Arkansas Office of Driver Services and Arkansas State Police Driver Testing: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about Arkansas Driver Services

Arkansas Driver Services requirements in detail

What the two checklists actually say

Arkansas State Police run the written and skills tests, and they publish two 1-2-3 checklists. The adult checklist, effective May 20, 2025, asks for two primary documents, or one primary and one secondary.

Its first line is a U.S. original or certified birth certificate with the note that no foreign birth certificates are accepted. Its secondary list names a U.S. marriage certificate or license.

The under-18 checklist, effective January 8, 2026, is blunter: no photocopies or translated birth certificates will be accepted as primary, then no photocopies or translated documents will be accepted.

Non-U.S. citizens under 18 show a passport with U.S. visa and current I-94, a Permanent Resident Card, an Employment Authorization Card, a Naturalization Certificate or a Certificate of Citizenship.

For someone with a lost certificate, the checklist points to the birth country's embassy; for out-of-country adoptions it gives Customs and Border Protection at (501) 618-8034.

The one place a translation appears

On the same checklist, in the section on a parent or guardian signing for a minor, form ASP-33 needs proof of the parent's name when the child holds a Permanent Resident Card, an Employment Authorization Card or a foreign passport.

The parent brings a copy of the application for that document or any other USCIS document naming the parent, "or a translated foreign birth certificate from your home country" (Arkansas State Police 1-2-3 Checklist, under 18 (effective January 8, 2026)).

This covers proof that the signer is the parent, not the minor's own identity, and the checklist does not say who must translate.

Because the same page also says no translated documents will be accepted, bring the USCIS document if you have one, and ask the examiner about the birth certificate first.

Exempt license holders and study guides

The study guide lists Manitoba (Canada), Germany, France, Taiwan and South Korea as exempt from testing under reciprocal agreements, and sends those applicants to the Department of Finance and Administration.

It publishes no rule on translating a foreign license and does not mention the International Driving Permit.

The State Police driver examination page offers translated study guides in Spanish (dated 01/2018) and Vietnamese (dated 02/2024). The pages we read do not state which languages the test itself comes in or whether an interpreter may help, so ask the examiner.

Documents people usually translate

• Foreign birth certificate (not accepted for adults; translated copies not accepted as primary for minors)
• Foreign birth certificate as a parent's proof of relationship on form ASP-33 (narrow mention)
• Foreign marriage certificate or court order for a name change (no translation wording on DFA's sheet)
• Home-country driver's license from an exempt origin (handled by DFA)

What to do in Arkansas

• Gather the documents the adult checklist or under-18 checklist names: for non-citizens, a foreign passport with U.S. visa and I-94, a Permanent Resident Card or an Employment Authorization Card. An I-94 can be printed online.

• If you hold a license from Manitoba, Germany, France, Taiwan or South Korea, call the Office of Driver Services at 501-371-5581 and ask what to bring (DFA Driver Services).

• For a foreign marriage certificate or court order linking two names, ask the Office of Driver Services whether it can be used at all before you order anything; its legal presence sheet lists the document types but says nothing on language.

• For a parent signing form ASP-33, bring the USCIS document naming the parent if you have one, and ask the examiner about anything else (driver examination page, checklist).

Frequently asked questions