From Stranded at the Airport to the Open Road: How a 24-Hour Translation Saved a Dream Holiday

International travellers often assume that a driving license from their home country is sufficient for renting vehicles abroad. However, Australian car rental agencies have strict policies: if the license is not in English, a certified translation is mandatory. Without it, liability and insurance coverage are void.

Upon arriving at Sydney Airport after a long-haul flight from Tehran, Farhad approached the car rental desk to collect their vehicle. The agent requested his driving license. Farhad handed over his Persian license. The agent shook his head—without an English translation or an International Driving Permit (IDP), they could not release the car.

Furthermore, the dates on Farhad’s license were in the Solar Hijri calendar (e.g., year 1398), which the rental agent could not interpret or verify against the Gregorian calendar (2019). The couple was stranded. They risked losing their $2,000 rental booking and missing their first hotel reservation. Panic set in as they sat with their luggage in the arrivals hall.

While Yasmin called other rental agencies (who all confirmed the same policy), Farhad searched on his smartphone for “urgent NAATI translation Persian to English.” He found Australian Translation Services, noting the high rating for “Express” turnaround times and specific expertise in Iranian document translation.

Our process is designed for mobile users in urgent situations:

• Step 1: Farhad took a clear photo of the front and back of his license using his smartphone right there in the terminal.
• Step 2: He uploaded the images to our quote form.
• Step 3: He selected the “Urgent / Express” option and completed the payment.
• Step 4: Our team received the request instantly. A NAATI-certified Persian-to-English translator began work immediately. Crucially, the translator accurately converted all birth and expiry dates from the Solar Hijri calendar to the Gregorian calendar so the rental agency could verify the license validity.

Within 4 hours of the initial request, Farhad received a digitally certified PDF of his license translation via email. He approached the rental desk again, showed the digital document (which included the NAATI stamp, the date conversions, and the translator’s credentials), and the agent accepted it immediately.

The couple picked up their keys and were on the road before sunset, keeping their holiday itinerary completely intact.

“We thought our trip was ruined because of the calendar difference on my license. The speed of Australian Translation Services was incredible. I uploaded the photo from my phone at the airport, and by the time we finished lunch, the translation was in my inbox with all dates converted perfectly. You literally saved our holiday.”

— Farhad A., Tehran