Issue with New Jersey Driver License Exchange in Ontario

[steaky]

Hello, thanks for sharing your experience! I had the same bad experience yesterday. My NJ driver license is still valid, I worked in NJ in 2006-2008, and went back to NJ in 2018 again so I had two driver license with same number, I got the non-certified driver history abstract, DriveTest employee said it is not enough and not showing my license issuance/expiry date, but is printed on my license. Due to Covid 19 I can’t go back to NJ to collect the certified history abstract through mail, anyone knows if the certified abstract mail can be forwarded by US post? I know the User ID mail is not forwarded. Thanks!

You cannot find a friend in the US to help you forward the letter?

 

[Meimei99]

You cannot find a friend in the US to help you forward the letter?

No one in my old address can forward the mail so I have requested US post to forward all my mails my friend’s home address, but NJ MVC has clearly mentioned the user ID mail ( needed to request driver abstract online ) will not be forwarded by US post, I don’t know if same applies for the mail for the certified abstract itself . Or I have to change my address with MVC.

 

[steaky]

No one in my old address can forward the mail so I have requested US post to forward all my mails my friend’s home address, but NJ MVC has clearly mentioned the user ID mail ( needed to request driver abstract online ) will not be forwarded by US post, I don’t know if same applies for the mail for the certified abstract itself . Or I have to change my address with MVC.

You were wrong about traveling during Covid 19. Although travel is discourage, one can still travel to the US from Canada.

 

[Meimei99]

License was renewed couple of times. Do you need to send the form for each renewal ?

Hello, which option did you check for the DO-11 form request? The copy of driver license application or Issue Date of driver ? Thanks !

 

[contactnaresh]

Hello friends
Here is my Case: I recently moved from the US to Canada and need to apply for Ontario License. I have 4 years driving history in the US (3years in NJ and 1 in Massachusetts). From the above conversation, I got the idea that I have to fill-in Form DO-11 and sent it to NJ Trenton DMV.
My Queries:

1. Do I also have to fill in Form DO-21?
2. I just want a Certified copy of my driving history along with the issue date, so what should be the total amount I have to pay?
3. Moreover, I want to know how to make the payment check from Canada. I believe I cannot order a money order/Certified Check from Ontario that is payable to NJ DMV. Can I simply issue a check from my checkbook?

Please share your thoughts/suggestions.

 

[g20nik]

Hello friends
Here is my Case: I recently moved from the US to Canada and need to apply for Ontario License. I have 4 years driving history in the US (3years in NJ and 1 in Massachusetts). From the above conversation, I got the idea that I have to fill-in Form DO-11 and sent it to NJ Trenton DMV.
My Queries:

1. Do I also have to fill in Form DO-21?
2. I just want a Certified copy of my driving history along with the issue date, so what should be the total amount I have to pay?
3. Moreover, I want to know how to make the payment check from Canada. I believe I cannot order a money order/Certified Check from Ontario that is payable to NJ DMV. Can I simply issue a check from my checkbook?

Please share your thoughts/suggestions.

hi @contactnaresh. I also moved from US to Canada, have driving history in Massachusetts and NJ. I think I can get the Massachusetts history online, but for NJ they need to send the user id to NJ address (I have left that place, so not sure if I can get it as auto forward also doesn't work for these userids). It seems the only way is to mail them the DO-11 and Do-21 forms for each renewal (I had one renewal in NJ).

Were you able to get your NJ license exchanged? Any suggestions?

 

[Meimei99]

