To apply for reduced EDT, the RSA asks for a letter of entitlement or driver statement from the authority that issued your foreign licence. If that record is not in English or Irish, the RSA says a certified translation from a reputable Irish company must go with it, or the application will not be processed. Our driving record translation for reduced EDT covers every field, stamp and apostille on the record, with a signed statement of accuracy, delivered as a PDF and posted on request.
Most of the reduced EDT records sent to us are Brazilian DETRAN certificates, Chilean Hoja de Vida del Conductor extracts and Ukrainian entitlement certificates. A common mix-up is sending the plastic licence instead of the record. The RSA wants both: a copy of the licence and the record showing when you started driving.
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Where driving record translations are usually submitted
The RSA calls the key document a letter of entitlement or driver statement: a copy of your driver record from the licensing authority that issued your foreign licence. According to the RSA, it must show your name, address, date of birth, driver number, the date your licence started, its expiry date, and each vehicle category with a description of what it covers. An email or online printout is accepted.
That record is the part that needs translating if it is not in English or Irish. The application also needs a colour copy of the front and back of your licence and the completed form, posted to the Reduced EDT section of the NDLS in Cork. Check the current RSA form before you post, because an application missing a document is returned.
The record matters because reduced EDT depends on how long you have driven. The RSA lets you skip six of the twelve EDT lessons if you held your foreign car licence for at least two years before your Irish learner permit was issued. The translation has to show that first-issue date clearly, so we keep every date in the format of the original and never shorten it.
Based on the enquiries we receive
State-issued driver record or certidão from DETRAN-SP, DETRAN-RJ and others.
Registro Civil driver history, often apostilled, with every page and annotation.
Stamped certificate confirming your categories and when they were first granted.
Printouts from a licensing portal, with any verification code translated.
Optional, where category codes on the card need explaining alongside the record.
Reduced EDT is the main reason people send us a driving record, but it is not the only one. The record and the purpose decide what matters most in the translation.
You hold an Irish learner permit and drove abroad for two years or more. The record proves the start date, and the translation sits next to it in the envelope to Cork. We make sure the commencement date and car category are impossible to miss.
If you held your licence for over six months but under two years, the RSA lets you ask for the six-month exemption on its own. You still do all twelve lessons. The same record and translation support that request, so one translation serves both.
Reduced EDT is aimed at holders of licences from countries without an exchange agreement with Ireland. If your licence can be exchanged, that is a separate route, and the licence itself is usually the document to translate rather than the record.
Some insurers ask new residents for proof of years driven or claims history from abroad. Each insurer sets its own rules, so ask what they accept first. A certified translation of the driver record gives them the dates and categories in English.
People who moved between states or countries sometimes hold two records that together show their full driving history. We translate each one as its own document, keep the dates consistent, and quote them together.
Employers hiring for driving roles may want proof of experience before they put you on a vehicle. A translated record answers that question quickly, without you needing to explain foreign category codes in an interview.
Driving records look short, often a single page, but the layouts vary more than licences do. These are the patterns we see most in the reduced EDT requests that reach us.
Brazilian records differ by state. Each DETRAN issues its own certificate, so a record from Rio de Janeiro looks nothing like one from São Paulo. We translate the field labels as printed, keep the RENACH and registration numbers exactly, and explain category codes such as B or AB in a translator's note.
The licence is not the record. Several people have sent us only their CNH or plastic licence for reduced EDT. The RSA asks for the record from the issuing authority as well. If the record you have does not show the date you first qualified, we tell you before translating, so you can request a fuller version.
Apostilles come attached. Chilean Hoja de Vida del Conductor extracts often arrive with an apostille. The RSA does not list an apostille as a requirement, but if it is part of the document you send, we translate it too, so the English copy matches the original page for page.
Stamped certificates and paper copies. Ukrainian entitlement certificates usually carry a round stamp and a handwritten signature. Since the application goes by post, many people ask for signed paper copies as well as the PDF, and we post them anywhere in Ireland.
These five points save most rework
The letter of entitlement or driver statement is what the RSA asks to be translated.
Reduced EDT turns on when you started driving, so this date must be on the record.
Back pages, apostilles and verification codes are translated as part of the document.
So your name matches your Irish learner permit and the application form.
