Georgia Department of Driver Services: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about Georgia DDS

Georgia DDS requirements in detail

What DDS tells non-citizens to bring instead

The note that DDS does not accept translated documents sits above the table of immigration documents on the REAL ID page and on the Class C page.

The table itself needs nothing translated: an unexpired foreign passport with a U.S. visa and a valid I-94 or I-797A, an I-20 or DS-2019 for students and exchange visitors, an I-766 with the category codes it lists, or an I-551.

DDS will only issue a license in a name that exactly matches the original immigration documents, and non-citizens must bring original immigration documents for each service request.

If your name differs from your identity document, DDS asks for name change history: a divorce decree or court order, or a marriage certificate or license, each as a certified copy (DDS: REAL ID).

Read with the rule on foreign-issued documents, a marriage certificate from another country is not an ordinary answer here, translated or not.

The narrow exception in the rule

Rule 375-3-1-.02(8)(a) starts by barring documents issued outside the United States, except foreign passports.

It then says that if a customer cannot, for reasons beyond his or her control, present any other document as proof of name, including changes to it, such documentation shall be accepted under an exception process.

That documentation must be printed in English or translated into English by a professional translating service, non-profit corporation, consular official of the country of issuance or another entity the Department approves, and the original certified document and original translation must both be presented.

This covers proof of a name only. It does not cover lawful status or the foreign license, and DDS's public pages do not mention it: they say translated documents are not accepted. Do not assume you qualify.

Whether your situation meets the exception is for DDS to decide, so ask a Customer Service Center before you pay for any translation.

Foreign licenses and the tests

A foreign license is not exchanged. DDS's transfer page lists the vision, knowledge and road skills tests, and the Drivers Manual says licenses issued outside the states and D.C. are non-transferable.

If you no longer have the foreign license, the manual asks for a Motor Vehicle Report or Driving History, printed in English, from the issuing country and dated within the last 30 days.

Korean license holders also present the consulate's letter (DDS: Drivers From Other Nations).

The language list covers 26 languages, English included, from Albanian to Yoruba, and says both the road rules and road signs sections are offered in them.

The testing section of the manual and the license FAQ say the road signs test is English only, and the manual requires that all drivers read simple English such as highway signs. Check at the center before you test.

Documents people usually translate

• Foreign birth certificate (not accepted; foreign-issued)
• Foreign marriage certificate for a name change (not accepted except under the narrow exception)
• Home-country driver's license (presented for the tests or reciprocity)
• Foreign driving history if the license is lost (printed in English, per the manual)

What to do in Georgia

• Match your immigration documents to the table on the REAL ID page, and fill in the required online License/ID/Permit form before you visit (DDS: Transfer Unexpired Foreign Driver's License).

• If you cannot prove your name without a foreign document, ask a DDS Customer Service Center or contact DDS before you spend money, and describe your situation; the exception is in rule 375-3-1-.02(8)(a).

• If you hold a South Korean license, get the License Certification Letter from the South Korean Consulate first and bring both (DDS: Drivers From Other Nations).

• If your country has no agreement, prepare for the vision, knowledge and road tests; pick your language from the DDS list and take the road signs test in English.

Frequently asked questions