How do you translate a Ukrainian driver’s license for the DMV?

Q: How long does it take?

1–4 documents: within 24 hours after payment; faster, within 12 hours (+$15 a page) or 3 hours (+$30 a page, paid between 8 am and 6 pm Pacific time). For 5 or more, we give you the date with the quote.

Checked October 24, 2026, based on dmv.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)

The California DMV asks for a certified translation or an affidavit of translation into English when a foreign driver’s license you bring to a secondary review is in another language. We translate a Ukrainian driver’s license (posvidchennia vodiia) in full: both sides of the card, every category with its dates, and older laminated paper licenses too. A Ukrainian driver’s license is one page: $25, ready within 24 hours after payment.

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What the license shows

A Ukrainian driver’s license (posvidchennia vodiia) gives the right to drive vehicles of the categories listed on it. Since November 2015 it has been issued by the Interior Ministry’s territorial service centers (TSTs MVS); earlier licenses came from the State Automobile Inspection, DAI (Main Service Center of the MVS (opens in a new tab)). A first license is issued for two years and is then exchanged for a regular one (MVS service centers (opens in a new tab)).

We translate both sides of the card: the holder’s details, each category with its dates, the issuing office and the license number.

Card and paper formats

The service centers publish every format Ukraine has issued (Main Service Center of the MVS (opens in a new tab)):

Before 1993: a paper license of the Ukrainian SSR or Ukraine.
1993 to 2006: a paper form sealed in laminate film, 105 × 147 mm, filled in Ukrainian, with the first four fields repeated in Latin letters.
From 2003: a plastic card of bank-⁠card size, with the surname, given name and patronymic repeated in Latin letters.
From March 26, 2021: a polycarbonate card with the text on both sides in Ukrainian and English; a new design followed on December 26, 2023.

According to the service centers, a laminated license that shows no expiry date isn’t valid in other countries (MVS FAQ (opens in a new tab)). We translate it all the same. The DMV pages we checked don’t say whether a card that already has English text needs a translation; ask the office. If it does, our translation leaves nothing in Ukrainian only.

The license in Diia

The Diia app holds a digital driver’s license, and Diia states that in Ukraine its digital documents have the same legal force as the plastic ones (Diia (opens in a new tab)).

How we spell names

The card already shows your name in Latin letters. A service center will exchange a license on request to correct that Latin spelling (MVS service centers (opens in a new tab)), so the card may not match your passport. The translation follows your passport or green card. Tell us the spelling when you order, and all your documents will match.

Where the translation goes

California DMV: for a secondary review of a driver’s license application, a foreign license in a language other than English needs a certified translation or an affidavit of translation into English (DMV (opens in a new tab)). With a license from another country, you also need to pass a driving test for a California license (DMV (opens in a new tab)). What the DMV accepts
USCIS: the Form I-⁠485 instructions give a driver’s license with your photograph as one example of a government-⁠issued identity document (Form I-⁠485 instructions (opens in a new tab)). A license in Ukrainian goes with a full English translation and the translator’s certification (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)). What USCIS accepts

Our Ukrainian documents are translated and certified by a native Ukrainian speaker. What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.

Sample translations

6 samples

Each sample has the original, the translation and the signed certificate. Personal details are blurred.

Questions

My license is only in the Diia app. Can you translate it?

Yes. Send a screenshot of the license in Diia, and we translate it the same way as the plastic card. Whether a DMV office takes a digital license is up to the office.

How much does it cost?

Both sides of the card make one page: $25. Each additional page in the same order is $20, so a license with two other one-⁠page documents is $65.

Do I need a notary or an apostille?

The DMV pages we checked name a certified translation or an affidavit of translation and say nothing about a notary or an apostille. The translator’s signed certification is included.

How long does it take?

1⁠–⁠4 documents: within 24 hours after payment; faster, within 12 hours (+$15 a page) or 3 hours (+$30 a page, paid between 8 am and 6 pm Pacific time). For 5 or more, we give you the date with the quote.

How we do it

Full translation
every stamp, signature and handwritten line
Signed certificate
with the translator’s name, address and phone
A PDF, ready to file
original, translation and certificate, translation pages numbered
Price
$25 for the first page up to 250 words, $20 for each additional page, in the same document or another one.
Turnaround
1⁠–⁠4 documents: within 24 hours after payment; faster, within 12 hours (+$15 a page) or 3 hours (+$30 a page, paid between 8 am and 6 pm Pacific time). For 5 or more, we give you the date with the quote.

Full price list All samples

This is a summary of what the agency publishes, not legal advice.