Illinois Secretary of State, Driver Services Department: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about Illinois Secretary of State

Illinois Secretary of State requirements in detail

What the two translator statements mean

The same opening paragraph heads both lists of acceptable documents: Appendix B for a standard license, ID card or instruction permit, and Appendix D for REAL ID.

It applies to any document submitted to the Secretary, not only to a birth certificate or a passport.

The translator certifies the translation as complete and accurate, and separately provides a dated, written and signed certification of competence to translate from the foreign language into English.

The rule publishes no form or required wording for those statements, and no list of approved translators.

Both appendices end with the same reservation: after reviewing everything presented, Driver Services or Secretary of State management has the right to accept or refuse any document (subsection n, subsection f).

Appendix C, which once covered the Temporary Visitor's Driver's License, was repealed effective July 1, 2024, so older references to it are out of date.

Applying without a Social Security number

Illinois stopped issuing Temporary Visitor's Driver's Licenses on July 1, 2024, and people who were eligible for one now apply for a standard license (Rules of the Road).

An applicant who is ineligible for a Social Security number and has no Department of Homeland Security documents presents a Group A and a Group D document, a passport or consular card that is unexpired or expired up to two years, and a Group D document dated 12 months before applying, to show a year of Illinois residence (subsection b, Section 1030.5).

Appendix B names out-of-state licenses in Group A but no foreign driver's license.

The law requires an examination for every applicant not previously licensed under the laws of Illinois or any other state or country (625 ILCS 5/6-109), and the rule calls for a vision test plus written and road tests "if required" (Section 1030.5).

The pages we read publish no exchange or reciprocity list for foreign licenses, so ask the facility which exams apply to you.

REAL ID and the written test

REAL ID is optional, and the fee matches the standard card (Rules of the Road).

A first-time applicant presents one document from each of Groups A, B, C and E plus two from Group D. Its foreign-document entry is a foreign passport with a U.S. visa affixed and an approved I-94; its birth certificate entry refers to a State Office of Vital Statistics or equivalent agency in the individual's state of birth.

If your name differs from your Group A document, you also bring a linking document such as a marriage certificate or divorce decree (Appendix D).

For REAL ID name changes, the Rules of the Road asks for a marriage certificate certified by the County Clerk's office, says a church certificate is not acceptable, and does not accept copies (Illinois Rules of the Road 2025).

It does not say how that applies to a marriage abroad, so ask before your visit. The written test has at least 35 questions and an 80 percent pass mark (Section 1030.80).

Oral exams for applicants with a language barrier can be requested in person, Monday through Thursday (Illinois Rules of the Road 2025).

Documents people usually translate

• Foreign birth certificates
• Foreign passports and consular cards in another language
• Marriage certificates and divorce decrees that link your names
• Court orders for a name or birth date change
• Adoption records
• Certified school, college or university transcripts

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 with no word cap, 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 Illinois Secretary of State

• Bring the foreign document itself, not a photocopy, with the English translation and the translator's two statements to a Secretary of State Driver Services Facility (Section 1030.5, Appendix B).

  Print the PDF: for REAL ID, hard copies are required and cell phone images are not accepted (Appendix D).

• First-time standard applicants with a Social Security number, or eligible for one, present one document from each of Groups A, B, C and D (Appendix B). For REAL ID questions, the Secretary of State lists 833-503-4074 (Rules of the Road).

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