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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Driver License Division: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Only the embassy of the issuing country: Alabama's rule wants a 15-year-old's foreign birth certificate in English and certified by that embassy.
Who may translate: Embassy of the issuing country
How we know · policy checked on October 31, 2026
The only license translation rule we found in Alabama's code and on ALEA's pages covers a foreign birth certificate: a 15-year-old born abroad who applies for a Stage I learner license must show one printed in or translated into English and certified by the embassy of the issuing country, or a listed alternative.
A translation from a professional service, eVerbary included, is not an embassy certification and does not meet that rule. For other documents ALEA publishes no translation rule, so ask the office before you order.
Alabama ALEA at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? No
No for the one document Alabama writes a rule about.
Rule 760-X-1-.20 takes a foreign birth certificate only when it is in English and certified by the embassy of the country of issuance (Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.20: Proof of Identity, Authorized Presence (effective October 13, 2025)), and a translation from a professional service, eVerbary included, is not that certification.
For a foreign license, marriage certificate or court document, ALEA publishes no translation rule: that is not a rejection, but ask the office before you order. Policy checked on October 31, 2026.
- Translation
- Embassy-certified birth certificate only
- Who may translate
- Embassy of the issuing country
- Foreign license
- Taiwan, Korea, Germany agreements (2015 release)
Checked on October 31, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Alabama ALEA's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about Alabama ALEA
Embassy certification
Required on a foreign birth certificate for a 15-year-old's Stage I learner license.
Two listed alternatives
An Alabama Certificate of Foreign Birth or a U.S. passport also satisfies that rule.
11 foreign-language exams
The written exam comes in Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese.
Alabama ALEA requirements in detail
Translation
A foreign birth certificate printed in, or translated into, English and certified by the embassy of the country of issuance, for a 15-year-old's Stage I learner license (Rule 760-X-1-.20(8), Driver Manual). We found no other license translation rule.
Who may certify
The embassy of the issuing country. The rule also accepts a Certificate of Foreign Birth from the Alabama Department of Public Health, a comparable government certificate, or a U.S. passport (Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.20: Proof of Identity, Authorized Presence (effective October 13, 2025)).
Original or copy
The original, or a copy with an attached original certification from the agency that issued it. Documents with white-out, erasures or missing information are refused (Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.20: Proof of Identity, Authorized Presence (effective October 13, 2025)).
Foreign nationals and STAR ID
You must be lawfully present with at least 30 days of allowable time left; F and M holders also show an I-20, J holders a DS-2019 (Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.20: Proof of Identity, Authorized Presence (effective October 13, 2025)).
STAR ID takes an unexpired foreign passport with a U.S. visa and I-94, and certified proof of any name change (ALEA: STAR ID Document List); it is issued only at ALEA examining offices (ALEA: STAR ID Frequently Asked Questions).
Visitors and International Driving Permit
A non-resident at least 16 with a valid license from a home state or country may drive without an Alabama license (ALEA: Driver License Information).
ALEA's document page lists a current international driver license or permit as a secondary document; the rule's table, effective October 13, 2025, does not list it (Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.20: Proof of Identity, Authorized Presence (effective October 13, 2025)).
Foreign license
A 2015 ALEA release says Taiwan license holders present a valid license and take no road skills test, and that Alabama made the agreement with Korea and Germany too (ALEA: Alabama, Taiwan Sign Driver License Reciprocity Agreement (October 2015)). ALEA publishes no current country list.
Tests
Written exams come in 11 foreign languages, and oral exams can be given on automated equipment to applicants who cannot read the tests (Driver Manual). The test fee is $5 and the license $36.25, no checks (ALEA: Document Requirements and Fees).
Vehicle title
A separate Department of Revenue rule: titling an imported vehicle needs English translations for all documents written exclusively in a foreign language, with no translator named (Rule 810-5-75-.03). It does not apply to licenses.
Who the embassy rule applies to
The wording sits in subsection 8 of Rule 760-X-1-.20, which ALEA repealed and rewrote effective October 13, 2025. It covers a 15-year-old seeking a Stage I learner license.
A 15-year-old born in the United States shows a U.S. birth certificate; one born abroad must show at least one of three things: a foreign birth certificate in English and certified by the embassy of the country of issuance, a Certificate of Foreign Birth from the Alabama Department of Public Health or a comparable government agency, or a U.S. passport.
The Driver Manual (November 2024) says the same in a footnote: foreign-born applicants must have the birth certificate translated into English and certified by the embassy unless they have a U.S. passport.
Neither text names a translator or a professional translation, so the embassy's certification is the test.
Older applicants, and documents with no published rule
Applicants who are not 15 prove date of birth with a primary document, and for non-citizens that list includes a valid foreign passport containing a valid U.S. immigration document and a Permanent Resident Card (Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.20: Proof of Identity, Authorized Presence (effective October 13, 2025)). A foreign birth certificate is not on the primary list.
