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Washington State Department of Licensing: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
No published rule: Washington DOL lists foreign birth certificates and licenses as identity documents but says nothing on translating them, so ask a licensing office before you order.
Who may translate: No published rule; TECO or consulate for exchanges
How we know · policy checked on October 31, 2026
Washington DOL publishes no rule on translating license or identity documents: its proof-of-identity list names foreign birth certificates, foreign IDs and licenses, and its rules in WAC 308-104 do not mention translation.
That does not mean it refuses or accepts a translation, only that it has not said, so ask a driver licensing office or call 360-902-3900 before you order.
The one translation it mentions for a license is a "translated certification" for Taiwan and Japan exchanges, arranged through TECO or the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle.
Washington DOL at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? No published rule
Washington DOL publishes no rule, so nothing says whether it takes a translation from a professional service, eVerbary included, for a license or ID (proof of identity, WAC 308-104).
For a Taiwan or Japan exchange, DOL sends you to TECO or the consulate (Do I need to take a test?). Ask an office before you order. Policy checked on October 31, 2026.
- Translation
- No published rule
- Who may translate
- No published rule; TECO or consulate for exchanges
- Foreign license
- No tests for Germany, South Korea at 18+
Checked on October 31, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Washington DOL's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about Washington DOL
No translation rule
Foreign documents are listed; translating them is not addressed.
Germany and South Korea
No tests at 18 or older, with a valid license.
Taiwan and Japan
Through TECO or the consulate, with a translated certification.
Washington DOL requirements in detail
Translation
No rule on the proof of identity list or in WAC 308-104. The only license-related mention is "Requires translated certification", for Taiwan and Japan exchanges (Do I need to take a test?).
Who may translate
No published rule and no translator list for identity documents. For Taiwan, contact TECO in Seattle; for Japan, the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle (Do I need to take a test?).
Foreign documents it lists
A-list: foreign passports with an I-94, ADIT stamp or temporary I-551; consulate or electoral ID, or ID from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico or Peru; a Japanese license.
B-list: a certified birth certificate from the US or abroad; a foreign ID or license; a school record from Mexico (Documents for proof of identity).
Foreign license, visitors
At 16 or older with a valid license from your home country in immediate possession, you may drive for up to one year (RCW 46.20.025, Do I need to take a test?). The pages we read do not mention an International Driving Permit.
Foreign license, new residents
You have 30 days after you move (Moving to Washington: Get a driver license). No tests at 18 or older with a valid license from Germany, South Korea or British Columbia (Class 5 only); any other country or Canadian province completes all the first-license steps (Do I need to take a test?).
Test languages
The knowledge test comes in 12 languages, including Spanish, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Arabic, Punjabi, Tagalog and Ukrainian (Do I need to take a test?).
For a drive test in another language, use a training school that offers it, or DOL can use visual flash cards (Language access services).
Interpreters
Email languageaccess@dol.wa.gov with your language and office, ideally 5 business days ahead (Language access services).
Vehicle titles only
WAC 308-56A-115: for a vehicle from a foreign country, any document not in English needs an English translation, with the translator's notarized or certified affidavit of accuracy (WAC 308-56A-115, vehicles from a state or country other than Washington). It is not a license rule.
Foreign documents on the list, no word on language
Washington's identity list is unusually open to documents from abroad.
You meet the standard with one stand-alone document, two A-list documents, one A-list and two B-list, or four B-list documents, one of which must show your name and birth date.
Foreign passports with an I-94 or ADIT stamp, consulate and electoral IDs and a Japanese license are on the A-list.
A certified foreign birth certificate, a foreign ID or license and a certified marriage certificate or divorce decree are on the B-list. Nowhere does the list say what happens when one of these is in another language.
If the first person who helps you cannot confirm your identity from your documents, there is a set path: the licensing representative refers you to an in-office document reviewer, then on request to a senior technician for the region, then to driver licensing headquarters for a final decision (WAC 308-104-040).
