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Idaho Transportation Department, Division of Motor Vehicles: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
No published rule: Idaho's current handbook and document list say nothing on translating license or identity documents. Ask your county DMV or ITD before you order.
Who may translate: No published rule
How we know · policy checked on October 31, 2026
The Idaho DMV publishes no current rule on translations of license or identity documents: its July 2026 handbook and its required-documents page do not mention them.
That does not mean it refuses or accepts a translation, only that it has not said, so call 208-584-4343 or ask your county DMV before you order.
For foreign nationals, the handbook makes a valid foreign passport the only document for legal name and date of birth, and every foreign license holder takes the knowledge test.
Idaho DMV at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? No published rule
ITD publishes no rule, so nothing says whether it takes a translation from a professional service, eVerbary included, for a license or ID (handbook, required documents). Ask your county DMV or ITD before you order. Policy checked on October 31, 2026.
- Translation
- No published rule
- Who may translate
- No published rule
- Foreign license
- Knowledge test for all; Germany, Korea, Taiwan may skip skills
Checked on October 31, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Idaho DMV's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about Idaho DMV
Passport only
For foreign nationals, the sole proof of legal name and date of birth.
Knowledge test for all
No foreign driver is exempt. Germany, Korea and Taiwan can avoid the skills test.
12 test languages
A translator only if your language is missing or after three failed tries.
Idaho DMV requirements in detail
Translation
No rule on document translations in the current handbook or on the required documents page.
Who may translate
No published rule and no translator list for documents (Driver's License and ID Required Documents). The translator rules ITD publishes are for reading tests aloud, not for documents (Taking the Driver's Test).
Foreign identity documents
In compliance with the National Driver's License Agreement, the foreign passport is the only acceptable proof of legal name and date of birth, with lawful presence documents such as a valid foreign passport and I-94 (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026).
Name change
A certified marriage certificate that meets Idaho standards, with a seal and document number showing it was recorded, a certified divorce decree, adoption papers or a court order. Update the name with Social Security first (Driver's License and ID Required Documents).
Foreign license
No surrender or driving record required for Class D. Germany: no surrender and no skills test. Korea and Taiwan: skills test if you keep the license. All others take the skills test, and nobody skips the knowledge test (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026).
Visitors
A nonresident with a valid license from a home state or country in immediate possession may drive as a class D operator if Idaho residency is not established; at 15, in daylight only (Idaho Code 49-302).
International Driving Permit
ITD does not issue them and sends customers to AAA (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026).
Test languages
English, American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Swahili and Vietnamese (Taking the Driver's Test).
What a foreign national brings
Idaho builds identity for foreign nationals on the passport.
The handbook says a foreign passport can stand in for the US certified birth certificate and is the only acceptable proof of legal name and date of birth, together with lawful presence documents (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026).
Identity documents must be verifiable as authentic, meaning the DMV must be able to contact the issuing agency (Driver's License and ID Required Documents).
People who are not lawfully present are not eligible for a license or ID, and a license for someone who is neither a citizen nor a permanent resident expires when lawful stay ends, or in four years if sooner (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026).
Foreign students do not need to attend an Idaho school.
An ITD policy lists Form I-20, a valid US visa with I-94, a passport, a Social Security number or denial letter, and proof of Idaho residency; a student may live in Idaho and study or train in another state (ITD policy: F1 status with out-of-state school on I-20).
A second proof of residency makes you eligible for the Star Card, Idaho's REAL ID (Driver's License and ID Required Documents).
After you get the Idaho license
A Class D applicant from abroad does not have to surrender the foreign license, but once licensed in Idaho you may not show or use it to drive; doing so can bring a citation and a misdemeanor fine (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026).
A CDL is different: you surrender every license from any jurisdiction, and a Mexican or Canadian CDL holder also brings a driving record no older than 30 days (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026).
The New to Idaho page says a skills test applies to a license from a foreign country other than Germany, Korea or Taiwan (New to Idaho). The handbook adds the detail: drivers from Korea or Taiwan avoid it only by surrendering their license (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026).
Translators at the test
A translator may read the Class D knowledge test only if your language is not offered or you have tried at least three times in an offered language and failed.
The translator cannot be a family member, must not be on the disqualified list, must complete a W9 if charging for the first time, and may only read the test and answers, with no gestures or change in tone.
You pick your own answers (Taking the Driver's Test). For the skills test, a translator may ride along, need not be certified or licensed, and is yours to arrange (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026).
Documents people usually translate
- Valid foreign passport with I-94 (no translation rule published)
- Foreign driver's license from Germany, Korea, Taiwan or elsewhere (no translation rule published)
- Marriage certificate, divorce decree, adoption papers or court order for a name change (no translation rule published)
What to do in Idaho
Call the ITD DMV Customer Contact Center at (208) 584-4343, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Time, Monday to Friday, and ask whether your document in another language needs a translation and of what kind (ITD DMV Customer Contact Center).
Ask your county office too: DMV offices are run by the county Sheriff's or Assessor's office, and the handbook says all documents must be acceptable to the county office and ITD (ITD DMV Customer Contact Center, locations, handbook).
To arrange a test translator, call the Driver's License Unit at 208-584-4343, option 3, or your county driver's license office (Taking the Driver's 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 the Idaho DMV we do not issue licenses or International Driving Permits and we do not get records from abroad.
Need a certified translation for another office?
A certified translation from eVerbary is still useful for a different office, such as USCIS or a court, which sets its own rules; see certified translation.
Frequently asked questions
Does Idaho accept a translated foreign driver's license?
The Idaho DMV publishes no rule either way (Driver's License and ID Required Documents, handbook). Ask your county DMV or call (208) 584-4343 before you order a translation.
What proves my name and date of birth as a foreign national?
A valid foreign passport; the handbook calls it the only acceptable document for this, along with lawful presence documents (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026).
Do I have to take the Idaho tests with a foreign license?
Everyone takes the knowledge test. Germany skips the skills test; Korea and Taiwan skip it only if they surrender the license; all others take it (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026).
Can I drive in Idaho on my foreign license?
As a nonresident, yes, with a valid license from your home country in your possession, as long as Idaho residency is not established (Idaho Code 49-302). Once you hold an Idaho license you may not use the foreign one to drive (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026).
Can I bring a translator to the knowledge test?
Only if your language is not offered, or after three failed attempts in an offered language, and the translator cannot be a family member (Taking the Driver's Test).
Where do I get an International Driving Permit?
Not from ITD; it sends customers to AAA (Idaho Driver's Handbook, July 2026). eVerbary does not issue them either.
Sources
Idaho Transportation Department, Division of Motor Vehicles's own pages, read on October 31, 2026.
Need a certified translation for another office?
A certified translation from eVerbary is still useful for a different office, such as USCIS or a court, which sets its own rules; see certified translation.