First, I want to thank everyone on this site for providing their experience with the NJ to Ontario license exchange. I was able to use this valuable information to navigate my way through the process of the exchange - which is insanely and unnecessarily complicated for NJ! I would like to share my experience as it may prove helpful for others.
Some background on my transfer: I’ve had a NJ license for about 25+ years, which means after I got it the first time around, I’ve had to renew it many times as they expire every 4 years.
What Ontario is looking for is 2 years of driving experience in the last 3 years and a current valid driving status with no suspensions.
I did the route of getting the driving record (both certified complete and 5 year), along with the infamous DO-11 mentioned on this forum. My current active license was just renewed in April 2019, which means an active license and the driving record with no initial licensing date is a problem. I even managed to find ALL my expired licenses and thought that was my lucky day because I have all the cards with the same record and no break in licensing activity. However, on my first visit without the DO-11, I was told old and current licenses along with a certified driving record cannot be submitted as proof of driving history in their eyes.
For the DO-11, it does get sent to Canada if you put the Canadian address in the first section of the request form. However, as mentioned by someone on this forum, what you get in return from the NJMVC explicitly states that they CAN destroy records three years after the expiration date of a document (I.e., license renewal). This means when you request a DO-11, the oldest information you may possibly get is limited if you’ve had a record for a long time like me. My DO-11 included a Transaction File Record for a license that expired in 2015, just a bit over 4 years ago. In the DO-11, they also included a sheet called Driver Inquiry that only gives you the information of your CURRENT active license. So in my case, it says expiration is set for 2023 for a license I renewed in 2019. This Driver Inquiry does not give me any more date information than my current driver license does (as I have no suspensions). Drive test rejected this because the DO-11 form I got has documentation of a license that expired in 2015 but nothing to detail the license that expired in 2019. There were many questions on this site to ask whether you need to get a DO-11 for every license you had. From what I received, I did not get my full history with one request. However, I suppose if you submit a DO-11 form with a specific date of when your last expired license was renewed, 2015 in my case, perhaps that would be good to fulfill the 2 out of last 3 years rule. Don’t do what I did for the DO-11 form request (put initial licensing date) if you have had many renewals.
Now, the complicated part is that the Drivetest employees are looking for a document called “Driver Abstract Inquiry” when it comes to NJ. This is part of their script somehow and they are trained to look for this document which they believe has the entire record of initial licensing date and all subsequent renewals. From all the hours I’ve spent trying to ask for this document, it seems that it really doesn’t exist. I even reached out to the Customer Advocacy office in Trenton and they told me the same thing - it doesn’t exist. The closest thing is the DO-11 form. There is someone on the forum that mentioned that the initial licensing date was provided in the DO-11 form but I could not get this. Perhaps it is possible for someone who got their first NJ license within the past few years and only had one renewal.
The key to remember in this whole process is that if you’ve had a license for a very long time, the initial licensing date is not that important. Sure, you want to get credit for all your years of driving so you get better insurance rates but you can do this directly with the insurance company. If you get insurance with an american company that operates in Canada, they can access your US insurance history and credit that way.
Request the DO-11 form with the initial date of your last expired license (or current one if you are still on your first) and it should be fine. I say should because I went another route that worked as well, though it may not for others. Instead of asking for another DO-11 form with different dates and waiting 3 more weeks, I tried again and brought my 5 year abstract along with my current and all expired licenses. Most people don’t have all these cards so it really is a method that may not work for all. The 5-year abstract and the licenses alone were not enough when I first tried. This time, I went to the NJMVC website and printed out the page that says the 5-year abstract covers a person’s record for the LAST 5 years and showed them. For some reason, the Drivetest office also thinks a 5-year abstract isn’t necessarily the last five years and is any 5 years!?!? When I did this, they went back to their script to ask for this non-existent Driver Abstract Inquiry form with the initial licensing date and all renewal dates. I calmly asked them, why do you even need this type of document when what I have shown you gives you documentation for the 2 out of last 3 years rule for a G license? I didn’t care if they credited all my 25+ years of US driving history, I’m ok with just 5 and the license exchange. She thought about this, consulted with many people, then issued the exchange.
Good luck to all and I hope this helps.

Hello, did they take off your NJ license and didn’t return to you ? I was told only one license is allowed in US and CA, we can’t hold license for both country, it is really an exchange !

 

[sach429]

No one in my old address can forward the mail so I have requested US post to forward all my mails my friend’s home address, but NJ MVC has clearly mentioned the user ID mail ( needed to request driver abstract online ) will not be forwarded by US post, I don’t know if same applies for the mail for the certified abstract itself . Or I have to change my address with MVC.

I changed my address (online) to my friend's address and the user id was sent there. After I had the user id, I requested the abstract (online) and the abstract was sent to the same (changed) address. But, yeah, I was disappointed to see that no mention of license issue date which was more important to me to prove my actual driving experience and get a better insurance rate. I even destroyed the actual NJ driver's license when I moved to Virginia so I can't produce the actual voided license to show the issue date. Luckily, the Virginia abstract shows the issue date but the insurance rate is still higher than expected. I am hoping to visit a ServiceOntario location, show the abstract and an old photo of my NJ driver's license and see whether they accept it.

 

[sach429]

Hello, did they take off your NJ license and didn’t return to you ? I was told only one license is allowed in US and CA, we can’t hold license for both country, it is really an exchange !

I was carrying a Virigina license but I guess it applies for any state when you do an exchange. Yes, they took the original abstract and the physical driver's license at the ServiceOntario location.

 

[goofy123]

Hello , My current license was issued on January 2017 ,because that's when I last renewed it.They gave me full G license because just by looking at the this license it was clear I had more than 2 years of driving experience in the US. I got it right away. So if you can prove you have more than 2 years of experience you should be good.

