Ontario Driver's License Exchange with a NJ Driver's License

[sn3888]

along with a check or money order ($15).

Hi.

First of all thanks for the detailed answer.
Do you know if I can get the USD check in Canada. If so where ?

Thanks again.

 

[swan0206]

For those who are trying to convert NewJersey driver license to Canadian license, here are some of my learnings. Along with your NJ license, you need some reports from NJMVC to get a Canadian license. Here are some learnings..
1. You need to submit 2 forms to NJMVC. The DO-21(for abstract history) and DO-11 (for start date evidence). Both these are mandatory. It is better to mail these forms along with a check or money order ($15). DO-21 has online feature but of late,the online system for DO-21 has some issues and the BEST OPTION IS TO MAIL THESE FORMS TO NJMVC.
2. After the form reaches NJMVC, it will take approximately 7 to 10 business days for you to get the reports in your mailbox.
4. Try to call them once you know that your forms have been received by NJMVC
5. If you are in USA, include your US address in Section A of your DO-11 and DO-21 forms and if you are in Canada, include your Canadian address. The NJMVC is sending these mails to Canada too.
6. Section B in both DO-11 and DO-21 forms need to carry your New Jersey address (as per the license records)
7. For every license renewal, a separate DO-11 form must be submitted. Example- If you had 4 licenses, 4 DO-11 forms are needed and 4 different checks or money orders are needed.There are 4 checkboxes in Section A of DO-11 and you need to choose one checkbox for each form.For the very first license you had from New Jersey, choose the checkbox "ISSUE DATE OF DRIVER". For the rest of renewals, choose the checkbox "COPY OF DRIVER LICENSE APPLICATION".
8. There is a section called " Date you want covered". The start date of your license must be filled in. If you have forgotten the start date in your license records, you can leave it blank and just fill the month. In the worst case where you have forgotten the month, just fill the year and call NJMVC after your application reaches them and tell them that you have forgotten the dates and hence left it blank. They should be able to retrieve your records.
9. MORE IMPORTANTLY, if you have the mail forward service for your NJ address, keep in mind that govt mails do not get delivered to forwarded such address. Hence add a valid US address or a Canadian address in Section A of both the DO-11 and DO-21 forms.

Wonderful post. By the way. I am done exchanging my license already here in Canada without the extract. But i still want to get my Drivers extracts from NJ and update my history here in Canada. As my license has already been exchanged any idea if they still be able to pull my records if i apply for one.


Thanks.

 

[deena.passion]

For the abstract, you just need one form which is the DO-21. You just need to have one money order or check of 15$. They should be able to retrieve your record no matter how old it is. The abstract that you get from NJMVC doesnt carry the issue date of your license and if you specifically need that, then you must submit DO-11 forms. In your case, you need to submit 3 DO-11 forms with 3 different checks or money orders and send them in a mail. Do not forget to add a photo copy of your ID (passport or any state/national ID) along with those forms and check. You can call 609-292-4102 for DO-11 related questions and 609-292-6100 for DO-21 (abstract) related queries.

 

[deena.passion]

Hi.

First of all thanks for the detailed answer.
Do you know if I can get the USD check in Canada. If so where ?

Thanks again.

I think you might have to check with Canada post or any bank as I dont have a clear answer. Fortunately, I had some checks from my US bank and it helped my case.

 

[swan0206]

What about my othe question do you have any idea on that.

For the abstract, you just need one form which is the DO-21. You just need to have one money order or check of 15$. They should be able to retrieve your record no matter how old it is. The abstract that you get from NJMVC doesnt carry the issue date of your license and if you specifically need that, then you must submit DO-11 forms. In your case, you need to submit 3 DO-11 forms with 3 different checks or money orders and send them in a mail. Do not forget to add a photo copy of your ID (passport or any state/national ID) along with those forms and check. You can call 609-292-4102 for DO-11 related questions and 609-292-6100 for DO-21 (abstract) related queries.

Thankyou. But do you think i need to submit 3 DO-11 forms as i already got my license exchanged? What details does generally abstract have? Does it not contain how many years of drivng history i have in US?

My only concern is if in future when i return back to US, will US would be able to consider my past driving history in US instead of considering only Canadian history that i have which will be only for 5 or 6 years.

