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Certified Colombian Driver's License Translation
A Colombian driving license (licencia de conducción) carries a category system in which the C line means public service — the opposite of what an English-speaking reader assumes from the letter. 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 license does not grant. Signed certification, $24.95 per page. eVerbary translates it into English for $24.95 per page with no word cap; most orders are delivered within a few hours.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, no word cap. No hidden fees.
Money-back guarantee
Accepted by USCIS and by US universities, colleges and schools, or your money back.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
What a Colombian license is and who issues it
Colombian licenses are issued through the RUNT, the national traffic registry, and the card carries the holder's cédula number, the license category and the expiry date. The cédula is the identifier that ties the license to every other Colombian document in a file, and it is reproduced exactly.
See our Colombian birth certificate page and our Spanish page.
The categories on it
Colombia uses eight categories on three lines. A1 and A2 are motorcycles, split at 125cc. B1, B2 and B3 are private service — B1 being the ordinary car. C1, C2 and C3 are the same vehicles in public service.
That is the trap worth knowing about: a Colombian C is a public-service entitlement, not the ordinary private class a US reader expects from the letter C. Within a line the higher number covers the lower ones, but the lines do not accumulate across letters — a B1 holder is not licensed for a motorcycle. We reproduce the code and its printed description and convert nothing.
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 license 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 license is usually going to one of four places, and they do not want the same thing. A state DMV exchanging or crediting a foreign license; 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 license 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 license 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 license 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 one sheet of your document is one page, with no word cap.
A standard translation is the same professional human translation without the certificate, for when you only need to understand the content or for internal or informal use. It is billed at the same $24.95 per page with no word cap.
Frequently asked questions
My license says B1. What is that in the US?
B1 is Colombia's ordinary private car category. What it entitles you to in a given state is that state's decision — we reproduce the code and the description beside it rather than asserting a US equivalent.
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 with no word cap. A license 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.