Interpreters (at Branch Office)

Finding an Interpreter
If you have difficulty speaking or reading English, or have a hearing problem, branch office personnel can provide a list of approved interpreters. Interpreters provide spoken or Ameslan (sign language) assistance and may interpret the driver's license test to branch office customers.  If necessary, branch office personnel can assist in arranging for an interpreter for customers who use sign language. 

Providing Interpreter Services
If you are interested in becoming a department-approved interpreter, an Application to Provide Interpreter Services and Certification Form must be completed and submitted to the Department of State.  Additional information about this service can be found at How to Become a Volunteer Interpreter.


Translated Tests

Printed translations of the driver's license test are available in many languages.  Please contact a branch office in advance for specific test availability. 

Requirements for Translated Documents

A passport, driver's license, birth certificate, marriage license, or divorce decree from another country may be accepted as an identity document when applying for a Michigan driver's license or state identification card. If the information on the document is not written or printed in English, a translation must be provided. It is not necessary to obtain a separate translation for a passport from another country that has English subheadings. The subheadings must be part of the passport, either below or beside the non-English words.

A translation must include all of the following:

1. For a passport - All information including the applicant’s full name, date of birth, and the name of the country that issued the passport.
2. For a driver's license - The applicant’s full name, date of birth, the country that issued the driver's license, the date it was issued, the type of license issued, and the expiration date.
3. For a birth certificate, marriage license, or divorce decree - All information items on the document, including information that appears on any seal, and the name of the country that issued the document.

• The translation must be prepared using the original identity document (no fax copy or photocopy).
• The original document also must be presented with the translated document.
• An acceptable translation must be on the letterhead stationery of the agency that employs the translator and must include the address of the agency.  The letterhead on which the translation appears must also be translated if it is in a foreign language. 
• The translation must also include the 1) legibly printed name and signature of the person who prepared the translation; 2) daytime telephone number of the translator; and 3) date the translation was prepared. 
• There is no requirement that a translation must be prepared by an agency in Michigan or the United States.  Translations prepared in other countries that meet the Michigan Department of State's requirements are acceptable.

Information on Translation Services

• Translators do not have to be on the department's Translator Resource List to be acceptable, but they do have to be a translation-related business or a community agency, government agency, lawyer, college, or university.
• Translation-related businesses may charge a fee for their service.
• A translation is not required to be notarized.
• A translation-related business translates foreign documents as one of its core business functions.
• Travel agencies, grocery stores, dry cleaners, etc., do not meet the definition of translation-related businesses.
• Translation companies are not certified by the Michigan Department of State.

Note: Check the yellow pages of your local telephone directory under "Translations" or "Translators" for resources that may be available in your area.