I am not clear on the law in Canada as it relates to drivers licenses for permanent residents. I have been informed by the Ministry of Transportration that if you want to drive in Ontario, you need to switch your foreign drivers license to an Ontario one within two months of residing here. Of course there is some gray area here, as one could be staying in Ontario (or any other province) without really deciding to settle there permanently for awhile. And what if you decide to leave your car behind and NOT drive in Canada? Are you still obligated to get a new Ontario drivers license even if you don't drive? I would greatly appreciate some clarification here. Thank you.
The law as it relates to drivers licenses
- Thread starter Paradigm5
- Start date
You do not need to change your drivers license over if you don't drive. However, if you do think you might want to drive in the future, be aware that according to http://www.drivetest.ca/en/license/OutOfCountryDrivers.aspx they will only accept experience from the last 3 years. If you were to wait 3 years and then want your license changed over, they would treat you like a beginner which means you only get a learners permit for the first year which means you can not drive alone. If you never plan to drive in Canada or you don't care if you will later have to serve a year of learners permit, then it doesn't matter. Otherwise it would be advisable to get it over with now.
OK, that makes sense....but when do you really need to switch the license? The people I've spoken with seem to be a bit ambiguous about when you have to do it. From what you are saying, Leon, it sounds as though I could change it over any time before a three year period and still get credit for my previous driving experience. I just wish the law were clearer here.
It says driving experience within the past 3 years. That means that if you want to change your license over say after 2 years, you would get credit for maximum 1 year experience. That is Ontario. If you settle in another province, the rules there might be different. To avoid problems, change your license over within the 2 months and you will have a valid license in case you want to rent a car and drive somewhere.Paradigm5 said:
Well that's probably true, Leon. Of course, changing over the license may cause problems when driving back to the States (also I believe I'd have to have the old plates taken off my car there). See, I've been told several different things each time I've asked this question of the authorities, which leads me to believe this is considered a "gray area." What if I decided not to do the switch, stayed in Ontario for the full three years to get dual citrizenship, and then decided to move back to the States for a year or so just to sell my property there? Would that mean that if I returned to Ontario later, I would be given credit for the time I spent subsequently driving in the States?
As far as Google tells me, there is no official non-DL ID card in ON. I suppose if you are a PR, you can use your PR card. If you are a citizen, you can use your citizenship card or in either case you can use a passport from some country as your ID.
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