The rule's secondary list includes a marriage license or certificate and court documents such as a divorce or name change decree, and STAR ID asks for certified documents verifying a name change (ALEA: STAR ID Document List).
None of these pages says what happens when such a document is in another language. Alabama publishes no rule on that, which is different from rejecting a translation: call a district office and get an answer before you pay for one.
Driving and testing on a foreign license
ALEA's license information page lets a non-resident at least 16 drive on a valid home-country license, and full-time non-resident students enrolled in Alabama schools do the same.
If your home country does not license drivers, the limit is 90 days in a calendar year, in a vehicle registered there for the current year.
ALEA's own October 2015 release describes the Taiwan agreement as an exchange of valid non-commercial licenses: visit an office, present the license and any necessary documentation, and skip the road skills test.
It names Korea and Germany as having the same agreement but does not say whether the written test is waived, and we found no newer list. Ask a district office whether your country is covered.
Documents people usually translate
- Foreign birth certificate for a 15-year-old's Stage I learner license (embassy certification)
- Foreign marriage license or certificate (no published translation rule)
- Foreign divorce, adoption or name change decree (no published translation rule)
- Home-country driver's license (no published translation rule)
What to do in Alabama
For a 15-year-old born abroad, contact the embassy of the country that issued the birth certificate and ask how it certifies an English version, or use one of the rule's alternatives: a Certificate of Foreign Birth from the Alabama Department of Public Health or a U.S. passport (Rule 760-X-1-.20).
For any other foreign document, call a district office before you order a translation: Birmingham 659.676.1210, Huntsville 256.540.0090, Mobile 251.315.0201 or Montgomery 334.675.0130; the Driver License Division is 334.676.6002 (ALEA contacts).
Bring a valid foreign passport with its U.S. immigration document, your Social Security card or the Social Security letter stating non-eligibility, and two proofs of residence to a driver license office (document list).
If you hold a Taiwan, Korea or Germany license, ask the district office whether the agreement described in ALEA's release still applies, and bring the valid license.
What we do not do
eVerbary translates documents; it is not the DMV and does not issue licenses, International Driving Permits or REAL ID decisions.
For ALEA that means we do not provide embassy certification, do not issue licenses or International Driving Permits, and do not get birth certificates or other records from abroad.
Need a certified translation for another office?
If the same birth certificate is also going to a different office, such as USCIS or a court, a certified translation from eVerbary can still be useful there; check that office's own rules.
Frequently asked questions
Does Alabama accept a translated foreign birth certificate?
Only when it is in English and certified by the embassy of the country of issuance, under the rule for 15-year-olds seeking a Stage I learner license (Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.20: Proof of Identity, Authorized Presence (effective October 13, 2025)).
Can I use a certified translation from a professional service?
Not for that rule: it asks for embassy certification, which a translation service cannot give (Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.20: Proof of Identity, Authorized Presence (effective October 13, 2025)). For other documents ALEA publishes no rule, so ask a district office before you order.
What if my child cannot get the embassy to certify the birth certificate?
The rule lists two other options: a Certificate of Foreign Birth from the Alabama Department of Public Health or a comparable government agency, and a U.S. passport (Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.20: Proof of Identity, Authorized Presence (effective October 13, 2025)).
Does the embassy rule apply to adults?
The rule's text covers 15-year-old Stage I applicants. Other applicants prove date of birth with a primary document, which for non-citizens can be a valid foreign passport with a valid U.S. immigration document (Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.20: Proof of Identity, Authorized Presence (effective October 13, 2025)).
Can I drive in Alabama on my foreign license?
A non-resident at least 16 with a valid license from a home state or country may, and so may full-time non-resident students (ALEA: Driver License Information). ALEA publishes no translation rule for that license.
In which languages is the written test?
Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese, as well as English; the District Office has the details (ALEA Driver Manual (November 2024)).
Sources
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Driver License Division's own pages, read on October 31, 2026.
- Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.20: Proof of Identity, Authorized Presence (effective October 13, 2025)
- ALEA Driver Manual (November 2024)
- ALEA: Document Requirements and Fees
- ALEA: Driver License Information
- ALEA: STAR ID Document List
- ALEA: STAR ID Frequently Asked Questions
- ALEA: Alabama, Taiwan Sign Driver License Reciprocity Agreement (October 2015)
- ALEA: Driver License Division contacts
- ALEA: Driver License Offices
- Ala. Admin. Code r. 810-5-75-.03: Certificate of Title for an Imported Vehicle
Need a certified translation for another office?
If the same birth certificate is also going to a different office, such as USCIS or a court, a certified translation from eVerbary can still be useful there; check that office's own rules.