Hello Joshua2018, you mean to say that you showed just your current NJ license and neither the driver history abstract (DO-21) nor the transaction file record (DO-11) and that you still got ON license? Also, can you please update which DriveTest center you visited..?

I am facing the same issue now (driver license issue date not avl in driver history abstract), even though it is clear in the license itself. The abstract does say "Current status - in good standing". Also, if there is a break in the licenses, will they consider only the last/latest one? Any reply from anyone is much appreciated! Thanks.

 

[mitwa1990]

My EXPERIENCE in getting "G" driving license

Before I came to Canada, I contacted NJ DMV by filing online form to provide me Date of Issue of Driver and Abstract History. Date of Issue of Driver application should be sent by postal mail. Make sure to also have all the expired licenses with you.

I went to the Oakville,ON drivetest area. Service Ontario wont provide you with your first driving license.

Once I reached the booth, I provided her with my active driving license, all the expired driving license and date of issue of driver that I received from NJ DMV. They took all my driving license and gave me the "G" license.


Things to keep in mind:

- If you dont have all the expired driving license (because you disposed them or any other reason), fill the form D0-11 form and send it to DMV using postal mail and ask for all the copies of driving license you had over the years. They will charge $15 for every copy they send it to you. You need to select the option as "Copy of Driving License Application". So in my case I renewed my DL 4 times over the years but I didn't had 2 of DL. So I paid $30 ($15 each) to receive the certified copy of the driving license that was missing.
- If you have all the expired driving license then you just need the abstract history. You can order that online or through mail.

They will require the continuity of all the driving license that you had over the period of years.

 

[bluehorse]

Hello Joshua2018, you mean to say that you showed just your current NJ license and neither the driver history abstract (DO-21) nor the transaction file record (DO-11) and that you still got ON license? Also, can you please update which DriveTest center you visited..?

I am facing the same issue now (driver license issue date not avl in driver history abstract), even though it is clear in the license itself. The abstract does say "Current status - in good standing". Also, if there is a break in the licenses, will they consider only the last/latest one? Any reply from anyone is much appreciated! Thanks.

Did you get an answer for your question ? What did you do finally ? I'm in the same situation as you're ...

 

[Mars18]

I am also moving from NJ soon, so I will request this information now. I do have one question on the form. What does "Date you want covered" mean in Section B.

Did you have any issues with exchanging your lisence?

 

[frankfz]

My EXPERIENCE in getting "G" driving license

Before I came to Canada, I contacted NJ DMV by filing online form to provide me Date of Issue of Driver and Abstract History. Date of Issue of Driver application should be sent by postal mail. Make sure to also have all the expired licenses with you.

I went to the Oakville,ON drivetest area. Service Ontario wont provide you with your first driving license.

Once I reached the booth, I provided her with my active driving license, all the expired driving license and date of issue of driver that I received from NJ DMV. They took all my driving license and gave me the "G" license.


Things to keep in mind:

- If you dont have all the expired driving license (because you disposed them or any other reason), fill the form D0-11 form and send it to DMV using postal mail and ask for all the copies of driving license you had over the years. They will charge $15 for every copy they send it to you. You need to select the option as "Copy of Driving License Application". So in my case I renewed my DL 4 times over the years but I didn't had 2 of DL. So I paid $30 ($15 each) to receive the certified copy of the driving license that was missing.
- If you have all the expired driving license then you just need the abstract history. You can order that online or through mail.

They will require the continuity of all the driving license that you had over the period of years.

Thanks for sharing your experience here! I'm in a similar situation here so wondering if it is really the case that if I have all expired driving license I just need the abstract history (ordered online showing no issue date)? Because I see that in your case you submitted all expired driving licenses and date of issue of driver but not the abstract history. Did they tell you you could also do that?

I have all expired NJ licenses, abstract history ordered online as well as all receipts I got when I applied for those old NJ licenses. Do you think these will work?

 

[A J]

I had a very bad exp with them in 2019. they have some beef with NJ. the truth is that you only find out the truth when you go there thinking you are all prepared and they mock at you as if you are an animal in a cage in a zoo. you need to do this - "fill the form D0-11 form and send it to DMV using postal mail and ask for all the copies of driving license you had over the years." - this they will and only happily accept - show them originals which will come back in mail from NJ - will take 2-3 weeks once they receive it. do heavy lifting now to avoid stress standing in line in their offices and dealing with the most profound robotic idiots ever created by humans - they do not have a soul. will forever burn in hell and their families will rot (just a man's opinion/wish)!