How to Get Canadian Driving License -for Newcomers

[Leon]

Since your license is from the US, if you want credit for driving experience, you should get the driving abstract from Alabama.

 

[future2010]

thanks Leon for your response!

So I will just go to the Ontario and hand over my driver license along with my abstract and they will give me the Canadian driver licence the type G?

 

[mjm]

Thanks Leon for sharing the tips and your experience.

Qorax, how was your experience in ON. Especially you have been in Dubai and got straight exit test.

 

[abelkwh]

I will share my experience if it helps. You should study the driver handbook well before you try for the exam. On my written exam (Alberta) which was actually not written, it was taken on a computer, they asked about the meaning of some traffic signs, they asked about speed limits, they asked how close you can follow behind an ambulance (that one I remember because I did not know it and had to guess). They also asked what is the parking lane for on the highway and what are the speed limits and time periods you have to adhere to them in a school zone or a playground zone.

If you fail the written exam, you can take it again the next day, it's not a big deal. A couple of years ago, it cost around $16 or 17. I don't know how much it is now.

Once you have passed the written exam and have qualified to take the road test, you book an appointment. I can't speak for Ontario but in AB, they are booked by registry offices and you need to bring a car. If you do not have a car, you can often arrange to rent one. You may bring a car with an automatic transmission if you prefer. You should be very careful when driving. Do not exceed the speed limit, always properly mirror and shoulder check as well as signal before you change lanes. When he makes you park, make sure you signal when you leave the parking spot as well. I only took the basic road test because I could not prove my driving experience and it was easy. I can not speak for the advanced road tests but I knew someone with a lot of driving experience who failed it only because he was driving a little carelessly, not keeping both hands on the wheel, not properly signaling lane changes or shoulder checking etc. If you fail it, it is also not a big deal because you may take it again, maybe not right away the next day and it costs a bit more but it's not like they bar you from driving forever if you fail it the first time.

Hi Leon

I plan to land in calgary in late July for 2 weeks then return again sometime later, in these 2 weeks, do u think there is sufficient time to take the drivers licence exam? My precursors are : i used to have an alberta DL but exchanged for an Oregon licence long ago and have already expired but i still have the licence. I currently hold a Singapore DL and a China DL, both obtained more than 10 yrs ago and have been holding it valid since i left the US.

1) Do i have to provide a residing address to take the test?
2) Can i book the test just a few days before the exam and take the test within the 2 weeks?
3) What other documents do they need besides the landing papers and the passport?
4) Do i have to take the driving test with a rented car if i do not have a vehicle on hand.
5) Any other things i need to know to register and before i register for the test.
6) Where and which site can i get the study material for the theory exam before i land in calgary.

Thanks and appreciate!

 

[GODLOVEME]

HIIII,

I AM FROM INDIA BUT NOW AUSTRALIA AND I HAVE AUS - LIC. FROM LAST 1.5 YEARS AND AUS HAVY LIC. FROM LAST THREE MONTHS SO CAN I EXCHANGE IN CANADA AND DO I HAVE TO TAKE DRIVING TEST ALSO MY WIFE HAS AUS LIC. FROM LAST 6 MONTHS. SO WHAT ABOUT HER...

WE BOTH HAVE INDIAN LIC. FROM LAST 5 TO 6 YEARS....

 

[aybee]

HIIII,

I AM FROM INDIA BUT NOW AUSTRALIA AND I HAVE AUS - LIC. FROM LAST 1.5 YEARS AND AUS HAVY LIC. FROM LAST THREE MONTHS SO CAN I EXCHANGE IN CANADA AND DO I HAVE TO TAKE DRIVING TEST ALSO MY WIFE HAS AUS LIC. FROM LAST 6 MONTHS. SO WHAT ABOUT HER...

WE BOTH HAVE INDIAN LIC. FROM LAST 5 TO 6 YEARS....

if you are talking about Ontario then please read the first post on this thread by Qorax.

