I was about to make a post regarding this topic, perhaps I will anyway. Anyway, here's some details which will help.
To start with, I moved to Calgary, Alberta from California. Crossed the border on January 17, 2023. My driver's license was extended in August, 2022 (renewed H1-B status). My first license was issued in November, 2018, so I have a driving history of over 4 years. Before moving, I got my certified driver's abstract from the DMV (form INF1125) in December. Relevant points:
- I'm not sure how it is in Ontario, but you will most likely need the paper abstract. Most provinces don't accept the online record. Order it early enough (before you leave, if possible), and give it about 4-5 weeks to arrive by mail. Make sure to select the "First Issue Date Letter" checkbox.
- You will get 2 pages - one with the record, and another with a note.
- The record lists your personal details and any convictions against you (including infractions).
- The record also lists all the addresses the DMV has on file, and the date the address was first recorded by them.
- Most importantly, the note. It explicitly says the DMV destroys old applications and their dates once a new application is received. This means that your first license issue date was purged from their system after your first license renewal. They only have your current renewal date. It's a really weird, almost archaic system that makes no sense. They do provide the date the first license in the number series your license belongs to was created (for example, if your license number is Y8500000, the number series it belongs to could have started with number Y8100000 and they mention the date Y8100000 was issued). I don't know how helpful this will be for Canadian motor vehicle departments.
- Since the first issue date is not listed, I called Alberta's road/license department while I was still in the US and explained the situation to them. One agent did not provide any useful information, but another was nice enough to transfer me to their internal license processing department (there is no public number for them), and the lady there told me to just bring the letter and all previous licenses. She said if the DMV letter does not list the first issue date, the previous licenses will help establish driving history.
- I recently visited the registry here and confirmed the same with one of their people in person. He too asked me to just bring all previous licenses, and that while he can't guarantee a full license, it should most likely be possible to get one with my previous licenses. Luckily, I have all of my licenses since day one (including the paper licenses).
- Worst case, I figured the list of addresses on the record and the date they were first noted by the DMV (as I mentioned in (2)(2) above) might help them get an idea of my driving history.
The interesting thing is, even with a less than 2 year history, I will get a GDL. It's neither a learner's license, nor a full license. The only difference it has from a full license is that you cannot have ANY alcohol in you with it (a full license allows some alcohol), and the number of demerit points before suspension are lower. Effectively, if you don't do anything stupid, it is no different than a full license. I browsed reddit and read that there are tons of people who have held their GDL for over 20 years without converting to a full license. Being on GDL also does not affect insurance rates. So, after all the effort for the records, I guess it wouldn't have made much difference even if I didn't have the DMV letter or my previous licenses. Anyway, that's for Alberta. I don't know how it's gonna work for Ontario.
Happy to answer any questions!
