Rainmaker

Hi one and all,

Hope all are well.

I understand from reading various posts that part of the process of obtaining a BC driver's license involves handing over to the relevant authorities there the applicant's UK driver's license. With regard to this, my questions are:

1. Is this only the case if the applicant is seeking to transfer his/her license in order to be able to drive immediately without the hassle of undertaking the theory/driving test over there?
2. Would it be better (or even possible at all under PR status) to obtain an International Driving Permit, on a 12 month rolling basis, which would allow one to also hold their UK driving license?

How much of a headache, from your experiences, has it been to return to the UK having given up your UK driving license?


Thank you in advance and as always for your insight and opinions, greatly appreciated.

suzeandmatt

I've never known anyone have an issue if back in the UK. If back in the UK temporarily my husband and I just hire cars on our Albertan license without any issues.
For people I know who've gone back permanently they just switch back from their Canadian license to their UK one- hand over their Canadian one and get the Uk one back. Never heard of any issues.

Rainmaker

Thank you for your prompt response. I am glad to hear that. I am about to make the move and am scouring through all of the posts trying to figure it all out, and misunderstood a few that I read.

When you rent a car, would they also normally provide short term insurance cover for the period you have the car hired?

suzeandmatt

Yeah- so, some credit cards give you insurance coverage up to a certain amount- so do check! It can be valuable if you'll be hiring a lot. Otherwise you can just take out the rental companies insurance.
To start with we were just using Avis and getting their insurance with the car hire. It was pretty much $30 a day for the insurance on top of the rental so it wasn't an issue.
We used them a lot in Calgary and never had an issue- we hired them on our UK license until we switched over to an Albertan one.

dbd33

An International Driving Permit is just a translation of your original license, it's not a document entitling one to drive but evidence of the existence of such a document in another language. A language spoken in Canada is close enough to that spoken in the UK as to make the IDP superfluous.

Rainmaker

Excellent.

Thank you for your clarifications, really appreciate it guys.

Siouxie

As a PR and resident of BC, you are required to exchange your license within 90 days - and you can only hold one license.

http://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing...r-country.aspx

Rainmaker

Suzeandmatt, Siouxie & dbd33.... Thank you

cheeky_monkey

I hold both my Alberta licence and my UK licence

dbd33

Physically, I also have a UK and a Canadian license. Legally, I know, as you do, that only one is valid.

Rainmaker

How are you able to hold both..... or is it better that I do not ask?

Novocastrian

I don't know the Albertan's history, but in my case I passed a UK driving test in 1967 and moved to California in 1977. There was/is no reciprocal agreement in place so I a took a California driving test, was issued a CA license and still had my GB license.

In 1982, I moved to Canada (ON) and swapped the California license for an ON one, still having possession of the GB one, which as dbd33 points out was likely invalid.

Nonetheless, on moving to Germany in 1986 I was able to seamlessly swap the technically invalid GB license for a German one (which I still possess)

On returning to ON in 1993, I simply renewed the Canadian one.


Finally, in 2015, I retired back to the UK and just called the DVLA, gave them my name, DOB, last address in the UK from 1977 and they issued a new license for no charge.The nice man from DVLA on the phone even said "Welcome back Dr. Myname".

Aviator

My OH and I still have both. There was no exchange we we came to BC.
Even so, don't see the issue with handing in a UK license for a BC one. Keep a copy of your driver number from the UK and easy to get a new license if you ever move back.

Not exchanging a license within 90 days in BC is no big deal if you don't want to drive here. Not doing so and driving can invalidate insurance, or result in subrogation of a claim.

To drive in BC, there is no legal way around the drivers license exchange.

This is a few years old, but not much has changed, UK drivers don't need to take a road test.

ICBC selling insurance to unlicensed drivers - British Columbia - CBC News

dbd33

For example, you swap licenses and they forget to take the foreign one or, as in my case, you obtained the Canadian one before swaps were invented so you still have the foreign one.

I used the UK one to rent cars in the US for many years after I had an Ontario license. I knew that not to be kosher but it allowed me to settle speeding tickets without the points following me.

Rainmaker

Smart thinking!