That is the place to raise a document in another language. An enhanced license is different: it meets REAL ID and confirms US citizenship, and it has additional requirements (Enhanced driver license (EDL)).
Exchanging a license from abroad
Washington may waive the drive test for a foreign jurisdiction with which it has an informal agreement, if that jurisdiction verifies its licenses and waives its own requirements for Washington drivers (RCW 46.20.125, RCW 46.20.120).
The DOL chart lists Germany and South Korea, with no tests if you are 18 or older, and British Columbia Class 5 (Do I need to take a test?).
Taiwan and Japan run through a named office, and the chart says "Requires translated certification": TECO in Seattle at 206-441-4586 ext.
311, and the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle at 206-682-9107 (Do I need to take a test?). Contact them for that certification; we do not provide it.
Licenses from anywhere else mean all the first-license steps, including the knowledge test (32 of 40 correct) and the drive test.
From November 1, 2026, first-time applicants under 25 also pass a free online work zone and first responder course, and from January 1, 2027, first-time applicants who are 18 need driver education (Do I need to take a test?).
Documents people usually translate
- Foreign passport, shown with an I-94 or ADIT stamp (no translation rule published)
- Certified foreign birth certificate, a B-list document (no translation rule published)
- Foreign ID or driver license, a B-list document (no translation rule published)
- Consulate ID, or ID from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico or Peru (no translation rule published)
- Certified marriage certificate or divorce decree (no translation rule published)
What to do in Washington
Call DOL at 360-902-3900 (Moving to Washington: Get a driver license) or ask at a driver licensing office, by appointment, whether your document in another language needs a translation and of what kind.
If your document is questioned at the counter, ask for the in-office document reviewer described in WAC 308-104-040.
With a Taiwan license, contact TECO in Seattle; with a Japanese license, the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle. Both numbers are on the DOL test page.
To have an interpreter at your visit, email languageaccess@dol.wa.gov, ideally 5 business days ahead (Language access services).
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 Washington DOL we do not issue licenses or International Driving Permits, we do not get records from abroad, and we do not provide the certification that TECO or the Consulate-General of Japan gives.
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 Washington accept a translated foreign driver's license?
DOL publishes no rule either way for an ordinary application (Documents for proof of identity). Ask a driver licensing office or call 360-902-3900 before you order a translation.
How do I exchange a Taiwanese or Japanese license in Washington?
Contact TECO in Seattle for Taiwan or the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle for Japan. DOL says the exchange requires a translated certification, and to ask those offices (Do I need to take a test?).
Which foreign licenses need no tests in Washington?
A valid license from Germany or South Korea, or British Columbia Class 5, if you are 18 or older (Do I need to take a test?).
Can I use a foreign birth certificate as ID at DOL?
Yes, a certified foreign birth certificate is on the B-list, one piece of the document combinations (Documents for proof of identity). The list has no translation rule for it.
How long can I drive on my foreign license?
Up to one year as a visitor, at 16 or older, with the license in your immediate possession (RCW 46.20.025, Do I need to take a test?). New residents have 30 days to get a Washington license (Moving to Washington: Get a driver license).
What languages is the Washington test in?
The knowledge test comes in 12 languages (Do I need to take a test?). For the drive test, find a training school that offers your language or schedule at a DOL office, which can use visual flash cards (Language access services).
Sources
Washington State Department of Licensing's own pages, read on October 31, 2026.
- Documents for proof of identity
- Do I need to take a test?
- Moving to Washington: Get a driver license
- Language access services
- Enhanced driver license (EDL)
- Driver licensing offices
- Chapter 308-104 WAC, driver licensing
- WAC 308-56A-115, vehicles from a state or country other than Washington
- RCW 46.20.025, exemptions
- RCW 46.20.120, examinations and waiver
- RCW 46.20.125, waiver and agreement with other jurisdictions
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.