Portuguese Driver's License Translation
Portuguese driver's license translation to English of the Brazilian Carteira Nacional de Habilitação, the CNH, issued by a state DETRAN, for a DMV, a car insurer, a rental company, an employer or USCIS. We translate the older paper CNH, the 2022 card and the CNH Digital, and we translate a US license into Portuguese for use in Brazil.
- Up to 250 words per page
- $25 per page
- Standard turnaround
- From 24 hours
- Certificate of accuracy
- Signed & stamped
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Written for Portuguese (Brazil) driver's license records
Reading a CNH for a DMV or an insurer
The CNH is a national document issued by 27 state DETRANs, and the lines that matter to a US reader are not the ones a Brazilian driver looks at.
Categoria and the observações codes
A CNH shows the categoria: A for motorcycles, B for cars, C, D and E for trucks, passenger vehicles and combinations, and ACC for mopeds. The observações field carries codes: EAR means the holder drives for a living, A means corrective lenses are required, and other letters note medical restrictions. A DMV deciding what class to issue, and an insurer deciding what to charge, need those spelled out, and the translation writes each one in full.
Data da 1ª habilitação
The CNH records the date of first licensing, separate from the issue and expiry dates. Some US insurers give credit for years of driving abroad, and some DMVs waive a learner period for an experienced driver, so that date is worth more than the card's own. The translation keeps all three dates and labels each one, so the first-licensing date is not mistaken for the issue date.
Paper CNH, 2022 card and CNH Digital
The older CNH is a paper slip in a plastic sleeve with the holder's data on the front and the registro number, the categoria and the observações on the back, so send both sides. The card issued since 2022 prints its labels in Portuguese, English and Spanish with a machine-readable zone, but the observações and the filiação are still in Portuguese. The CNH Digital is a PDF from the Carteira Digital de Trânsito app with a QR code, and we translate the PDF as issued, including the verification note.
Who is asking for your Portuguese (Brazil) driver's license translation?
The translation is the same. What changes is whether the recipient wants anything added to it.
State DMVs
Most DMV offices accept a certified translation of a foreign license. A few want it notarized as well, so check with your office before you order.
USCIS
USCIS asks for a complete English translation and a signed certification from the translator. No notarization is needed.
US passports and the Department of State
The Department of State wants the translation notarized. Add notarization at checkout and we handle the rest.
Before you upload
Three things that save a day of back and forth on a Portuguese (Brazil) driver's license.
Scan both sides
The categories, restrictions and the issue and expiry dates are usually on the back. Upload the front and the back in one order so the translation covers the whole card.
Match the name to your passport
Tell us the English spelling you use. The translation shows the name as the license prints it and notes your spelling so the office can match both.
Ask the office which format they accept
Some DMVs want a certified translation, others want it notarized as well. Check before you order and add notarization at checkout if they ask for it.
Details and pricing
What is included in a Portuguese (Brazil) driver's license translation
One price per page covers the translation and its certification. A page is up to 250 words, and the quote tells you the page count before you pay.
Everything on the driver's license is translated, including stamps, seals and handwritten notes. Tell us the English spelling you use for each name when you order.
Certified Translation
Word-for-word translation with a certificate of accuracy for official use.
$25
USD / page
up to 250 words per page
Included
- Signed & stamped certification of translation accuracy
- Certified by a professional translator
- Digital delivery via PDF
- Review and approve final translation
- 100% Guaranteed Acceptance
- Standard turnaround starting at 24 hours
Optional services
- Expedited turnaround
- Priority handling when your deadline is shorter than the standard turnaround.
- By deadline
- Notarization
- A notary public signs and stamps the certification statement.
- $20 per order
- Physical copy
- A wet-ink original of your translation, mailed by express courier.
- $35 per order
- Apostille
- Authenticates the notary’s signature and seal for use in Hague Convention countries.
- $180 per document
What the certificate of accuracy states
Your translation arrives with a Certification of Translation Accuracy issued by ImmiTranslate. It is the page the receiving organization checks first.
- The translation is complete and accurate.
- The document title and the language pair.
- The translator is competent in both languages.
- A signature and the ImmiTranslate certification stamp.
- Our American Translators Association corporate membership.
Our translation process
Our goal is to make the translation process as simple as possible for you. Our service is streamlined specifically for documents of this nature.
Portuguese (Brazil) Driver's License FAQ
Most questions about pricing and turnaround can be answered faster by requesting a quote.
- Does a US DMV accept a Brazilian CNH with a translation?
- That depends on the state. Many let a visitor drive on a valid foreign license for a limited time, and several want a translation or an international permit beside it when the license is not in English. To exchange the CNH for a state license, most states make you take the written and road tests, since Brazil has no reciprocity agreement with them. Ask your DMV what it wants and we certify the translation for it.
- Should I get a PID instead of a translation?
- The Permissão Internacional para Dirigir is issued by your DETRAN under the Vienna Convention and carries your categories in a standard booklet. It is for driving, and it must be carried with the CNH. A DMV, an insurer or USCIS looking at your record wants the CNH itself translated, because the PID does not show the first-licensing date, the observações or the registro number.
- I am moving to Brazil with a US license. What do I need translated?
- Yes. A US license holder can drive in Brazil for a limited period on the license itself, but a police officer at a blitz reads Portuguese, and the DETRAN asks for a translation when you apply to exchange the license for a CNH. For the exchange the DETRAN of your state usually wants a tradução juramentada, so read that DETRAN's list first. A rental desk, an employer or an insurer in Brazil takes our certified translation.
- How much does a certified translation cost?
- Certified translation is $25 per page, with a page counted as up to 250 words. Notarization, a mailed physical copy and an apostille are optional and priced separately.
- How long does a certified translation take?
- Standard turnaround starts at 24 hours and depends on the length and language of your documents. If you have a deadline, include it in your quote request.
Other Portuguese (Brazil) documents we translate
Driver's license translation in other languages
Each of these pages is written for that language's driver's license records.
Sending it with an application? Read the Certified translations before you order.