Switching a UK driving license in Ontario.

[xpressentry]

I have a full UK driving license and plan to exchange it for a license in Ontario as I plan to live in Toronto. I complete 2 years of having the full driving license this August and hope to get to Canada by the end of this year. Is the generation of the online dvla code enough for exchanging the license. I called dvla and they said that the print out is sufficient to provide a driving record. Anyone has experience in switching their UK license for a Canadian one. Thanks.

 

[astralsource]

As I understand, international drivings license in Ontario is valid for 2 months. But UK has some exceptions I see.. you dont have to ask for a new Driving's license and take exams etc?

 

[xpressentry]

You have to take an eye test if you have more than 2 years driving experience. How to prove 2 years of driving license? Is it from the start date of the license? DVLA has a record that we can print online that states the start and end date of the license, the types of vehicles I can drive, penalty points and endorsements. Is that sufficient?

 

[astralsource]

I think this should be enough, but I am not an expert in this area, we'll wait for someone with experience to be sure.

 

[astralsource]

Try here also.

http://forums.easycanadavisa.com/

 

[zardoz]

For a UK licence, you don't need a "driving record" if you have a photocard and possibly the paper copy. Everything they need is encoded on the back of it. I got mine exchanged a couple of years ago and they didn't want to see my "driving record" from DVLA at all. (this was Ontario).

 

[astralsource]

To switch your licence for an Ontario driver’s licence, you need to apply in-person at a DriveTest centre or the ServiceOntario College Park location in downtown Toronto.

You need to:

take an eye test
bring original identification showing your legal name, date of birth and signature
bring your original, valid out-of-province/foreign driver’s licence*
bring any original supporting documents that show proof of your driving experience
pay the applicable fees
fill out an application form (where you will state how long you have been driving)

You might also need to take a written test or road tests, before you get a full licence. It depends on your circumstances.

 

[xpressentry]

To switch your licence for an Ontario driver’s licence, you need to apply in-person at a DriveTest centre or the ServiceOntario College Park location in downtown Toronto.

You need to:

take an eye test
bring original identification showing your legal name, date of birth and signature
bring your original, valid out-of-province/foreign driver’s licence*
bring any original supporting documents that show proof of your driving experience
pay the applicable fees
fill out an application form (where you will state how long you have been driving)

You might also need to take a written test or road tests, before you get a full licence. It depends on your circumstances.

I read that and was wondering what the additional supporting documents were that prove my driving experience.

 

[מר אף אחד]

I read that and was wondering what the additional supporting documents were that prove my driving experience.

Hello mate

Just checking if you were able to replace the license,my situation is ,I have a full license,0 points, issued somewhere in Oct 2014 (I have counterpart),but meanwhile I was changing place, and the latest I have got has an issue date of 6th August 2016, the license is valid till 2024.
I stopped living in the UK since Nov 2016 and I am not a British national but I had a residence permit which also expired back in Jan 2017 and I have been living in my home country since then.
Will I still be able to replace my UK Licence to the Canadian one?
I have the first counterpart, but after that, they stooped issuing the CP,I can still provide my details using Postcode,NIN and DL number. Would that be enough?
It would be awesome if you can share how you were able to replace your license.

 

[zardoz]

Hello mate

Just checking if you were able to replace the license,my situation is ,I have a full license,0 points, issued somewhere in Oct 2014 (I have counterpart),but meanwhile I was changing place, and the latest I have got has an issue date of 6th August 2016, the license is valid till 2024.
I stopped living in the UK since Nov 2016 and I am not a British national but I had a residence permit which also expired back in Jan 2017 and I have been living in my home country since then.
Will I still be able to replace my UK Licence to the Canadian one?
I have the first counterpart, but after that, they stooped issuing the CP,I can still provide my details using Postcode,NIN and DL number. Would that be enough?
It would be awesome if you can share how you were able to replace your license.

You will need a valid UK photocard Driver's licence and the paper counterpart if you have it.
Just having the numbers will not be enough. They will NOT attempt to get any of your information from DVLA to fill in the blanks.

This is for Ontario, for example : https://www.ontario.ca/page/exchange-out-province-drivers-licence

How to apply
To switch your licence for an Ontario driver’s licence, you need to apply in-person at a DriveTest centre or the ServiceOntario College Park location in downtown Toronto.

You need to:

• take an eye test
• bring originals of your accepted identity documents showing your legal name, date of birth and signature
• bring your original, valid out-of-province/foreign driver’s licence*
• bring any original supporting documents that show proof of your driving experience in English or French
• pay the applicable fees
• fill out an application form (where you will state how long you have been driving)

You might also need to take a written test or road tests, before you get a full licence. It depends on your circumstances.

Find a DriveTest centre

Visit ServiceOntario: Toronto (College Park)

How can I get my foreign licence translated?