It is written "Reciprocal License Exchange Agreement exists between Ontario and: US, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Germany, France, UK, Austria & Belgium."

For other Provinces :

BC has driving license exchange agreements with other Canadian provinces and territories, the United States, Britain, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and South Korea.

Alberta has driving license exchange agreements with other Canadian provinces and territories, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, United Kingdom (not including Northern Ireland).

Saskatchewan has driving license exchange agreements with other Canadian provinces and territories, United States, the United Kingdom (including England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar), Switzerland, South Korea, Germany or Austria,

Neither in Quebec....

So you can't not exchange in these provinces...

 

[anushauc]

If you look at http://www.drivetest.ca/en/license/ExchangeReciprocal.aspx it says at the bottom of the page that YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE MUST NOT BE EXPIRED FOR MORE THAN A YEAR AT THE TIME OF EXCHANGE IN ORDER TO BE VALID. so I would assume that this is true if the license is expired but expired less than a year at the time of swapping.

it also says that United States (applicants from Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Vermont must provide a driving abstract dated within 6 months); so I would assume that for Texas, you need driving records.

Leon,

Thanks again
You guys are amazing.

I am trying to get it through some friends and have emailed the DMV as well and will wait for their response which I should get this week.
Let me hope for the best.

Qorax / Leon,

Our licences are valid until 2014-16 respectively. There is a small fine print stating that our status in US expired on the Jan 15th. So I guess that we will be able to swap once we have the papers from Texas DMV without any hassle ( hopefully in the next 3-4 weeks ).
My husband has a IDPL from India to cover us until the above. He also has the particulars letter in case of need. We are hoping for the best

Regards,
AnushaUC

 

[docv]

hi captain dutta ,

as always u hv been a great help to all of us here.i would like to ask u one question reg DL. as i was in oman for two and half yrs and have my DL issued from there which is still valid but i came back in aug2008 can i use that licence otherwise i am having licence issued from india which was issued almost twenty yrs back what r my options.problem is i am in delhi and this licence was issued from kanpur.
thanks a lot
doc v.

 

[Leon]

If you have two valid drivers licenses, you can use either one but you need the driving abstract to prove your driving experience from the country that the license is from and you need a translation of the license if it's not in French or English.

 

[aamer43]

Dear Qorax,

Do i need to pictures of all the goods to follow e.g Kitchen items

I am very confused, please clarify pictures of which items are required.

 

[qorax]

hi captain dutta ,

as always u hv been a great help to all of us here.i would like to ask u one question reg DL. as i was in oman for two and half yrs and have my DL issued from there which is still valid but i came back in aug2008 can i use that licence otherwise i am having licence issued from india which was issued almost twenty yrs back what r my options.problem is i am in delhi and this licence was issued from kanpur.
thanks a lot
doc v.

As Sr. Leon advised u, u can use either. But, u also need to obtain the Letter of Authenticity from your MTO. Take it from either Oman, or from Delhi. Yes, even if u have the DL from Kanpur, Delhi can still issue that letter, but with some headaches (read greasing).

From Oman, your previous company's PRO can obtain it for u. If not a PRO, then your physical presense will be required, that'd be a problem for u, I guess.

 

[qorax]

Dear Qorax,

Do i need to pictures of all the goods to follow e.g Kitchen items

I am very confused, please clarify pictures of which items are required.

Only the Jewelry pics. Not any other item's.

 

[GODLOVEME]

Re: How to Get Canadian Driving License -for Newcomers
« Reply #7 on: April 28, 2010, 08:11:27 pm »
Reply with quoteQuote

Let me add one more country which is Australia, if you have a Australian license you can get the Ontario license straightaway, this is a new agreement recently came out.

Regards
Saki

if you are talking about Ontario then please read the first post on this thread by Qorax.

It is written "Reciprocal License Exchange Agreement exists between Ontario and: US, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Germany, France, UK, Austria & Belgium."

