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Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Only the issuing agency: Arizona MVD wants documents in English, certified by the agency that issued them, and its document list gives no translation route.
Who may translate: The issuing agency
How we know · policy checked on October 31, 2026
Arizona MVD's document list, form 40-5144, says all documents must be originals or certified copies, in English, certified by the issuing agency, and it gives no route for a translation.
A translation from a professional service, eVerbary included, is not certified by the issuing agency, so it does not meet that wording. Ask MVD before you order anything for a license application.
Arizona MVD at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? No
No route is published. Form 40-5144 asks for originals or certified copies, in English, certified by the issuing agency (MVD form 40-5144: Arizona DL/ID Requirements (R09/26)), and names no translator.
A translation from a professional service, eVerbary included, does not come from the issuing agency, so it does not meet that wording. Policy checked on October 31, 2026.
- Translation
- No translation route; English from the issuer
- Who may translate
- The issuing agency
- Foreign license
- Four exempt countries; others take both tests
Checked on October 31, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Arizona MVD's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about Arizona MVD
English, from the issuer
Form 40-5144 wants documents in English, certified by the issuing agency.
Four exempt countries
MVD lists Canada, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan as exempt from the tests.
Visitors may drive
State law exempts nonresidents with a valid home-country license.
Arizona MVD requirements in detail
Translation
All documents must be originals or certified copies, in English, certified by the issuing agency (form 40-5144, R09/26). The form gives no translation route.
Who may certify
The agency that issued the document (MVD form 40-5144: Arizona DL/ID Requirements (R09/26)). MVD names no translator and no list.
Visitors
A nonresident at least 16 with a valid license from a home state or country needs no Arizona license for a class D vehicle (A.R.S. 28-3152).
International Driving Permit
Not required but recommended because it is printed in English (MVD: Driver Licenses for Foreign Applicants).
Foreign license
MVD lists Canada, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan as exempt from the written and road tests; all others take both (MVD: Driver Licenses for Foreign Applicants).
By statute, a holder of a license from another country is examined as an original applicant, with a possible waiver of the driving demonstration (A.R.S. 28-3164).
When you need an Arizona license
You count as a resident if you stay seven months or more in a calendar year, work here outside seasonal exceptions, or place children in public school without nonresident tuition (A.R.S. 28-2001).
Lawful presence
MVD may not issue or renew a license or ID without proof satisfactory to it that your presence is authorized under federal law (A.R.S. 28-3153).
Travel ID and name change
If your legal name differs from a document, you must show legal proof of the name change (MVD: Arizona Travel ID).
What "in English, certified by the issuing agency" leaves open
The sentence is on form 40-5144, MVD's list of Arizona driver license and ID requirements (revision R09/26). It sets three conditions at once: an original or certified copy, in English, certified by the agency that issued it.
The form does not mention translations at all, for or against, and it does not name an embassy, a consulate or a translator. A foreign document in another language has no stated way to meet it.
Non-citizens prove identity and presence with a foreign passport and U.S. immigration documents, where the language question does not come up.
It matters for a foreign marriage certificate or court order used for a name change: if yours is not in English, ask MVD what it will take before you spend money on it.
Foreign licenses and the tests
MVD's page for foreign applicants lists four countries whose license holders are exempt from the written and road tests: Canada, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan. Holders from every other country take both.
The statute behind the examination, A.R.S. 28-3164, says a person with a license from another country applies as an original applicant, and that the department may waive the actual driving demonstration for a class D or G license if the applicant appears to meet its medical qualifications.
Commercial applicants face one more rule: Arizona will not issue a class A, B or C license to someone who fails to demonstrate proficiency in English as determined by the department (A.R.S. 28-3153).
Documents people usually translate
- Foreign marriage certificate used to prove a name change
- Foreign divorce decree or court order used to prove a name change
- Home-country driver's license
- Foreign birth certificate
What to do in Arizona
Read form 40-5144 first and match your documents to it: originals or certified copies, in English, certified by the issuing agency, plus two proofs of Arizona residency.
If a document you need is not in English, ask the agency that issued it whether it can give you an English version, and ask MVD whether it will take that before you pay for anything (MVD foreign applicants page).
If you hold a license from Canada, Germany, South Korea or Taiwan, bring it and check the exemption on MVD's page before you book a test.
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 Arizona MVD that means we do not certify documents on behalf of an issuing agency, do not issue licenses or International Driving Permits, and do not get records from abroad.
Need a certified translation for another office?
If the same document 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 Arizona MVD accept translated documents?
Its document list asks for documents in English, certified by the issuing agency, and gives no translation route (MVD form 40-5144: Arizona DL/ID Requirements (R09/26)). Ask MVD before you order one.
Can I use a certified translation from a professional service?
Not under that wording, because a translation service is not the issuing agency (MVD form 40-5144: Arizona DL/ID Requirements (R09/26)).
Do I need an International Driving Permit to drive in Arizona?
No. MVD says it is not required but recommended because it is printed in English (MVD: Driver Licenses for Foreign Applicants); state law exempts nonresidents with a valid home-country license (A.R.S. 28-3152).
Which foreign licenses skip the Arizona tests?
MVD lists Canada, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan; all other countries take the written and road tests (MVD: Driver Licenses for Foreign Applicants).
When do I have to get an Arizona license?
When you become a resident, which includes staying seven months or more in a calendar year or working here outside the seasonal exceptions (A.R.S. 28-2001).
Sources
Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division's own pages, read on October 31, 2026.
Need a certified translation for another office?
If the same document 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.