Arabic Driving Licence Translation for Austria
Arabic ↔ German
Arabic ↔ English
Certified translation of your Arabic driving licence for exchange in Austria. Recognised by the Vienna police directorate, the district authorities and every Austrian licensing office.
Your contact
Aliaa Azzouqa, MA
azzouqa@fachdolmetscher.atI know the licence formats from Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states and which details the Austrian licensing authority checks during the exchange.
Arabic driving licence translation for exchanging your licence in Austria
If you move to Austria with an Arabic driving licence, you may generally drive on it for a limited period only, usually six months from establishing your main residence. After that the licence has to be exchanged. For this you need an Arabic driving licence translation and apply to the Landespolizeidirektion in Vienna or to the district authority or Magistrat in the other federal states.
The authority requires the original licence together with a certified translation. This is produced by court sworn and certified translators in Austria and recognised by every Austrian licensing authority.
What the certified translation of the licence must contain
Arabic driving licences are small but densely printed. The translation must reproduce every detail on the front and back, because the authority derives categories, validity and date of issue from it.
- Name and date of birth, transliterated exactly as in the passport
- Licence number, issuing authority, place of issue and expiry date
- All licence categories with the designation used in the country of origin, without unauthorised mapping to Austrian categories
- Date of first issue where shown, because it matters for the probation period and recognition
- Restrictions, endorsements, stamps and barcodes, including on the back
Typical pitfalls with Arabic driving licences
Formats vary a lot: card licences from the Gulf states and Jordan, often bilingual, versus older paper licences from Syria or Iraq. Four points matter most in practice.
Bilingual cards
Licences from the Emirates, Qatar or Jordan often carry English and Arabic. We translate from the Arabic and note any discrepancy where the English line differs.
Hijri dates
Saudi and other Gulf licences often show issue and expiry only in the Islamic calendar. We convert and state both dates.
No date of first issue
Many cards show only the current issue date. The authority may then ask for a confirmation of first issue, which we translate as well.
Expired validity
An expired licence is generally not exchanged. Check the expiry date before ordering the translation.
Apostille, legalisation and confirmation from the country of origin
For driving licences Austrian authorities usually do not require an apostille, but often a confirmation of authenticity and validity from the issuing office. Whether that applies in your case is for the licensing authority to say.
- Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon: if authentication is required, it usually runs via legalisation by the foreign ministry of the country of origin and the Austrian representation there.
- Gulf states: Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain generally work with the apostille, the Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait mostly with legalisation. We translate traffic authority confirmations along with the licence.
Turnaround and price
A driving licence has a front and a back, usually one page of translation. The certified translation is normally ready within one to three working days, express on request. The price depends on format and language direction; you receive an individual quote in advance.
How your driving licence translation works
Four steps, usually without an in-person appointment.
Send a scan
Send the front and back of the licence and your passport data page as a scan or photo via the form or by e-mail.
Receive a quote
Individual quote with delivery date, usually within a few hours.
Certified translation
Translation by court sworn and certified translators recognised in Austria.
PDF and original
PDF in advance, the original by post or for collection in Vienna.
Related documents
Often translated together.
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Request a Quote
Describe your project and we’ll get back to you with a quote, usually within a few hours.
Frequently asked questions about driving licence translation
Answered briefly.
Generally six months from establishing your main residence. After that an exchange is required. The exact period and any exceptions are confirmed by the licensing authority.
No, the mapping to Austrian categories is decided by the authority. The translation reproduces the categories as designated in the country of origin so the authority has a clean basis.
That depends on the country of origin. For many Arabic states a practical test is required, for others not. The licensing authority gives binding information.
A scan of the front and back is enough for the translation. For the exchange the authority requires the original licence together with the certified translation, and it is usually retained when the Austrian licence is issued.
In most cases yes, because the authority requires a certified translation into German. We translate the Arabic text and check the English line for discrepancies.
Usually within one to three working days from order confirmation, or as express on request if needed. Just tell us the date of your appointment.
More questions? Write to us.
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