Home / DMV by state / Virginia DMV
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Yes: Virginia DMV accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
Who may translate: A professional translator
- $24.95 per page
- Usually 24 h for 1–3 pages
- Signed certificate of accuracy, PDF
- See the price before you pay
How we know · policy checked on October 21, 2026
The Virginia DMV says documents in a foreign language must come with a certified English translation by a professional translator to be accepted; the rule is printed in its guide to the driver privilege card, the license for residents who cannot show legal presence.
Virginia DMV accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary, for a foreign birth document, marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order.
The foreign license exchange itself works differently: DMV verifies a license from a reciprocal country directly with that country, and other license holders take the knowledge and road tests.
Virginia DMV at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? Yes
Virginia DMV's driver privilege card guide asks for a certified English translation by a professional translator (DMV 309, driver privilege card page), so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets it. Policy checked on October 21, 2026.
- Translation
- Certified English translation
- Who may translate
- A professional translator
- Foreign license
- Six reciprocal countries; others take tests
- Price
- $24.95 per pageUp to 250 words, certification included
- Delivery
- 24 hoursStandard for one to three pages
- Certificate
- SignedCertificate of translation accuracy, PDF
Checked on October 21, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Virginia DMV's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about Virginia DMV
Professional translator
Virginia's wording; it publishes no list of translators.
Six reciprocal countries
Canada, France, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.
Originals only
Photocopies and temporary documents are not accepted.
Virginia DMV requirements in detail
Translation
Documents in a foreign language must be accompanied by a certified English translation to be accepted (DMV 309: Getting a Virginia driver privilege card or identification privilege card, Driver privilege card).
Who may translate
A professional translator (DMV 309: Getting a Virginia driver privilege card or identification privilege card). The DMV names no list or credential.
Original or copy
Originals only, subject to verification with the issuing entity; temporary documents and photocopies are not accepted (DMV 309: Getting a Virginia driver privilege card or identification privilege card).
Foreign documents it lists
Proof of identity for the driver privilege card can include a foreign passport, a consular ID, a foreign license and, on List B, an official birth document issued by a foreign country, a government-filed marriage certificate, a certified divorce decree or a sealed court order (DMV 309: Getting a Virginia driver privilege card or identification privilege card).
Foreign license
Holders from Canada, France, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan may skip tests after DMV verifies the license with the issuing country (form DL 7, up to 15 days); Taiwan holders still take the knowledge exam; everyone else takes the knowledge exam, road skills test and vision screening (Exchange a foreign driver's license).
Visitors
Non-residents temporarily living in Virginia may drive on their home country license for no more than six months (Driver license eligibility requirements).
Notarization
Not mentioned in the translation rule.
Where the translation rule applies
Virginia prints its translation rule in DMV 309, the guide to the driver privilege card and identification privilege card, and repeats it on the driver privilege card page.
That card is for Virginia residents who are not U.S. citizens and cannot meet legal presence requirements; it is not REAL ID compliant.
Its applicants prove identity with two documents, and many are foreign: a passport, a consular ID, a foreign license, a foreign birth document, a marriage certificate or a divorce decree. Each one in another language needs the certified English translation.
If your name differs between documents, DMV asks for a document that connects the names, such as a marriage certificate filed with a government agency or court, a divorce decree or a court order.
A marriage certificate signed only by the officiant is not accepted, translated or not (DMV 309: Getting a Virginia driver privilege card or identification privilege card).
Exchanging a foreign license
For licenses from France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, you first send DMV the DL 7 form with a legible copy of the license, online, by mail, by fax or in person.
DMV checks the license with the issuing country, which can take up to 15 days, and mails an approval letter. You then bring identity, legal presence, two proofs of residency and the license to a customer service center.
Canadian licenses skip the DL 7 step (Exchange a foreign driver's license).
The exchange page does not ask for a translation of the license, because DMV verifies it directly.
Holders from other countries are not eligible for reciprocity and take the two-part knowledge exam, the road skills test and a vision screening, but may not need to hold a learner's permit for 60 days (Exchange a foreign driver's license).
Where Virginia DMV's pages differ
The general guide to a standard or REAL ID license, DMV 141, publishes no translation rule; the professional-translator rule appears in the driver privilege card materials.
A separate form for titling a vehicle, DMV 177, accepts foreign documents only with an English translation from an embassy or an accredited school of foreign language. That stricter rule is for vehicle titles, not licenses.
If you are unsure which applies, ask the customer service center before your visit.
Need a certified translation for Virginia DMV?
$24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages. See the price before you pay.
Documents people usually translate
- Foreign birth documents
- Foreign marriage certificates filed with a government agency or court
- Foreign divorce decrees and court orders for a name change
- Foreign national ID cards and consular identification documents
- Foreign driver's licenses presented as proof of identity
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 Virginia DMV
Bring the original document and its certified English translation to your appointment at a DMV customer service center; all documents are verified, and the list of accepted documents may change without notice (DMV 309: Getting a Virginia driver privilege card or identification privilege card).
For a foreign license exchange from a reciprocal country, the DL 7 and a copy of the license go to DMV first, by upload, mail to the License and ID Card Work Center, fax or in person (Exchange a foreign driver's license).
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 Virginia DMV that means we translate your documents; the verification of a foreign license with its issuing country is done by DMV, and income tax records for the driver privilege card come from the Virginia Department of Taxation.
How to order
- Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
- Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
- 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
Who can translate my documents for the Virginia DMV?
A professional translator; the translation must be a certified English translation (DMV 309: Getting a Virginia driver privilege card or identification privilege card).
Does the Virginia DMV accept a foreign birth certificate?
For the driver privilege card, an official birth document issued by a foreign country is on List B of proofs of identity (DMV 309: Getting a Virginia driver privilege card or identification privilege card); in another language it needs the certified translation.
Do I need to translate my foreign license to exchange it?
The exchange page does not ask for a translation. For reciprocal countries DMV verifies the license with the issuing country using form DL 7 (Exchange a foreign driver's license).
Which foreign licenses can be exchanged without tests?
Licenses from Canada, France, Germany, South Korea and Japan; Taiwan holders take the knowledge exam. Other countries take the knowledge, road and vision tests (Exchange a foreign driver's license).
Can I drive in Virginia with my foreign license?
Non-residents temporarily living in Virginia may drive on their home country license for no more than six months (Driver license eligibility requirements).
Does the translation need to be notarized?
The DMV's translation rule does not mention notarization. If a customer service center asks for it, add notarization at checkout ($34.90 per order).
Sources
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles's own pages, read on October 21, 2026.
- DMV 309: Getting a Virginia driver privilege card or identification privilege card
- Driver privilege card
- Exchange a foreign driver's license
- Form DL 7: Exchanging a driver's license from a foreign country
- Driver license eligibility requirements
- DMV 141: Getting a Virginia driver's license or ID card
- DMV 177: Acceptable documents to title a vehicle
Translating documents for Virginia DMV?
Upload a scan of your license or certificate and see the price and delivery time before you pay.