For other Provinces :

BC has driving license exchange agreements with other Canadian provinces and territories, the United States, Britain, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and South Korea.

Alberta has driving license exchange agreements with other Canadian provinces and territories, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, United Kingdom (not including Northern Ireland).

Saskatchewan has driving license exchange agreements with other Canadian provinces and territories, United States, the United Kingdom (including England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar), Switzerland, South Korea, Germany or Austria,

Neither in Quebec....

So you can't not exchange in these provinces...

 

[qorax]

Thanks Leon for sharing the tips and your experience.

Qorax, how was your experience in ON. Especially you have been in Dubai and got straight exit test.

Hi,

1. Further to Sr. Leon's awesome practical & personal info.
2. I came here with the IDP/IDL, as well as the Letter of Authenticity from RTA-Dubai.
3. The letter stated my 'over 11yrs of driving exp' and a 'no violation report'.

Day-2:
My friend got me the Driving Book, issued by MTO-Canada, costs $15, available at many shops. He bought it from Canadian Tire.

Day-3:
Hired a Driving Instructor (MTO Certified). Refered by my friend. Started practicing, though I'm a pretty good driver, driving since long, in similar road & traffic management country, Dubai. Left hand drive.

Costs $25/hr. The chap was a real gem. Gave me some great advice/s. Remember, here in Canada, there's a problem of left turns... No dedicated signal (in most places), unlike Dubai... And requires some serious practice, plus nerves... U'll know when u come.

Besides, some traffic signals & signs r also not the same. Practically Dubai driving is more easier & better managed. This does require getting accustomed to... And obtaining a few lessons is a Must, even if we r from the Gulf or Europe or the Americas. I advise everyone to at least take few lessons, I took 6.

Rent-a-Car:
Same day rented a Car. From Enterprise-Brampton. Again thru my friend's referral. Got an awesome deal. Note: with our IDP/IDL we can drive here for 2 months. But, as we r newcomers, 50% of the rental price goes for the Insurance. And here the guys will fleece u on that. Nonetheless, got a hefty discount. Courtesy my friend. He's a Toronto Cop.

Now, why I'm writing that? 'coz, of 2 reasons.

One, it's wise to practice driving as much as u can before u take the Road Tests. Especially on the 4 series highways. That gives u some enormous confidence, in a foreign land, even if u r a good driver.

Two, for any & every reason, here in Canada, u cannot do w/out a car. U need to be highly mobile, for even fetching your groceries. Though there r Convenience Stores everywhere, but to obtain the deals, u need to drive to those locales. I'm doing my complete purchasing from Walmart. In Dubai, used to do so from Carrefour. Both r similar. Electronics: Future Shop & Best Buy. Furnitures: The Bricks & Lazy Boy.

Day-3 to Day-5:
Read the complete MTO Book, first. Then started practicing for the G1-Written Test, online at Apna Toronto, see the link here: http://www.apnatoronto.com/ontario-g1-practice-test.html

A special mention on Apna Toronto. They r amazing. 100% questions come from here. This site has all the questions that Drive Test Canada has for the Written Test. Either Apna Toronto is too smart, or Drive Test Canada hasn't changed/updated their system of testing, for long. Lethargic? Good for us.

Day-6:
Went to Drive Test Center, Oakville. Why? At Most centers we have to take the written test online. Though time is not a factor, u can pretty much sit for the whole day, but correcting a response becomes a headache online, plus the anxiety of taking a test takes a toll when u do it on computer.

But, at Oakville it's a different ball game. U take the Written Test on Paper & Pencil. It's more Relaxed. At least for me... Others might differ.

