Driving licence translation and notarization

The driving licence is the one personal document that "expires" in the very first months of living abroad: in most countries, 6-12 months after obtaining permanent residence you may no longer drive on a foreign licence and it must be exchanged for a local one. And the first requirement of the exchange procedure almost everywhere is an official, certified translation of the national licence. Add to that car rental, motor insurance, work visas for drivers and the reverse route: exchanging a foreign licence for a Georgian one at the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Our bureau in Tbilisi, on Davit Aghmashenebeli Avenue, translates driving licences into every major language and notarizes them within one day.

When a driving licence needs a translation

• Exchanging the licence abroad. Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Poland, the Czech Republic and other countries require a notarized or sworn translation when a Georgian licence is exchanged for a local one. With some countries Georgia has an exchange agreement; elsewhere the translation is needed for recognition of the licence before taking the test.
• Residence and insurance. Motor insurers ask for a translation of the licence to confirm your driving record, because the policy depends on the record. The date a category was issued is decisive here.
• Car rental and long trips. A Georgian licence carries a Latin transcription, but the description of categories and restrictions is in Georgian only; some rental companies and traffic police ask for a translation or an international permit.
• Employment as a driver. Freight and passenger transport companies in Europe and the Gulf countries require a translation confirming categories C, D and E for a work visa.
• Exchanging a foreign licence in Georgia. A foreigner living in Georgia or a returning emigrant exchanges a foreign licence at the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Agency requires a Georgian notarized translation.

What we pay attention to when translating

Categories and dates that define the driving record

The back of the licence is the main part: the issue and expiry date of each category (A, A1, B, B1, C, C1, D, D1, BE, CE, DE, T, S) is in a separate field. It is these dates that prove you have held category B since 2009, for example, and not since the card was last renewed. One mixed-up column means the insurer will not count your 15-year record or you will have to take the test on exchange. We keep the table in the structure of the original and an editor checks every date separately.

Restriction codes

The codes (for example 01 for corrective lenses, 78 for automatic transmission) follow the European standard and are carried over so that the foreign authority needs no explanation; where necessary the official description is added in brackets.

Name, number, issuing authority

The name and surname are written exactly according to the Latin entry of the passport; if the transcription on the licence differs from the passport (common on older licences), we use the passport version in the translation and note the entry on the licence. The licence number, place of birth, issuing authority (the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs) and place of issue are carried over unchanged, and the security features of the card are described.

Notarization, apostille and the international permit

A driving licence is a card, so the translation is never attached to the original: it is attached to a copy of both sides of the licence and the notary certifies the translator's signature. If a foreign authority asks for an apostille (rare, but it happens in some countries), a notarized copy of the licence is prepared first, the Ministry of Justice places the apostille on it, and only then is the copy translated together with the apostille. The international driving permit is a different thing: it is an additional document issued by the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, used together with the national licence for temporary travel, and it does not replace a translation. For exchanging the licence, residence and insurance matters the authorities ask precisely for a certified translation of the national licence. The general rules are described on the personal documents page.

A foreign driving licence in Georgian

To exchange a foreign licence for a Georgian one, the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs requires a notarized Georgian translation of the licence, often together with a passport translation and a certificate of residence. We translate EU standard-format, British, American (by state), Turkish, Iranian, Arab, Indian, Ukrainian, Russian and Central Asian licences. For licences in a non-Latin script (Arabic, Persian) the category system is described against the Georgian equivalent so that the Agency can easily establish the correspondence.

Typical cases

• Exchange in Germany. The Führerscheinstelle asks for a translation of the licence; a Georgian notarized translation is often accepted, while in some states the version of a local sworn translator is required. We tell you in advance which scheme applies in your city.
• Exchange in Italy and Spain. A translation is needed and often a consular certificate confirming the authenticity of the licence; we prepare the translation in the format the Motorizzazione and the DGT accept.
• Motor insurance in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An English certified translation with the dated driving record, in scanned form.
• A Georgian licence for a foreigner. Translation of the foreign licence together with the passport in one day, according to the Agency's requirements.

Old and new format licences

Several generations of driving licence are in circulation in Georgia today. The cards of recent years follow the European format, with a Latin transcription and the standard table of categories, so their translation is direct and fast. On the plastic licences of the 2000s the table of categories is different, the transcription often does not match the passport, and the start date of the driving record is sometimes stated in one field only; in that case we add a note to the translation and, if proving the record is decisive, recommend obtaining a certificate from the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the date the driving entitlement was granted, which is translated as well. Soviet-era paper licences are bilingual, Georgian-Russian, and most foreign authorities do not accept them at all; in that case the licence must be renewed first, then translated.

Mistakes that delay a licence exchange

• Translating the front side only. The categories and dates are on the back; without them the translation is useless to the authority.
• The record dated from the card's renewal. The insurer and the exchange authority count the first issue of the category, not the last card.
• An international permit instead of a translation. In the exchange procedure it does not replace the translation and the authority still requires a certified translation of the national licence.
• Transcription from the licence rather than the passport. Two different Latin entries mean two different people to the authority.

Turnaround

A translation of both sides of the driving licence with notarization is ready within one working day; a licence delivered in the morning the same day. A clear photo or scan of both sides is enough for the translation; the original is needed only for notarizing the copy. You receive the finished translation at the office, by courier or as a scan.

Frequently asked questions