NZ Translations
Est. 2013 · 160+ Languages
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Translated by an NZTA-approved translator

Driver Licence Translation New Zealand — Ready for Your AA Appointment

If your driver licence is not in English, you need an English translation to drive here and to swap it for a New Zealand licence. Your driver licence translation is completed by an NZTA-approved translator, so the AA counter can accept it. One thing to know: from 1 November 2026, the time you may drive on an overseas car licence drops from 18 months to 12. This page covers driver licences only — for your other papers, see the service page for that document.

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✓ NZTA-approved translator
✓ Both sides translated
✓ Photo of your licence is enough
✓ Same-day option
✓ Free fix if the AA asks a question
Price My Driver Licence — 30 sec STEP 1 OF 3
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Do You Need a Driver Licence Translation
to Drive in New Zealand?

Yes — if your licence is not fully in English, you need a driver licence translation or an International Driving Permit with you every time you drive. You only need one of the two, not both.

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A translation lets you keep driving

Carry your own licence plus the English translation. The police need to read what class of vehicle you may drive. A photo on your phone does not count — the real card must be with you.

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A permit works too, with a catch

An International Driving Permit does the same job. For a car licence it still counts even if it ran out up to six months ago. Once it is older than that, you need the translation instead.

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Swapping licences needs a translation

A permit is only good for driving. The day you swap your licence for a New Zealand one, the AA wants a proper English translation on the desk. Permits are not accepted for that step.

NZTA
Waka Kotahi
NZ Transport Agency
AA
AA Driver
Licensing
VTNZ
Testing &
Licensing Agents
🚗
Rental &
Campervan Hire
IRD
Identity
Checks
Your Clock

How Long Can You Drive in NZ
on an Overseas Driver Licence?

Right now you get 18 months on an overseas car licence, counted from the day you last landed in New Zealand. From 1 November 2026 that drops to 12 months. Motorbike and truck licences have always been 12 months, and that is not changing.

Work out your own deadline

Take the date you last walked through the airport. Add 18 months if that lands before 1 November 2026. Add 12 months if it lands after. That date is when you must either hold a New Zealand licence or park the car.

Here is the part most people miss. Every time you fly out and come back, the clock starts again from zero. A weekend in Sydney resets it. So the date that matters is your most recent arrival, not the first time you ever came here.

What if you are still waiting for a test?

Starting the swap does not stop the clock, but it does not have to. You may keep driving on your own licence right up to your deadline, even while you wait for a test date. What you cannot do is drive past that deadline just because the booking system is busy.

This is exactly why the 1 November change matters so much. Test slots are already hard to get. If your window shrinks by six months, the queue you were relying on may no longer fit inside it.

Does the licence itself need to be current?

To keep driving, yes. To swap it, you have a little room: New Zealand accepts a licence that ran out within the last 12 months. Older than that and the swap is off the table, whichever country you are from.

Many people reach this page while sorting out a visa at the same time. If that is you, sending everything at once is far cheaper than sending it piece by piece — our immigration document translation page explains how a combined order works.

Driving rules change from time to time. Please check the current rule with Waka Kotahi NZTA before you rely on a date. Last checked: 17 September 2026.

Who Is Allowed

Who Can Translate a Driving Licence
for NZTA and the AA?

Only three sources count for a drivers licence translation: a translator on the NZTA approved list, your embassy or consulate, or the office that issued your licence. Anyone else, however good their English, will not get you past the counter.

✅

An approved translator

NZTA keeps a public list of translators it accepts. Your translation is done by one of them, and their name and contact details go on the page — so the person at the desk can check it against the list.

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Your embassy or consulate

Your country's mission in New Zealand may do it. This route is free or cheap at some missions, but it often takes weeks and many will only help their own citizens. Worth asking if your date is far away.

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The office that issued it

The licensing authority back home can send a written translation. Fine if you are planning months ahead. Not much use when your appointment is next week and the time zones do not line up.

Why this catches people out. A cheap translation from a friend or an online tool reads fine. It just is not on the list. People find that out at the counter, on the day, after the appointment has already been used up. Rebooking can cost weeks.