The Procedure:
A. Stand in line, take the No. Turn came in 5 minutes.
B. Went to the 'called' counter. Shown the Dubai License & the Authenticity Letter.
C. She took the original, made a copy & returned me the Original & the Dubai DL.
D. I told her I didn't need the original, she said she didn't either. Amazing!
E. Asked for my ID. Showed my Passport & the COPR. She took it's copies.
F. Filled up their form/s. Most was already done by her on the system. Just a few questions & sign.
G. She informed me that I can go straight for the G2 Road Test. Leading to a G License.
F. Paid the fees. $85. Written Test-$10, G2 Road test-$75. Paid thru Cr. Card (TD Canada Trust).
G. She took my Eye Test. Yes, at the same counter. She stopped me in between & said it was fine.
H. Got a Yellow Paper, actually copy of the form. And the receipt of the Fees.
J. Directed me to go to the Written Test room. Just next door.

Note: Another Plus for taking the Driving Instructor. The guy knew everyone in the Drive Test Center. Including the lady. And told me she was the best. He did some small talks all along with her. And oh, she was very friendly to us. That eased the process a lot. Besides, the knowledge of taking me to Oakville instead of other Centers.

Took the test:
-2 Papers. One for the Signs, and the other for Signals & Driving skills/conditions.
-20+20=40 questions in all. Each was from Apna Toronto. Same pics.
-I took 10 minutes to complete the Test.
-Deposited the paper. Took another 10 minutes to get a call.
-The girl asked me in jest, whether I passed. I said, 'God & U knew better'.
-She replied, 'Congratulations, u have been successful for the next stage'.
-And gave me my paper/s to check. I saw that I did one mistake in each. Total 2 wrong answers.
-Simple mistakes, and I already had a doubt about those 2 ques. Their answers were close.
-Nonetheless, I passed. And that was a great feeling.

Note: The pass mark is 85%. Which means, at most u can do 2 ques wrong in each paper. So, beware and practice enough. However, as Sr. Leon suggested, there's no harm in failing. U can take the test again the very next day. But, a failure puts a dent on your confidence level.

Day-10:
My G2 Road Test day. Went to Lindsay. 2hrs drive from Toronto. Supposed to be the 'easiest' Drive Test Center. As opined by my Driving Instructor. Boy, what a place! An awesome town out of nowhere. The best part was to visit the town. So beautiful, clean, cold, great Bakeries, nice ppl, 5 Lakes in the vicinity... A perfect Weekend Getaway. I've promised that I'll visit again.

If I passed, I'd get the G License. The full license. So, what happened?
I Failed...

Took all the jing bangs... Driving in town, speed 50 Kmph & on the Highway, speed 80 Kmph here (my major problem). Other places, the Highway Speed is 100 Kmph. What's in the test?

-Parallel Parking,
-Emergency Parking,
-Uphill Parking,
-Downhill Parking,
-Reverse Parking,
-Plenty of Lane changes,
-Left-Right turns from Signal & w/out,
-Driving in Controlled Speed.

On return, she said, 'U drive well Sir, but I'm sorry I can't pass u. U drive very fast. Dangerous Driving'. That's what was written on my Yellow Paper.

Uhh, if only I had slowed... We r used to driving at 180-200 Kmph in Dubai, u Dubaians know that, but Speed Control is the name of the game here. Not 1 Kmph excess is permitted for Passing the Road Tests, Beware. Not that I didn't try... But we tend to overshoot, that's a bad habit we gain for being an experienced driver.

Note: If u r a new driver, u'd certainly pass here. Experienced drivers... A different story! We carry our follies over the days & they keep piling, I guess.

End Result:
1. I lost my one & only chance of taking a direct G license.
2. Now, I have to take the G2 license.
3. And there's a Wait of 10 days, for taking another road test.

Day-24:
I had to wait 14 days for another Road Test Appointment. These appts r taken online. We have to pay the Fees before, either online or in the Drive Test Center. I paid at Lindsay. $40 for a G1 Road Test, that leads to the G2 License.

This time my Center was at Guelph. 45 minutes drive from Toronto. Another supposedly 'easier' Drive Test Center. These info u get if u r with a Driving Instructor. Now u know that, don't u?

