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Certified Brazilian Driver's License Translation
A Brazilian CNH — Carteira Nacional de Habilitação — is a national document issued through the state DETRAN, and it carries more personal identifiers than most licences in the world. Translated in full, both sides, with the category codes reproduced exactly as printed rather than converted into US classes — because converting them would claim an entitlement your licence does not grant. Signed certification, $24.95 per page.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
100% USCIS acceptance
Every certified translation is guaranteed to be accepted by USCIS.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
What a Brazilian licence is and who issues it
The CNH is issued under a national scheme, through the DETRAN of the state where the driver is registered. Unlike most licences, it carries the holder's CPF and the number of the identity document (RG) alongside the parents' names, which makes it useful as an identity document and makes a complete translation more important — those fields are frequently the reason an office asked for it.
Since 12 April 2021 the CNH has been valid for ten years for drivers under 50, five years from 50 to 69, and three years from 70. A digital CNH (CNH-e) also circulates, and a printout or screenshot of it is translated the same way as the card. See our Portuguese page.
The categories on it
Brazil uses categories A through E: A for motorcycles, B for ordinary cars, C for goods vehicles, D for passenger transport and E for combinations with a heavy trailer. A driver commonly holds AB, which is printed as a single entry.
The card also carries observations (observações) — EAR for paid activity, and any medical restriction — and those are translated as printed. None of the letters is converted into a US class.
The codes are reproduced, not converted
Every country classifies drivers its own way, and none of those systems maps onto the US class structure. A category that looks like a US class is the most dangerous case of all, because it invites a translator to convert it — and converting it asserts an entitlement the original document never granted. A licence that authorises a private car in its own country can come out claiming a commercial entitlement in English, which is a misstatement on a document being handed to a government office.
So the code is reproduced exactly as printed, together with the description printed beside it, and nothing is mapped onto a US class. What the holder may drive in the United States is for the state to decide, not for a translator to assert. The same goes for restrictions and endorsements: corrective lenses, automatic transmission only, an organ donor mark, a blood group — all translated as printed, none interpreted.
Where these go, and what each office wants
A translated licence is usually going to one of four places, and they do not want the same thing. A state DMV exchanging or crediting a foreign licence; an insurer pricing a driver with no US record, which is where a documented history abroad can matter; a rental company at a counter; or an employer verifying an entitlement. Each state sets its own rule and they genuinely differ, so ask the office before ordering rather than after.
Both sides are translated. The back of a licence is where the categories, restrictions, issue and expiry dates and sometimes the address live, and a translation of the front alone is an incomplete document that gets sent back. Related: our driving record, auto insurance letter and vehicle title pages.
An International Driving Permit is not a translation
An IDP is a booklet issued in your own country before you travel, and it restates your existing licence in several languages. It is not a certified translation, it is not issued by us or by anyone else after you have left, and it expires. A certified translation is not an IDP either. Some states accept one, some the other, some neither and some both — see our general driver's licence page. If you are already in the United States and did not get an IDP before leaving, a certified translation is the document you can still obtain.
How it works
Upload a photo or a scan of your document, pick the language pair and check out online. You never have to mail originals: a legible copy is all we need.
A professional human translator, never machine translation, translates the document word for word and mirrors the layout of the original. Every certified translation ships with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy that meets the requirements of USCIS, courts and universities.
Your translation is delivered digitally, usually within 24 hours for documents of one to three pages, and same-day delivery is available. If anything needs adjusting, we revise it.
Certified vs. standard translation
A certified translation is a word-for-word translation accompanied by a signed statement attesting to its accuracy and completeness. It is what official bodies require: USCIS, courts, universities and government agencies. Certified translations are $24.95 per page, where a page is up to 250 words.
A standard translation is for business or personal use where certification is not needed, such as CVs, client intake forms or marketing material, and is billed at the same $24.95 per page of up to 250 words.
Frequently asked questions
I only have the digital CNH on my phone.
We translate a printout or a clear screenshot of the CNH-e the same way as the physical card. Tell the office that asked for it that this is what you hold, since some want the physical document.
Do you translate both sides?
Yes. The categories, restrictions and dates are usually on the back, and a front-only translation is incomplete.
Will you convert my category into a US class?
No, and no honest translator will. We reproduce the code and the description printed beside it. Which US class you qualify for is the state's decision.
How much is it, and how fast?
$24.95 per page of up to 250 words. A licence is one page. Typical delivery is within 24 hours, with same-day available.
Ready to get started?
Upload your license and receive your certified translation, typically within 24 hours.