Heading to Australia after this? You will need a second, separate translation there — Australia runs its own system and does not recognise a New Zealand one. Tell us if you need both and we will sort them together.

On The Day

What Happens at Your AA
Overseas Licence Conversion Appointment?

You hand over a form called the DL5 along with your papers. The AA takes the application, NZTA approves it, and your new licence arrives in the post. Allow up to 20 working days for that last part.

1

Book and fill the DL5

Pick an AA branch that handles overseas swaps — not every branch does. Get the DL5 form there or print it first to save time at the desk.

2

Bring your papers

Your real licence, your passport, something showing your New Zealand address, and the English translation. Colour copies of the licence and passport help.

3

Eyesight and any tests

Your eyes are checked on the spot. Whether you also sit a written or driving test depends on where your licence came from — that is the next section.

4

Wait for the post

NZTA checks the file and prints your card. It comes by post, so keep your address up to date. You may keep driving meanwhile, until your deadline.

A detail worth checking before you go. The name on your licence and the name on your passport must read the same way. Where a name is written in another alphabet, the spelling can come out differently on each document. We match the spelling to your passport so nobody at the desk has to guess whether it is one person or two.

If the names really do differ — after a marriage, say — the AA may want the paperwork that links them. That is usually a certificate, and our birth certificate translation service covers the same-day version of exactly that job.

Tests Or No Tests

Do You Have to Sit a Driving Test
to Convert Your Overseas Licence?

It depends on one thing: whether your country is on New Zealand's exempt list. About 25 countries are. If yours is one, and you have held a full licence for two years or more, you usually walk out without sitting anything.

Your situation Written test Driving test
Exempt country, licence held 2 years or moreUsually not neededUsually not needed
Exempt country, licence held under 2 yearsUsually not neededMay be asked for
Country not on the exempt listYesYes

The issue date on your licence is doing more work than you think

That two-year rule is counted from the day your full licence was first issued, not from the day the plastic card in your pocket was printed. Renewals often reset the printed date, which makes a long-held licence look new. Dig out the original paperwork if you have it.

Some countries need one extra paper

Licences issued in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan or Tonga need something extra: proof that the licence is genuine. The same applies if your licence comes from an exempt country but your passport does not. It is a normal request, not a problem — just one to sort out before the appointment, not at it.

You can study the written test in your own language

The written test is offered in several languages, which surprises a lot of people from countries that are not exempt. It is worth asking when you book. The road rules themselves are the same either way, and driving on the left is the part most people underestimate.

The exempt list is updated by Waka Kotahi NZTA, and the AA branch makes the final call on your file. Please confirm your own situation with them before booking. Last checked: 17 September 2026.

160+ Languages

Which Driving Licences
Do We Translate Into English?

All of them — we handle drivers licence translation in over 160 languages, from every country that issues one. What changes is the shape of the card, and that is where small mistakes creep in.

Chinese
Hindi
Punjabi
Tagalog
Korean
Arabic
Afrikaans
Samoan
Tongan
Russian
Spanish
Portuguese
+ 150 more

Chinese licences come in two parts

A mainland Chinese licence is a main card plus a second sheet. Both are needed, which means four photos, not two. Taiwan and Macau are laid out differently again. Hong Kong cards already carry English, but the Chinese text on them still has to be translated so nothing looks left out.

Vehicle classes do not line up

Every country codes its licence classes its own way. A code that means a small car at home can look like a truck here. We describe the class in plain words as well as the code, so the AA can match it to a New Zealand class without guessing.

Stamps and small print count

Endorsements, restrictions and the issuing office all sit in small print, often on the back. Leaving any of it out makes the translation look incomplete. That is why we ask for both sides even when the back looks blank to you.

Clear Pricing

How Much Does Driver Licence Translation
Cost in New Zealand?

Driver licence translation costs $49, GST included. Speed is the only thing that changes the price. A licence is one short document, so there is no per-word maths and no surprise on the invoice.