Another wise aspect of obtaining that Instructor... Again here he knew everyone. Deposited my G1 License, 30 minutes prior to the Exam time (that's the rule). He started small talks with the lady & an Examiner -who was also nearby.

The Examiner asked me if I wanted to take the Test imdtly, rather than waiting half an hr, as he was Free, his appt, apparently didn't turn up. My Driving Instructor jumped in to accept that. Later he informed me that he was the nicest guy in the Center.

Took the Test...
The Examiner was purely God Send. Such a nice gentleman, humorous, cool, amicable et all. He started by calming my nerves down, though I didn't require that... But was sure a bit hyper. Before kicking in, he made small talks about my landing, my family, from where I was etc.

And after 5-10 minutes of it, he softly enquired whether I was ready, else I could take my time. I replied in positive. Then he explained the Test. And told me to roll on.

Ditto... The test, as explained earlier. All those moves... But not Highway driving this time. The total test was inside the city. I literally kept to the posted speed limits. Kept watching the Round Signs, sometimes it was 60, and at times the posted limit was 50 Kmph.

We returned in 20-25 minutes.
Results: I passed. Got the G2 Driving License.

Note: There's not much difference between the two, the G2 & the G. As Sr. Leon replied earlier, the G2 is only for 5yrs. Meanwhile I need to obtain the G. While the G License is lifelong. Moreover, in G2 we need to be sober all the time and we get double the Demerit Points in case of a folly.

Now, I'm relaxing for some time, before I attempt the G.

-I hope this post quenched all your queries.
-And regret the long post. Some members r jittery of which.
-But, I always chose to write long ones, 'coz I believe, what I did wrong, u shouldn't.
-Besides, what's with my experiences, if u do not benefit from it?

Good luck, fellas!
Qorax

 

[Leon]

Wow Qorax, they sound really organized in ON.

In AB, I went to the registry and they said I would have to give them my original DL and they would mail it to the AB government to figure out if I would be allowed to take the road test without waiting a year. They also made a copy of my international drivers license but gave it back to me. They said it would take about 6 weeks for the AB government to process it and that they would let me know.

They offered me if I wanted to take the written exam now or later. I said I might as well do it right away. I had already studied for it. In AB, you can get the drivers handbook at the registries where you can also take the test. I had the choice between doing it on computer or paper. I chose computer. I do not remember any more how many questions or how many you could have wrong. After doing the test, I did the eye test. I passed both. Then they gave me a slip of paper acting as my learners license until I would actually get my learners license in the mail which takes a couple of weeks. A learners license only allows you to drive with someone else, same as a G1 license in ON.

After 6 or 8 weeks when I had not heard anything from the AB government about being allowed to take my road test, I phoned them and they said that the registry was wrong about two things, that for one thing, they never let people know when they have processed their license and for another, the registry was wrong about it taking 6 weeks, they said it usually takes about 2 weeks.

Then I booked a road test and arranged for a car that the registry would rent from a nearby driving school. I came there, met with the examiner and as I had no letter to prove driving experience, I could only take the basic road test for a GDL licence (same as G2 in ON) and it was not that hard. I had to drive around a little bit. Park the car etc. I got marked down for not properly shoulder checking for lane change and for not signalling when I pulled out of the parking spot but I passed and so I got a slip of paper again to act as my GDL license until I got it in the mail.

In AB, privately owned registries handle the licensing and the experience can differ a lot between them. I have had many co-workers who came on temp work permits with DL's that they could do a direct exchange of and each one of them had a different experience with the exchange. One was even given an AB license with all possible classes on it, motorcycle, taxi, you name it.

As for needing a car in Canada, it is not a must, depends on where you live, but it makes things a lot easier. I did not have a car for several years after I moved to Canada but I organized my life to fit around that. If you don't have a car, you do not consider living anywhere that you don't have public transport and shopping nearby and it also influences where you can work. If you buy furniture, you arrange to have it delivered. If you buy something not big enough to require delivery but too big to carry home, you can get a taxi. Otherwise you can take the bus or train.