Full list: accepted identity documents

*Definition: a valid out-of-province licence

An out-of-province/foreign driver’s licence needs to:

• be valid
• display a visible expiry date
• be written in either English or French. If it is not, you need to get it translated by a certified translator. The translation must be current – dated within six months of when you apply for an Ontario licence

 

[מר אף אחד]

So I was able to replace my UK Driving Licence with an Ontario one straight away. Follow the following steps.
- Locate your nearest Drive Test Center in Ontario.
- Take your valid Plastic driving license, and your Passport with you, don't worry about the abstract or Counterpart or any other paper.
- Join the line at drive test center where tokens are issued,you can get information here too, The rep will take a photocopy of your UK license, Passport (Country of Origin) and return it back to you, they will issue you with Tokken.
- Wait for your turn, when you are called,take your valid Plastic license from UK (Jurisdiction license if it's different from the UK ).
- The rep will ask what you want to do with it, simply tell them you want it replaced to a Full G license, but count your number of years you have driven,it can only be replaced if you have driven 2+ years, again the rep will not ask you for any proof-like insurance or any DVLA document.
- Fill the form in, with the number of years you have held the license, the rep will do their Paperwork.
- Rep will ask you to do a vision/eye test, its a machine like VR goggles, in it, will be numbered,you have to read them aloud to the rep, the rep will ask about which side the lights are blinking, they are basically like the indicators on the car.
- That's it, Pay CAD 90 and the rep will print you a Paper license valid for 90 days until you receive your Plastic Card license,thats your full G license right there.

You earned this streight exchange if you had driven with a full license on the UK Roads, Citizen or not. Don't forget to thank the DVLA and HM Queen for that LoL.

 

[subodhp]

So I was able to replace my UK Driving Licence with an Ontario one straight away. Follow the following steps.
- Locate your nearest Drive Test Center in Ontario.
- Take your valid Plastic driving license, and your Passport with you, don't worry about the abstract or Counterpart or any other paper.
- Join the line at drive test center where tokens are issued,you can get information here too, The rep will take a photocopy of your UK license, Passport (Country of Origin) and return it back to you, they will issue you with Tokken.
- Wait for your turn, when you are called,take your valid Plastic license from UK (Jurisdiction license if it's different from the UK ).
- The rep will ask what you want to do with it, simply tell them you want it replaced to a Full G license, but count your number of years you have driven,it can only be replaced if you have driven 2+ years, again the rep will not ask you for any proof-like insurance or any DVLA document.
- Fill the form in, with the number of years you have held the license, the rep will do their Paperwork.
- Rep will ask you to do a vision/eye test, its a machine like VR goggles, in it, will be numbered,you have to read them aloud to the rep, the rep will ask about which side the lights are blinking, they are basically like the indicators on the car.
- That's it, Pay CAD 90 and the rep will print you a Paper license valid for 90 days until you receive your Plastic Card license,thats your full G license right there.

You earned this streight exchange if you had driven with a full license on the UK Roads, Citizen or not. Don't forget to thank the DVLA and HM Queen for that LoL.

UK is in the list for which license exchange is considered.
https://drivetest.ca/licences/licence-exchanges/licence_exchange.html

 

[zardoz]

So I was able to replace my UK Driving Licence with an Ontario one straight away. Follow the following steps.
- Locate your nearest Drive Test Center in Ontario.
- Take your valid Plastic driving license, and your Passport with you, don't worry about the abstract or Counterpart or any other paper.
- Join the line at drive test center where tokens are issued,you can get information here too, The rep will take a photocopy of your UK license, Passport (Country of Origin) and return it back to you, they will issue you with Tokken.
- Wait for your turn, when you are called,take your valid Plastic license from UK (Jurisdiction license if it's different from the UK ).
- The rep will ask what you want to do with it, simply tell them you want it replaced to a Full G license, but count your number of years you have driven,it can only be replaced if you have driven 2+ years, again the rep will not ask you for any proof-like insurance or any DVLA document.
- Fill the form in, with the number of years you have held the license, the rep will do their Paperwork.
- Rep will ask you to do a vision/eye test, its a machine like VR goggles, in it, will be numbered,you have to read them aloud to the rep, the rep will ask about which side the lights are blinking, they are basically like the indicators on the car.
- That's it, Pay CAD 90 and the rep will print you a Paper license valid for 90 days until you receive your Plastic Card license,thats your full G license right there.

You earned this streight exchange if you had driven with a full license on the UK Roads, Citizen or not. Don't forget to thank the DVLA and HM Queen for that LoL.

There USED to be a requirement to bring both parts of the UK licence, if issued, but I assume that has changed now.
When I exchanged mine, 5 years ago, they took the paper counterpart as well.

 

[Hurlabrick]

There USED to be a requirement to bring both parts of the UK licence, if issued, but I assume that has changed now.
When I exchanged mine, 5 years ago, they took the paper counterpart as well.

The UK scrapped the paper part of the photo driving licence about 3 - 4 years ago. They old paper parts are now invalid and you certainly cannot get a new paper counterfoil. The Ontario Drive Centre in Ottawa were perfectly happy with just my wife's UK photo driving licence (and did NOT need to the paper driving record that you can obtain from DVLA) as all of her details are shown on the back. Yes, they use to original issue date of the licence for driving experience. Note that Ontario doe NOT convert a UK motorbike rating, only car ratings.

 

[absz]

I have a UK license but expired 3 months ago and I am not able to renew the UK license as now they require you to be residence in order to renew the license. Question is: will Ontario replace Full G license with UK license that was expired in 2019 ?