Swap UK driving licence in Quebec

[HTS_QC]

Hi,

I will move from the UK to the province of Quebec soon and I would like to know if it is possible to simply swap my UK driving licence with the Quebec licence without having to do any test?

Apart from this, my plan is:
- get an international driving licence at the UK post office 1 week before leaving, the IDL would last 1 year
- use my UK driving licence with the paired international licence in Quebec for up to 1 year (go from visitor status, to OWP, to PR status in the meantime)
- convert the licence before the 1 year ends

Is this process correct, in particular about using the UK driving licence with the paired international licence for 1 year even if I don't have a residential address in UK anymore.
Also, do I need to inform UK DVLA that I live in Canada/that I don't have a UK address anymore as soon as I enter Canada? Would this 'invalidate' my UK DL and therefore need the IDL?

Could I start the swapping process once I get the open work permit? Or do I need to wait for PR?

 

[Ponga]

https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/drivers-licences/canadian-foreign-drivers-licence

You can continue to drive with a licence issued outside Québec

If you hold a driver’s licence issued outside Québec, you will remain authorized to drive until August 29, 2023, provided your licence remains valid in the jurisdiction where it was issued. This will give you longer than the usual six months to exchange your current licence for a Québec licence.

New resident in Québec

If you are Canadian citizens, permanent residents or people with a different immigration status who establish their principal residence in the province of Québec, you must obtain a Québec licence. You can apply for your licence as soon as you arrive.


1 Select the answer that applies to your situation




You are a…
Foreign student or trainee (including individuals from another Canadian province or territory)
Non-resident of Québec (visitor, tourist or other)
New resident in Québec


Your licence was issued…
In Canada
In the United States
In another country


Was your licence issued in one of the following jurisdictions?

• Austria
• Belgium
• France
• Great Britain: England, Scotland, Wales
• Germany
• Isle of Man
• Japan
• Northern Ireland
• Republic of Korea (South Korea)
• Switzerland
• The Netherlands: Holland and the Dutch Antilles (Sint Maarten, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba and Sint Eustatius)
• Taiwan

Yes (Québec has signed a reciprocity agreement or entered into an administrative agreement with each of these jurisdictions in order to facilitate driver’s licence exchanges.)

No (No agreement exists with the jurisdiction that issued your driver’s licence.)

 

[HTS_QC]

Thanks.

Yeah I had checked that link, but:

1. Am I really a new resident of Quebec as soon as I arrive if I enter as visitor? Or do I need to wait until I get OWP or PR to exchange licence?
2. I filled out that online questionnaire, but either options (licence issued in a jurisdictions with agreement or not) still seem to result in the tests being required.

 

[Ponga]

What about this:
https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/drivers-licences/canadian-foreign-drivers-licence

1. No. You are a non-resident if you are visiting.

2. No idea.

Looks like you can just drive with your current UK DL for 6 months.

How do you plan to go from visitor>worker>PR?

 

[HTS_QC]

1. No. You are a non-resident if you are visiting. - I will check to see if I can swap the DL once I have OWP. Surely there is a way to keep driving for more than 6 months or 1 year (with international DL) if you are a temporary resident (like university students who study in Canada for 3 years).

2. No idea. - I will call SAAQ.

Looks like you can just drive with your current UK DL for 6 months. - Since I will have an international DL, I think I can drive for longer than 6 months, until my IDL expires, which will be approx. 1 year.

How do you plan to go from visitor>worker>PR? - Inland spousal sponsorship, if they let me in...