 

[deena.passion]

If you go back to US, I'm sure the history both from Canada and US will be considered. The abstract doesnt explicitly mention the issue date and that is why you need those DO-11 forms. For the license, you must definitely have the abstract (through DO-21) and the certificate that you get through DO-11. For updating the history, I'm unsure if you need both (DO-11 and DO-21) or just the abstract would suffice. You might need to check what records are required to update the history. If it is for insurance purpose, then experience letters from your past insurance providers would be enough.

 

[swan0206]

If you go back to US, I'm sure the history both from Canada and US will be considered. The abstract doesnt explicitly mention the issue date and that is why you need those DO-11 forms. For the license, you must definitely have the abstract (through DO-21) and the certificate that you get through DO-11. For updating the history, I'm unsure if you need both (DO-11 and DO-21) or just the abstract would suffice. You might need to check what records are required to update the history. If it is for insurance purpose, then experience letters from your past insurance providers would be enough.

Sure. Thanks for your inputs.

 

[sn3888]

For the abstract, you just need one form which is the DO-21. You just need to have one money order or check of 15$. They should be able to retrieve your record no matter how old it is. The abstract that you get from NJMVC doesnt carry the issue date of your license and if you specifically need that, then you must submit DO-11 forms. In your case, you need to submit 3 DO-11 forms with 3 different checks or money orders and send them in a mail. Do not forget to add a photo copy of your ID (passport or any state/national ID) along with those forms and check. You can call 609-292-4102 for DO-11 related questions and 609-292-6100 for DO-21 (abstract) related queries.

Hey Deena.

When you say ID - Does it have to be a different ID than your driver license ? I sent a copy of my drivers license along with DO-11. You think that will work ?

 

[deena.passion]

Yes. Just a valid government ID which is unexpired is enough and your drivers license should work.

 

[jikkumohan]

For those who are trying to convert NewJersey driver license to Canadian license, here are some of my learnings. Along with your NJ license, you need some reports from NJMVC to get a Canadian license. Here are some learnings..
1. You need to submit 2 forms to NJMVC. The DO-21(for abstract history) and DO-11 (for start date evidence). Both these are mandatory. It is better to mail these forms along with a check or money order ($15). DO-21 has online feature but of late,the online system for DO-21 has some issues and the BEST OPTION IS TO MAIL THESE FORMS TO NJMVC.
2. After the form reaches NJMVC, it will take approximately 7 to 10 business days for you to get the reports in your mailbox.
4. Try to call them once you know that your forms have been received by NJMVC
5. If you are in USA, include your US address in Section A of your DO-11 and DO-21 forms and if you are in Canada, include your Canadian address. The NJMVC is sending these mails to Canada too.
6. Section B in both DO-11 and DO-21 forms need to carry your New Jersey address (as per the license records)
7. For every license renewal, a separate DO-11 form must be submitted. Example- If you had 4 licenses, 4 DO-11 forms are needed and 4 different checks or money orders are needed.There are 4 checkboxes in Section A of DO-11 and you need to choose one checkbox for each form.For the very first license you had from New Jersey, choose the checkbox "ISSUE DATE OF DRIVER". For the rest of renewals, choose the checkbox "COPY OF DRIVER LICENSE APPLICATION".
8. There is a section called " Date you want covered". The start date of your license must be filled in. If you have forgotten the start date in your license records, you can leave it blank and just fill the month. In the worst case where you have forgotten the month, just fill the year and call NJMVC after your application reaches them and tell them that you have forgotten the dates and hence left it blank. They should be able to retrieve your records.
9. MORE IMPORTANTLY, if you have the mail forward service for your NJ address, keep in mind that govt mails do not get delivered to forwarded such address. Hence add a valid US address or a Canadian address in Section A of both the DO-11 and DO-21 forms.

Deena, thanks for this detailed post and it is very helpful. I have a question regarding your response #7 and hope you can clarify it. I took my first NJ license in Sep 2018 and then renewed it again in Sep 2020. Looks like I need to send then 2 separate DO-11 forms (one for the first NJ license and another for renewal).

1) If all Ontario needs is my first issue date then why do I need to send 2 separate DO-11 forms? Cant I just send 1 DO-11 form for the initial NJ license?

2) When I select DO-11 form, why not choose checkbox "ISSUE DATE OF DRIVER" for all submitted forms and is there any additional information that will be obtained by clicking checkbox "COPY OF DRIVER LICENSE APPLICATION" ?

