California Department of Motor Vehicles: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about California DMV

California DMV requirements in detail

When California asks for a translation

California does not publish a translation rule on its REAL ID checklist.

The rule appears in the secondary review referral process: if a field office issues a DL 209A notice because your identity or residency documents need further review, you wait five business days, request the review online or by phone, and receive a letter with an interview date.

At the interview, DMV investigators review your documents and ask questions; it can take up to an hour.

For that interview the DMV lists the documents you can bring, and three of them carry a translation rule: a marriage license, a divorce decree and a foreign driver's license.

Any language other than English on them needs a certified translation or an affidavit of translation into English (Fact sheet FFDL 3, secondary review referral process).

Foreign passports, national ID cards and consular ID cards are on the same list without a translation note.

AB 60 applicants and foreign documents

AB 60 licenses go to Californians who cannot prove legal presence; without acceptable documents at the field office, a secondary review is required to verify identity and residency (AB 60 driver's licenses).

That is why foreign marriage records and foreign licenses come up most often here.

If you need to replace a foreign document itself, the DMV points you to your country's consulate (Driver's license secondary review referral process); a translation does not replace the document.

A foreign license is a supporting document in that review; it is not exchanged. To drive on a California license you apply as a new driver, pass the knowledge test and, coming from another country, the driving test (Driver's licenses).

Documents people usually translate

• Foreign marriage licenses or marriage certificates
• Foreign divorce decrees
• A foreign driver's license brought to the secondary review
• Foreign birth certificates used to trace a relationship on a residency document

What an eVerbary translation includes

• A complete English translation of every page, stamps, seals and handwritten notes included, laid out like the original so each line can be matched.
• A signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead, with our contact details, delivered as a PDF you can upload or print.
• $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included; 24 hours for one to three pages as standard. Regular clients who need it can get delivery in as little as 30 minutes, on request.
• Notarization added at checkout ($34.90 per order) when the office asks for a notarized translation.

Submitting the translation to California DMV

• Bring the original document and its English translation to the secondary review interview at the office named in your appointment letter; the documents are returned after the review (Driver's license secondary review referral process).

• At a field office application, present identity documents as originals or certified copies with the translation attached (Driver's licenses).

How to order

1. Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
2. Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
3. Receive the PDF, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages, and submit it with the copy of the original wherever the office asks for it.

Frequently asked questions