Can non resident Canadian drive with foreign DL while also maintaining his Ontario DL?

[Jan_119]

Hi, I'm a non-resident Canadian planning to rent a car with my foreign drivers license when I visit my family in Canada.
I also have a valid Ontario drivers license which I got when I lived in Ontario.
Even though I have 20+ years of driving experience, I had to go through the whole Ontario graduated licensing program because my country of residence has no license exchange agreement with Canada. I don't want to go through that hassle again when I move back to Canada in the future so I've kept my Ontario drivers license and maintained it's validity using my parents home address after moving abroad.
My question is, will there be any problem in terms of accident insurance or if I get pulled over at a traffic stop if I use my foreign driver's license to rent a car and drive around whenever I visit Ontario while maintainig my Ontario drivers license?
Another question is... having severed all ties to Canada, except for my Ontario drivers license, is there any penalty for only maintaining (not using) my Canadian drivers license as a nonresident Canadian? Thanks in advance..

 

[navinball]

Why not rent a car with ontario license?

 

[Buletruck]

Hi, I'm a non-resident Canadian planning to rent a car with my foreign drivers license when I visit my family in Canada.
I also have a valid Ontario drivers license which I got when I lived in Ontario.
Even though I have 20+ years of driving experience, I had to go through the whole Ontario graduated licensing program because my country of residence has no license exchange agreement with Canada. I don't want to go through that hassle again when I move back to Canada in the future so I've kept my Ontario drivers license and maintained it's validity using my parents home address after moving abroad.
My question is, will there be any problem in terms of accident insurance or if I get pulled over at a traffic stop if I use my foreign driver's license to rent a car and drive around whenever I visit Ontario while maintainig my Ontario drivers license?
Another question iss. having severed all ties to Canada, except for my Ontario drivers license, is there any penalty for only maintaining (not using) my Canadian drivers license as a nonresident Canadian? Thanks in advance..

Technically, its illegal to hold more than one drivers license in Canada. That said, I held three at one time for the same reasons you stated. As long as the license you use to rent the car is the license you show if your stopped it should cause issues. Keep the Ontario DL out of sight if you choose not to use it while driving.

 

[navinball]

Technically, its illegal to hold more than one drivers license in Canada. That said, I held three at one time for the same reasons you stated. As long as the license you use to rent the car is the license you show if your stopped it should cause issues. Keep the Ontario DL out of sight if you choose not to use it while driving.

A simple name and dob search by the cop will show that he has an ontario license.

 

[subodhp]

A simple name and dob search by the cop will show that he has an ontario license.

Agree, showing a different license other than Ontario one will be of no benefit since they would use same info to figure that you possess an Ontario one. It is for this very reason that certain provinces retain foreign licenses after issuing their license.

I don't know however what is the legal process for disowning your Ontario license officially

 

[Jan_119]

A simple name and dob search by the cop will show that he has an ontario license.

Agree, showing a different license other than Ontario one will be of no benefit since they would use same info to figure that you possess an Ontario one. It is for this very reason that certain provinces retain foreign licenses after issuing their license.

I don't know however what is the legal process for disowning your Ontario license officially

Thanks. Also would my car rental insurance be considered void in this case? (if I use the foreign license for renting and driving on short visits but just hold on to my Ontario license).

 

[subodhp]

Thanks. Also would my car rental insurance be considered void in this case? (if I use the foreign license for renting and driving on short visits but just hold on to my Ontario license).

Your insurance would depend upon your relation with insurance provider (check their terms)and not on which license you showed at rental. Most of the insurance companies are only concerned about whether the insured driver was driving/under influence/with valid license.

 

[Buletruck]

A simple name and dob search by the cop will show that he has an ontario license.

Hence, the “technically illegal” statement. Whether they do a name search to determine if you have or had an Ontario DL, is irrelevant. If it’s not in your possession, they base it on the license you present. Been there done that. They have no idea what the DL requirements are in your country of residence and whether you’ve turned it in or not. As a non resident, there is some latitude there.

 

[navinball]

Hence, the “technically illegal” statement. Whether they do a name search to determine if you have or had an Ontario DL, is irrelevant. If it’s not in your possession, they base it on the license you present. Been there done that. They have no idea what the DL requirements are in your country of residence and whether you’ve turned it in or not. As a non resident, there is some latitude there.

That was in response to your statement 'keep ontario dl out of sight'. There is no way to hide it. Whether the cop decides to do a search is dependent on his luck that day.

 

[Buletruck]

Again, if it’s not in your possession, there is nothing they can do. All a background check does is identify you have held or currently hold an alternate license. If it’s not on you, there is no proof you still retain it. I’ve been through this. And consulted a lawyer about it. If you aren’t using it as ID, and don’t have it on your person, there is really nothing they can do. If the jurisdiction you obtain your other license from makes no effort it doesn’t require you to turn it over, you are in compliance with the laws of your country if residence. Don’t use it in Canada.

 

[Jan_119]

Again, if it’s not in your possession, there is nothing they can do. All a background check does is identify you have held or currently hold an alternate license. If it’s not on you, there is no proof you still retain it. I’ve been through this. And consulted a lawyer about it. If you aren’t using it as ID, and don’t have it on your person, there is really nothing they can do. If the jurisdiction you obtain your other license from makes no effort it doesn’t require you to turn it over, you are in compliance with the laws of your country if residence. Don’t use it in Canada.

Thanks. Also when I first applied for my Ontario DL (starting with G1), I was asked to provide full details of my foreign DL which I assume MTO has kept in their system. So now as a nonresident, if I get pulled over, and the cop does a search and finds my valid Ontario DL in the system, could I get charged with a false declaration on my DL application for using my parents' Ontario address to renew my Ontario DL?

 

[Buletruck]

I doubt it. The fact you are a non resident holding a license from that country, you aren’t in violation of the law. Again, just don’t carry it with you.
I was involved in a traffic accident in Vancouver and the officer saw both my Thai and Indonesian license and question why I had 2. Told him it was legal there to hold both. He asked about the Alberta license in the system and I told him I don’t have it (which I didn’t on my person). He asked to show him my wallet to confirm it, didn’t find one and left it at that.

 

[Jan_119]

I doubt it. The fact you are a non resident holding a license from that country, you aren’t in violation of the law. Again, just don’t carry it with you.
I was involved in a traffic accident in Vancouver and the officer saw both my Thai and Indonesian license and question why I had 2. Told him it was legal there to hold both. He asked about the Alberta license in the system and I told him I don’t have it (which I didn’t on my person). He asked to show him my wallet to confirm it, didn’t find one and left it at that.

I'm guessing that the effective date on your Alberta DL was before the effective date on your foreign DLs, then it's possible to think that you don't have your Alberta DL anymore (the cop assumed that your country of residence took your Canadian DL when they gave you your foreign DL).
In my case, the effective date on my Ontario DL is after the effective date on my foreign DL ( unlike Alberta, they did not take away my foreign DL when I applied for my Ontario DL) So the effective dates would prove that I still hold an active Ontario DL.

 

[Buletruck]

I had actually renewed the AB drivers license at the time I had been stopped. They didn’t seem to care. That said, I suspect it depends on how zealous the officer is.