The RSA decides what your reduced EDT application needs, so check its form before posting.
Every record is translated by a native speaker of the source language. These are the languages driving records reach us in most often.
Four steps, handled online, with paper copies posted if you want them for the NDLS envelope.
Upload a clear photo or scan of every page of your driver record, including stamps and any apostille.
We confirm the price, check that the record shows the dates reduced EDT depends on, and agree a delivery time.
A native-speaker translator works through every field, then a second check compares dates, numbers and categories with the original.
You get a signed PDF with the statement of accuracy, and signed paper copies by post on request.
These are layout examples only. Every name, number and date below is made-up sample data, not taken from a real customer's record.
Send us a photo first. We will tell you, before you pay, whether it shows the start date and category fields the RSA lists.
Every order is ready to go in the envelope with your reduced EDT application.
Every field, footnote and verification code on the record, not a summary.
Dated and signed by a named translator, with contact details.
First-issue dates and category codes exactly as on the original.
A secure PDF you can print and keep with your application papers.
Signed paper copies posted anywhere in Ireland for the NDLS envelope.
Notary Public certification or a DFA apostille if the record is also used abroad.
Most driving records are one or two pages, so we price per document. If you also need your licence or a second record translated, we quote them together.
Per Document
24–48 hour delivery
Record + Licence Set
Reduced per-document rate
Same-Day / Urgent
Per document · same day
These are starting prices. The final price depends on the number of pages, the language, and any posted copies, notarisation or apostille you add. You approve an itemised quote before work starts. The translation fee is separate from any fee charged by the RSA, the NDLS or your driving instructor.
A reduced EDT application can save you six lessons, so a translation that needs redoing costs time and money. These are the things we focus on.
If the NDLS or RSA questions anything in our translation, we correct and reissue it at no cost.
Foreign licence classes rarely match Irish ones by name, so we add a note on what each category covers.
Every translation carries the name and contact details of an ITIA-affiliated translator.
Standard delivery is 24–48 hours, with same day available when an instructor is waiting.
We post signed copies anywhere in Ireland, since reduced EDT applications go by post.
Driver records hold your ID number and address. Files are kept confidential and handled in line with GDPR.
| Feature | IrelandTranslations.ie | Generic agencies | Freelancers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record checked for start date and categories before translating | ✓ | Sometimes | Varies |
| Stamps, apostilles & verification codes translated | ✓ | Sometimes | Varies |
| Free revision if the record is queried | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Signed paper copies posted for the NDLS envelope | ✓ | Sometimes | Varies |
| Same day, urgent & priority delivery | ✓ | Sometimes | Depends |
Reviews from people who used our certified translations for Irish applications, from driving and NDLS paperwork to immigration files.
"Our company uses them for all multilingual HR contracts. Reliable, fast, always GDPR-compliant. Never let us down."
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"Arabic police clearance certificate translated urgently for work permit renewal. Uploaded at 9am, certified PDF by 2pm. DETE accepted without questions. Exactly what you need."
"My Indian medical degree translated and certified for Medical Council registration. Knew exactly what the Council's format requires. Got it in 36 hours. Now working in the HSE."
"Translated and apostilled for Brazil — birth certs, marriage cert, everything. They handled the whole DFA apostille chain. We didn't have to do a single extra step. Worth every cent."
"As a solicitor, I send court document translations here regularly. The legal accuracy is impeccable and turnaround is fast. Notarisation handled in-house too. Highly recommended."
"I needed a Ukrainian birth certificate translated for my Temporary Protection application. Same-day certified and ready to submit. The team were incredibly kind throughout."
If your licence can be swapped for an Irish one, that is a different document and a different route: see our certified driving licence translation for NDLS exchange. Brazilian DETRAN records are handled by our Portuguese to English translators, and Chilean or other Latin American records by our Spanish document translation team.
For Ukrainian entitlement certificates and other records from Ukraine, see our Ukrainian translation service in Ireland. If a record also needs to go abroad, we can arrange an apostille or DFA legalisation, and when a lesson or test date is close there is our same-day certified translation.
Send us your foreign driver record or letter of entitlement and get a certified English translation ready for your reduced EDT application.
Prefer to ask first? Send a photo on WhatsApp and we will check that your record shows the dates and categories the RSA lists.