Looking forward to your input. Thanks!

 

[deena.passion]

1) Unfortunately the abstract that you get from NJDMV (through D0-21 form) has headings called event date (which is the end date of active or recent license) and posting date (which is the start date of first license). The Ontario authorities are not accepting those terms. They are looking for terms such as "start or issue date" and "end or expiry date". So, only the Do-11 form will help and the certificates that you get from NJDMV through DO-11 will show those fields explicitly (issue and end date) and also the continuity. Though your active license can prove your eligibility, the Ontario officials are looking for official DMV certificates (they dont accept your license without those abstracts/certificates). So you have to go with 2 DO-11 forms for 2 of your licenses.

2) The DO11 form for first license must have the "issue date of driver" checked and the second license must have "copy of driver license application" checked. These were the instructions I got from NJDMV and I followed it as such. In return, I got all the required certificates with all required information and all were accepted by Service Ontario .Also just to be on safer side, apply for the abstract as well through DO-21. (which will serve as an additional document and can be submitted to insurance companies as well). DO NOT FORGET TO MAKE A SOFT COPY OF ALL THESE DOCUMENTS AND THEN GO TO SERVICE ONTARIO DRIVE CENTRE.

 

[jikkumohan]

Deena, this was such a helpful and detailed response. Thank You!

A few follow up questions.

1) I was thinking of applying DO-21 form online but you mentioned the online system has some issues? What issues did you encounter and I assume your recommendation is to still do it via physical email?

2) I assume DO-11 forms can only be applied via physical mail or in person with no online option ?

3) In other forums, some members were stating that the payment receipt obtained while applying the DO-21 and DO-11 forms need to be collected and shown to Service Ontario while applying for license. Is this true from your experience?

4) I had a Massachusetts license (2014 to 2018) before I moved to NJ in 2018 and applied for my first NJ license. Since Ontario only needs 2 years of driving history to give a G license, I assume I do not need to bother with collecting any info from the MA DMV as my NJ driving history covers 2+ years (2018 to 2021). Am i correct in my assumption?

 

[deena.passion]

1) If you have a user ID, you can login to the NJDMV online system and apply for DO-21. But to get the user ID, you have to request online and user ID will be mailed physically to your address. I did not get it and I was told by the DMV that online system sometimes fail. So instead of going through online, I mailed the DO-21 form to NJ from Canada.
2) DO-11 is only physical and no online
3) No payment receipt is needed. All the records/certificate that you get from NJDMV is sufficient.
4) Get your Massachusets records as well. Service Ontario will update your complete history based on records from US. With more than 5 years of records, you get good insurance quotes here (Insurances are way higher in Canada than in US). Expect for something around 225 per month with a 5 year clear driving history (for a 5 year old car). Insurance companies rely on Service Ontario to cross verify driving history and it is better to get your Massachusets records. I believe Massachusets has a simple online way to get your records (unlike New Jersey which is complicated with DO-21 an D0-11

Make a soft copy of all the NJ documents and have them for your reference. The originals need to be submitted to Service Ontario.

 

[jikkumohan]

1) If you have a user ID, you can login to the NJDMV online system and apply for DO-21. But to get the user ID, you have to request online and user ID will be mailed physically to your address. I did not get it and I was told by the DMV that online system sometimes fail. So instead of going through online, I mailed the DO-21 form to NJ from Canada.
2) DO-11 is only physical and no online
3) No payment receipt is needed. All the records/certificate that you get from NJDMV is sufficient.
4) Get your Massachusets records as well. Service Ontario will update your complete history based on records from US. With more than 5 years of records, you get good insurance quotes here (Insurances are way higher in Canada than in US). Expect for something around 225 per month with a 5 year clear driving history (for a 5 year old car). Insurance companies rely on Service Ontario to cross verify driving history and it is better to get your Massachusets records. I believe Massachusets has a simple online way to get your records (unlike New Jersey which is complicated with DO-21 an D0-11

Make a soft copy of all the NJ documents and have them for your reference. The originals need to be submitted to Service Ontario.

Thanks a lot for your help and guidance.

 

[probee]

Thanks a lot for your help and guidance.

Hi Jikkumohan,
Can you please share your experience.