driving license

[gerrybyrne]

I have a current Full Driving License in Ireland. I can bring an International license with me to Canada.
I know the International license is valid for visitors to Canada but is it valid If I obtain my permanent residency to Canada and if so for how long. I do realise that I will eventually have to take a driving test in Canada.

 

[Leon]

You can drive on your international license for up to a year. I can not say for all provinces what the procedure is to change license but it can be somewhat of a hassle unless you are from the handful of countries that have DL exchange agreements with Canada. I know the UK does but Ireland, I think not.

I can tell you what my experience was in AB. In AB like in most other provinces these days, there is a graduated DL program. That means that you go through certain stages of licensing before you get a full license. So basically, for someone who never had a license before, in AB, stage 1 is you take the written exam and get a learners license which allows you to drive only with somebody else (bring your mother ) and not at night , stage 2 is you get to take a basic road test and get a so called GDL license that allows you to drive by yourself but you must maintain a 0 alcohol level and you will lose your license at 8 demerit points instead of 15, stage 3, you take an advanced road test and get a full license. Normally there is a 1 year waiting time between stage 1 and 2 and a 2 year waiting time between stage 2 and 3. However, if you have a foreign license, they will send it to the Alberta government and they will basically approve you to take the road test earlier.

What I did was, I got the book, studied, took the written test, got my learners license and handed in my original license to be sent to the AB government. The registry actually gave me the wrong information because they said the government would phone me once they had approved it and it would take 6 to 8 weeks. When the government hadn't called me after 7 weeks, I called the registry to get the number of the government office responsible and they told me that it was already approved and that it takes 2-4 weeks, not 6 to 8 and that they never call anybody, you have to check with them to find out when it's approved. Then I went to take the road test. Since I didn't have a proper translation of my license, they did not want to approve me as having had a license for over 2 years so they only let me take the stage 2 test but that was all I needed anyway. The only difference with the full license is that you are allowed a beer or two and you can get 15 points before you lose it and you can train to drive a taxi or a truck if you want.

Other provinces may have slightly different rules and procedures and they might also have different names for their stages of licensing but it's basically very similar.

 

[gerrybyrne]

Thanks a lot for the detailed reply. I very much appreciate your help.

 

[PMM]

Hi

I have a current Full Driving License in Ireland. I can bring an International license with me to Canada.
I know the International license is valid for visitors to Canada but is it valid If I obtain my permanent residency to Canada and if so for how long. I do realise that I will eventually have to take a driving test in Canada.

1. A PR has to exchange or acquire a Provincial license within 90 days in most provinces. Depending on the Province where you are going to settle, you will have to go through the test/exam and get a new license. Ontario, Alberta, will exchange UK licenses, while BC will not. So if you can get a UK license it might be a good idea.

PMM