How to Get Canadian Driving License -for Newcomers

[robinsingh23]

hey guys
im in canada from india almost 4 years ago .came as student but now am permanent residence
i never thought of getting driving license while living vancouver because of public transport.but after 2 years moved to small town and took a knowledge test and i passed but icbc didnt accept my indian licnese .they didnt gave me reason what was wrong with my license .so i got class 7 learner now but im getting class 7 in couple months.
how about if i go to india and get my license again and show it to icbc or in alberta
does it make any sense to get the class 5
thanks

 

[hoping_15]

When you enter Canada, just show your South Asian Home Country Licence and get it swapped with a Canadian Driving Licence. The following may help you.

After you land in Canada,

1. If you do not have any Driving Licence from a foreign country, then you can first apply for a Learner's Licence (Class 7 in Alberta) and after the stipulated period, apply for the road test to get a full Driving Licence (Class 5 in Alberta). Check the Driving Licence websites of the Province you intend to land into.

2. If you have a Driving Licence from a foreign country, then you can surrender it once you pass the Learner's Licence Test (Class 7 in Alberta) and obtain the Class 7. In addition, you will become eligible to immediately take up a road test and if successful, get your full Driving Licence (Class 5 in Alberta). If you bring your foreign Driving Licence, please note to bring along the Driving Licence Extract from that Country. It will help you in getting the Licence in Canada.

Finally, you do NOT need any International Driving Licence when you arrive here, for this purpose.

Regards.
NVLN.

Thanks for the info. I m getting my license within few days & if everything goes smoothly i will land in canada in sep'15. So in that case how long it will take to get license in canada. Will i be eligible to get learner license & immediately can i appear exam for full license?

Thanks again.

 

[Leon]

Thanks for the info. I m getting my license within few days & if everything goes smoothly i will land in canada in sep'15. So in that case how long it will take to get license in canada. Will i be eligible to get learner license & immediately can i appear exam for full license?

Thanks again.

The exact requirements depend on the province but normally you need a translation of your license as well as possibly a drivers abstract. If you can prove that you have a valid drivers license, you will usually be allowed to take the basic road test right away to get a probationary license instead of waiting on learners for a year. If you can prove that you have more than 2 years driving experience, you can be allowed to take the advanced road test right away in order to get your full license.

 

[nkalra]

hey guys
im in canada from india almost 4 years ago .came as student but now am permanent residence
i never thought of getting driving license while living vancouver because of public transport.but after 2 years moved to small town and took a knowledge test and i passed but icbc didnt accept my indian licnese .they didnt gave me reason what was wrong with my license .so i got class 7 learner now but im getting class 7 in couple months.
how about if i go to india and get my license again and show it to icbc or in alberta
does it make any sense to get the class 5
thanks

Hi Robin,

It's very strange that they didn't told you why they are not accepting your Indian DL.

I don't know your exact position in which province you are in to. But if you are applying for AB, you need to show your proof of residence in AB.

GDL Exemption check list as per AB.

http://www.servicealberta.ca/pdf/mv/GDL_UG_Feb_20_2014.pdf

You can try any registry within AB and see if any another registry accepts your GDL exemption application.

So you have 2 options as I said try another registry there are a lot, 2 Once you go to India don't get the new license try to letter from RTO, details enlosed in the above mentioned document.

All the best.

 

[hoping_15]

The exact requirements depend on the province but normally you need a translation of your license as well as possibly a drivers abstract. If you can prove that you have a valid drivers license, you will usually be allowed to take the basic road test right away to get a probationary license instead of waiting on learners for a year. If you can prove that you have more than 2 years driving experience, you can be allowed to take the advanced road test right away in order to get your full license.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[hoping_15]

The exact requirements depend on the province but normally you need a translation of your license as well as possibly a drivers abstract. If you can prove that you have a valid drivers license, you will usually be allowed to take the basic road test right away to get a probationary license instead of waiting on learners for a year. If you can prove that you have more than 2 years driving experience, you can be allowed to take the advanced road test right away in order to get your full license.

Thanks a lot.

 

[nvln]

Thanks for the info. I m getting my license within few days & if everything goes smoothly i will land in canada in sep'15. So in that case how long it will take to get license in canada. Will i be eligible to get learner license & immediately can i appear exam for full license?

Thanks again.

You can apply for the Knowledge Test anytime after you land - the only requirement being a proof of your residence in the Province where you are going to apply for the Knowledge Test. I advise you to first go through the Knowledge Test Guide (in the case of Alberta, this is available free of cost at any Registry in Alberta), familiarize yourself with the contents of the Guide, undergo some online practice tests (again, available freely on a few websites, including AMA). Once you are confident, then you can attempt the examination - this will consist of 30 questions and you need to clear 25. There is no time limit to appear for the examination. Once you pass, you get Class 7 Licence. Depending upon the Licence and DL Extract of your foreign Home Country that you submit, you may become eligible to take up the road test within a few days - check this out at the Registry, where you will take the Knowledge Test.

Good Luck.

Regards.
NVLN.

 

[robinsingh23]

Hi Robin,

It's very strange that they didn't told you why they are not accepting your Indian DL.

I don't know your exact position in which province you are in to. But if you are applying for AB, you need to show your proof of residence in AB.

GDL Exemption check list as per AB.

hey nkalra thanks for help
yeah im moving to alberta in may and i'll be able to show my new adress
i didnt undertand what about letter
icbc got my license and they are not returning it
so i cant just show letter to alberta gov as you said dnt get new license
You can try any registry within AB and see if any another registry accepts your GDL exemption application.

So you have 2 options as I said try another registry there are a lot, 2 Once you go to India don't get the new license try to letter from RTO, details enlosed in the above mentioned document.

All the best.

 

[hoping_15]

You can apply for the Knowledge Test anytime after you land - the only requirement being a proof of your residence in the Province where you are going to apply for the Knowledge Test. I advise you to first go through the Knowledge Test Guide (in the case of Alberta, this is available free of cost at any Registry in Alberta), familiarize yourself with the contents of the Guide, undergo some online practice tests (again, available freely on a few websites, including AMA). Once you are confident, then you can attempt the examination - this will consist of 30 questions and you need to clear 25. There is no time limit to appear for the examination. Once you pass, you get Class 7 Licence. Depending upon the Licence and DL Extract of your foreign Home Country that you submit, you may become eligible to take up the road test within a few days - check this out at the Registry, where you will take the Knowledge Test.

Good Luck.

Regards.
NVLN.

Thanks a lot.

 

[b_lalij]

good post

 

[sabret00the]

OMG!!! :-\

 

[Leon]

Be aware that at least in some provinces, you need to mention before you take the written test that you have a foreign license that you want credit for. In some provinces, if you do not mention that, they will enter you as a novice driver into the system and after that, you would be stuck in the GDL system with the normal waiting times of usually 1 year before you can take the road test.

 

[TeamBnB]

Thanks for this information! So helpful!

Oh I am so lucky.. I'm Austrian and can just swap my licence...

however my partner is Australian, he will have to take the test... well I always say driving on the right side of the road is just better ;-)

 

[harry_aussie]

I swaped my Australian(NSW)(C) licence for an Ontario(G) licence with no problems at all.

 

[TeamBnB]

I swaped my Australian(NSW)(C) licence for an Ontario(G) licence with no problems at all.

Hi Harrie...

oh that is great!!! did you only bring your licence or any further documents with you?

cheers