Driving and licensing are state matters in the US, so there is no federal rule for foreign driver's licenses. Whether you can drive on your foreign license, whether you can exchange it for a state license, which tests you take and what translation the DMV accepts all depend on the state you live in.
What most states have in common
- A license that isn't in English usually has to come with an English translation when you present it.
- Many states ask for a certified translation: a full translation with the translator's signed statement of accuracy. Some accept only a translation from a consulate or from a translator the state has approved.
- New residents are usually expected to get a state license within a set time after moving, even while their foreign license is still valid.
- Identity and residency documents you bring - a foreign passport, a birth certificate, a marriage certificate showing a name change - need translations too when they aren't in English.
Check these on your state's DMV website
- Whether your foreign license can be exchanged, or whether you take the knowledge and road tests.
- Who may translate it: any translator who certifies the translation, a consulate, or only translators on the state's list.
- Whether the translation has to be notarized.
- Which identity and residency documents you need, and whether you're applying for a REAL ID.
- Whether you need an appointment.
With Verdacert
We translate driver's licenses from more than 100 languages with a signed certification of accuracy, and can add notarization for states that ask for it. If your state accepts only consular or state-approved translators, a Verdacert translation won't meet that rule, so check before you order.