Most Chosen
Standard
$49
per licence · GST inclusive
⏱ 3–5 working days
  • ✓Done by an NZTA-approved translator
  • ✓Front and back, nothing skipped
  • ✓Name spelt to match your passport
  • ✓Vehicle classes explained in plain English
  • ✓Free fix if the AA or NZTA queries it
Express
$69
per licence · GST inclusive
⚡ Within 24 hours
  • ✓Everything in Standard
  • ✓Moved to the front of the queue
  • ✓Good for an appointment later this week
  • ✓Emailed ready to print
Urgent
$99
per licence · GST inclusive
🚀 Within 12 hours
  • ✓Everything in Express
  • ✓For an appointment tomorrow morning
  • ✓Weekends included
  • ✓Message us first so we can confirm

Moving here, not just visiting? Most people who swap a licence also need a police certificate for their visa in the same few weeks. Send them together and you pay one combined price instead of two separate ones — see police certificate translation for what that covers.

The prices above are starting prices. We look at your licence first, then send you a written quotation with the final fixed price and the date it will be ready. Nothing is charged until you approve that quotation, so there is never an unexpected cost.

Prices last reviewed: 17 September 2026. All prices include GST.

Sending It To Us

What Do You Need to Send Us
to Get Your Licence Translated?

For a driver licence translation we need two photos of your licence, front and back, plus the photo page of your passport. Nothing gets posted to us. Your card stays with you the whole time, which matters because you still need it to drive.

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Lay it flat, no flash

Put the card on a plain table in daylight. Flash bounces off the shiny surface and hides the very numbers we need. Fill the frame with the card, straight on, not at an angle.

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Send the back as well

The back usually holds the classes, the dates and any restrictions. A translation missing the back looks half done, and half done is the version that gets questioned at the counter.

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Add your passport page

We copy the spelling of your name straight from your passport. Without it we are guessing at how your name is written in English, and a guess is what creates a mismatch later.

Send it by the form on this page or on WhatsApp, whichever suits. You get a fixed price back within 30 minutes, seven days a week. Nothing is charged until you say go.

Still Wondering

What Else Do People Ask
About Driving Licence Translation in NZ?

Can I rent a car with just my translated licence?

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Usually yes, as long as you also have the original card. Hire firms set their own extra rules on top of the law — minimum age, how long you have held the licence, and sometimes no provisional licences at all. Those are company rules, not driving rules, so check them when you book rather than at the counter.

How long is a driver licence translation valid for?

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A driver licence translation does not expire on its own. It stays good for as long as the licence it describes is still valid, so the same one covers you for driving and then for the swap. You only need a fresh translation if your licence itself is renewed or replaced and the details change.

Do I get a printed copy or just an email?

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You get a PDF by email and you print it yourself. Print it in colour and carry it with your licence. If you would rather have a posted copy, say so when you order and we will courier one — just allow an extra day or two, which is the thing to watch if your appointment is close.

My licence was lost. Can you still help?

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We can only translate a document that exists, so a lost card has to be replaced by the country that issued it first. Once the replacement or an official record arrives, send it over. Start that request early — overseas licensing offices are often slow, and your driving deadline keeps running either way.

Can my family send their licences together with mine?

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Yes, and it is cheaper that way. Send every licence in one message with each person's passport page, and we quote the lot as a single job. Employers bringing in staff who need to drive can do the same thing and get one invoice rather than a pile of them.

What happens if the AA does not accept the translation?

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Send us whatever they told you and we sort it out at no charge. The final call always sits with the AA and NZTA, so nobody can promise you an outcome. What we can promise is that a question about our work never costs you a second fee.
Settling In

Which Other Documents
Will You Need Translated?

A licence is rarely the only paper on the list. These are the ones people usually reach for next.

🛖
Visa Documents
Every visa category
 💍
Marriage Certificate
From $49 · Name changes
 🎓
Academic Transcript
From $99 · NZQA ready
 💼
Business Documents
Contracts & company papers

Send a Photo of Your Licence.
We Will Price It in 30 Minutes.

Front and back, plus your passport page. Fixed price, no obligation, and nothing charged until you agree. From $49, translated by an NZTA-approved translator.

Get Fixed Price → WhatsApp Us

Open 7 days · Same-day option for tomorrow's appointment · Serving all of New Zealand