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Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

Old Apr 13th 2017, 3:09 am
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Default Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

Im planning on moving to Ontario in 2 months but I have only just passed my UK driving test in January and I have just learned that in order to exchange my UK license for a Canadian one that I need 2 years driving experience. So what I want to know is if I have just wasted all that time and money on my UK license or will I at least be able to at least exchange it for a G2 license rather than having to start from scratch.

If I cant drive by myself then all the plans that I have been making fall apart as there are no decent transport links where I will be staying.
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Old Apr 13th 2017, 3:34 am
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

Originally Posted by tris211
Im planning on moving to Ontario in 2 months but I have only just passed my UK driving test in January and I have just learned that in order to exchange my UK license for a Canadian one that I need 2 years driving experience. So what I want to know is if I have just wasted all that time and money on my UK license or will I at least be able to at least exchange it for a G2 license rather than having to start from scratch.

If I cant drive by myself then all the plans that I have been making fall apart as there are no decent transport links where I will be staying.
You can obtain a 'credit' for the time you have held a full license, however, depending on how long you have been driving (I believe it may be possible to get some credit for holding a Provisional License if you were insured) then you may find you have to wait several months before you can drive alone.

You can read more here: https://drivetest.ca/licences/licenc...e-credits.html
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Old Apr 13th 2017, 4:36 am
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

Thanks for the link maybe theres still hope.
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Old Apr 13th 2017, 11:11 am
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

My son had held his license for 9 months when we moved to NS. There he just switched it to a "new" drivers license. In NS after two years with the new he could have just changed it to a regular license.
He moved to ON before the time period was up and was given a G2. So my guessing is you will get a G2 but best check with the experts at drivetrst. Also to remember when you have a G2 eventually you have to do another to get your full G.
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Old Apr 13th 2017, 4:43 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

Yes! you will get G2 and has to wait for 2 years - months hold your license before you can do G license exam.
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Old Apr 13th 2017, 8:17 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

Originally Posted by Hasan78
Yes! you will get G2 and has to wait for 2 years - months hold your license before you can do G license exam.
Less Than 12 Months

You must wait 12 months, less any credited driving experience, prior to taking the Class G2 road test. Then you must wait 12 more months before you can take your Class G road test to earn your full Class G licence.
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Old Apr 13th 2017, 9:55 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

Originally Posted by Siouxie
Less Than 12 Months

You must wait 12 months, less any credited driving experience, prior to taking the Class G2 road test. Then you must wait 12 more months before you can take your Class G road test to earn your full Class G licence.
hang on a minute, has the UK now got a graduated licence system?

As I understood it - Exchanging a British full drivers licence for one in Ontario is immediate & straight forward without a test

It's only (I believe) different when coming from a country that doesn't have reciprocal agreements

in the link below

https://www.ontario.ca/page/exchange...rivers-licence



.

Last edited by not2old; Apr 13th 2017 at 9:58 pm.
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Old Apr 13th 2017, 11:55 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

Originally Posted by not2old
hang on a minute, has the UK now got a graduated licence system?

As I understood it - Exchanging a British full drivers licence for one in Ontario is immediate & straight forward without a test

It's only (I believe) different when coming from a country that doesn't have reciprocal agreements

in the link below

https://www.ontario.ca/page/exchange...rivers-licence

.
No. However, if you have less than 12 months driving experience you can obtain a credit for the time you have. The OP doesn't have 12 months driving experience on a full license, hence the links
provided. My 2nd post was in response to another poster who stated that the OP would be able to obtain a G2 license straight away but have to wait 2 years until they could get a full license, which is incorrect.


Last edited by Siouxie; Apr 13th 2017 at 11:57 pm.
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Old Apr 13th 2017, 11:56 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

UK doesn't have a graduated licensing. But in multiple provinces (all? Certainly the case in BC & ON) if you have less than the two years that graduated licensing takes in Canada, you must enter graduated licensing, and your full British licence does not allow you to avoid that.

It's in the link you posted.

What tests do I take?
You could need to take certain driving tests before you get a full driver’s licence. It depends on:

how long you have been driving
if the valid driver’s licence you have was issued in a country, province or state that does or does not have an exchange agreement in place with Ontario
2+ years driving experience (with exchange)
You only need to take an eye test, when you apply. After you pass this test, you get a full licence.

Less than 2 years driving experience (with exchange)
You need to take:

an eye test, when you apply
one road test (the G2 road test)
You will not be able to do the G2 road test right away. You need to wait until you gain two, full years of driving experience. For example, if you had a licence for 21 months in your home province, state or country, you can do the G2 road test after 3 months in Ontario. After you pass the G2 road test, you get a full licence.
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Old Apr 14th 2017, 12:09 am
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

sorry folks, either I'm having a senior moment or totally stupid

Please be patient & kind too me.... thanks

I have read & re-read the following link from the top down

Those countries that have agreements & those that don't

https://drivetest.ca/licences/licenc..._exchange.html
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Old Apr 14th 2017, 12:16 am
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

From the link you posted. Section 2 is can you exchange.

UK has an exchange agreement (it's one of the countries listed on the exchangeable list, of Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Isle of Man, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, Taiwan).

The next question, from that page, is how the exchange works. If you have under two years driving experience in those countries, you swap for an Ontario graduated licence, entering at the same point as you have experience (so in the example they use, if you've been driving on a UK licence for 21 months, you can take your full Ontario test after 3 months, for 24 months in total, as is required for a full Ontario licence).

If you have over two years experience driving in one of those countries, you only need to do the eye test.
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Old Apr 14th 2017, 12:24 am
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

The drivers here are terrible, you can drive, you have passed a British test, so come here take their test and stop worrying....you are already a better driver than them. It isn't that expensive either. Good luck.
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Old Apr 14th 2017, 1:34 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

Just wait till he asks about insuring a car in Ontario
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Old Apr 14th 2017, 1:54 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

Originally Posted by Former Lancastrian
Just wait till he asks about insuring a car in Ontario
😱😱😱😱
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Old Apr 16th 2017, 12:38 am
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Default Re: Moving to Canada but only held UK drivers licence for 4 months

Originally Posted by Siouxie
Less Than 12 Months

You must wait 12 months, less any credited driving experience, prior to taking the Class G2 road test. Then you must wait 12 more months before you can take your Class G road test to earn your full Class G licence.
My wife had NS license but only 4 months driving experience.. She received her G2 license without any exams. she was told to wait for 2 years minus the 4 months to be able to have the G license road test exams....so she did not have any G2 road test exams....
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