categories and restrictions aren't shown in English.
NDLS sets the rules country by country and they do change, so check its exchange guidance for your country before you order. Where a certified translation is what's needed, we translate the licence or letter in full, with every category, restriction code and date.
A letter of entitlement is a statement from the authority that issued your licence confirming your driving record: name, date of birth, licence number, categories and their dates. NDLS asks for one in some cases, such as a lost or expired licence, and if it isn't in English it needs a certified translation.
NDLS may need the original letter rather than a scan, so plan the timing: request it, have it translated as soon as it arrives and send both together. Our standard delivery is the next working day, which is quicker than most licensing authorities manage to post anything.
The translation reproduces every category and date exactly, because that's what NDLS uses to decide which Irish categories you're entitled to.
As a visitor, for a limited time. Citizens Information says a valid licence from a recognised state can be used for up to 1 year when visiting, and other non-EU licences for up to 12 months with an international driving permit. Once you're normally resident, you should exchange your licence or start the Irish licensing process.
Normally resident means living in Ireland for at least 185 days a year. UK licence holders who live in Ireland can no longer drive on a UK licence and must exchange it. An international driving permit repeats your licence details in several languages, but it's issued in the country that issued your licence, not by a translator, and we can't produce one.
Insurers sometimes ask for a translation of a foreign licence or of a no-claims letter from a previous insurer; we translate both, but check with the insurer what it accepts first.
€19.19 per page for next-working-day delivery, or €35.99 per page for rush delivery within 8 hours. A licence card is short, and a letter of entitlement is usually one or two pages.
Every page includes the translation, the signed certification and a quality check, and each document includes 2 free revisions. Order once you've confirmed with NDLS which document needs translating; it saves paying for a translation of a licence that NDLS will read perfectly well without one.
NDLS will also want photo ID and proof of address. If any of your identity documents aren't in English, see passport and ID card translation for Ireland; professional drivers sending foreign training certificates may also find employment document translation useful. When you're ready, upload on the quote form.
NDLS asks for a translation issued by the Japanese Embassy in Dublin for Japanese licences, so our translation isn't the right document for that exchange. Check with NDLS for the current process.
NDLS asks for a certified translation of a Korean licence from the Korean Embassy in Dublin, so please get it there rather than ordering from us. Check with NDLS for the current process.
Rarely. EU and EEA licences use a common format with numbered fields and standard category codes. If NDLS asks for anything further for your licence, check with them before ordering.
No. Only licences from the EU, the EEA and recognised states can be exchanged. A translation doesn't change that; you would need to go through the Irish driver licensing process.
No. An international driving permit is issued in the country that issued your licence and is used alongside it for temporary driving. A certified translation is a signed English version of a document by a professional translator.
No. Citizens Information says only full driving licences can be exchanged; foreign learner permits can't be used to drive in Ireland or exchanged for an Irish learner permit.
Standard orders are delivered by the next working day and rush orders within 8 hours, as a PDF by email. If NDLS needs a printed copy, you can print the PDF.
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