By documentڈرائیونگ لائسنس
Driving Licence Translation
Three different things get asked for here and they are not interchangeable. A translation renders your licence in another language. An International Driving Permit is a separate document you obtain in Pakistan before you travel. A conversion is what the destination authority does to give you their licence. Buying the wrong one is the usual outcome.
What is a driving licence?
A Pakistani driving licence translation renders the licence in another language for use abroad. It is not the same as an International Driving Permit, which is a separate document obtained in Pakistan, nor a licence conversion, which the destination authority performs. Translation starts from Rs. 1,000. Check which of the three your destination actually requires.
- Starting price
- Rs. 1,000
- Turnaround
- Standard delivery at the normal rate. Among the faster documents we handle.
- Issued by
- The provincial traffic police or licensing authority of the province where it was issued
Fields that must match your passport
A mismatch here is the commonest avoidable rejection.
- Holder's full name, matched to the passport being used abroad
- Father's name, waldiyat
- Address as printed on the licence
- Licence class and category codes, reproduced exactly rather than converted
Who usually asks for it
- Foreign licensing authorities assessing a conversion or exchange
- Car hire companies abroad
- Employers requiring a driving qualification for a role
Why this document gets rejected
- Buying a translation where the destination required an International Driving Permit, or the reverse, since they are separate documents from separate places
- Licence class codes converted into the destination country's categories rather than reproduced as printed, which misstates what the holder is licensed to drive
Where attestation sits
Most car hire and short-term uses need no attestation at all. Where a licensing authority is assessing a conversion, confirm whether it requires attestation, then MOFA and embassy before translation. Do not start a chain you may not need.
Read the attestation sequenceThree different things, and people buy the wrong one
This is the whole page, really.
Translation — your Pakistani licence rendered in another language. That is what we do.
International Driving Permit (IDP) — a separate document, obtained in Pakistan before you travel, which accompanies your licence rather than replacing it. It is issued by the relevant authority here, not by us and not by a translator.
Conversion or exchange — what the destination country’s licensing authority does to issue you their licence. Usually requires residency, sometimes a test, and often has a time limit from your arrival.
Countries differ on which they accept: some take an IDP, some a translated licence, some both, some neither and require a local test. Check the destination’s own licensing authority before buying anything, because the three come from three different places.
We cannot convert your licence
Worth stating plainly, because it gets asked.
Conversion is performed by the destination authority under its own rules. No one in Pakistan can do it, and a translation does not create an entitlement to drive — it only says what your Pakistani licence says.
Licence classes are reproduced, not converted
This is the substantive translation decision on this document, and getting it wrong is a misrepresentation.
Pakistani licence classes and category codes are reproduced exactly as printed. They are not mapped onto the destination country’s categories.
Converting them would state that you are licensed for something the original does not say. Whether a Pakistani class corresponds to a particular foreign category is a judgement for the receiving licensing authority, which does its own mapping — and it is not a translator’s call.
The same principle as academic marks, where converting a DMC score to a GPA is credential evaluation rather than translation.
Check whether you need this at all
Many Pakistani licences — particularly newer computerised ones — carry English alongside Urdu.
If yours does, attested copies may be all you need. Older provincial licences are more often Urdu-only, and those are the ones that genuinely need translating.
Send a photograph of both sides and we will tell you which. The reverse carries the classes and the validity dates, so a single-sided copy produces an incomplete translation.
Do not start an attestation chain you do not need
For car hire and most short-term uses, no attestation at all.
Where a foreign licensing authority is assessing a conversion, it sometimes requires attestation. Confirm first — a MOFA and embassy chain costs considerably more than the translation, and starting one on a document that only needed a clear translated copy is money spent for nothing.
Names
Holder’s full name matched to the passport you will be using abroad, plus waldiyat and the address exactly as printed. A car hire desk or licensing office comparing your licence translation to your passport needs them to agree.
Roman spellings people search
driving licence · driving license · DL · license translation.
Related
CNIC translation covers the identity card, which is checked alongside. For the general service, official document translation. If you are assembling a wider overseas file, see translation by destination for what each authority asks for.
Send both sides of the licence and your passport, and tell us the destination. If what you need is an IDP rather than a translation, you will hear that first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a translation or an International Driving Permit?
They are different documents from different places and this is the question to settle first. An IDP is obtained in Pakistan before you travel and accompanies your licence. A translation is a rendering of the licence itself. Some countries accept an IDP, some accept a translated licence, some want both, and some accept neither and require a local test. Check the destination's own licensing authority.
Can you convert my licence to a foreign one?
No. Conversion or exchange is performed by the destination country's licensing authority under its own rules, which usually involve residency, sometimes a test, and often a time limit from your arrival. We translate the document. We cannot convert it, and nobody in Pakistan can.
Are the licence classes translated into the destination country's categories?
No, and this matters. Pakistani licence classes are reproduced exactly as printed rather than mapped onto the destination's categories. Converting them would state that you are licensed for something the original does not say, which is a misrepresentation rather than a translation. The receiving authority does its own mapping.
Is my licence already in English?
Many Pakistani licences carry English alongside Urdu, particularly newer computerised ones, in which case attested copies may be all you need. Send a photograph of both sides before ordering and we will tell you honestly. Older provincial licences are more often Urdu-only.
Does a driving licence need attestation?
For car hire and most short-term uses, no. Where a foreign licensing authority is assessing a conversion, it sometimes does. Confirm before starting a MOFA and embassy chain on a document that may only need a clear translated copy, because that chain costs more than the translation.
What does driving licence translation cost?
From Rs. 1,000, the simple document rate, and it is one of the faster documents we handle. Both sides are needed, since the reverse carries the classes and validity dates.
Send the document and we will quote it
Photograph every page and both sides, include your passport so names match, and tell us where it is being submitted. Price and turnaround confirmed before any work starts.