soopergal

Can you exchange your British license? According to this you can.
http://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/...ers:newlicence

But I've heard otherwise.

Ta

Judy in Calgary

Yes, you can exchange your British driver's licence for an Alberta driver's licence if you become a resident of Alberta and if you've had your British driver's licence for at least two years.

However, if you've had a driver's licence for less than two year's, I believe you would not get a full Alberta driver's licence, but rather a probationary driver's licence. After driving on a probationary licence for two years, you would need to pass an advanced road test.

soopergal

Thanks Judy. I've had the UK driver's license for more than 2 years. Stupid question - How do you prove you are a resident in Alberta? I'll be landing in Calgary. Can I exchange my British license before I get my PR card?

Cheers

Judy in Calgary

You need two documents that establish your identity. One of those documents must prove that you live in Alberta.

Here is a list of acceptable documents.

Although the list does not state that a lease agreement for an apartment or house is acceptable, I am guessing that it would be.

As far as I know, you do not need a PR card, but I stand to be corrected on that point.

Judy in Calgary

I've remembered that Rabrol wrote an article about exchanging his UK driver's licence in Edmonton. It seems he did it on the very day that he arrived, so he could not yet have had utility bills, etc. I don't know what documentation he used as proof of residence, but he certainly could not have had his PR card at that point.

In the article he states that the person behind the counter didn't understand a UK driver's licence very well. I suspect that has changed. I seem to recall that Rabrol exchanged his licence fairly soon after Alberta started exchanging UK licences (they had been exchanging the licences of a few other countries before they accepted UK licences). There are heaps of British expats in Calgary, and I'm sure the licensing authorities in Calgary (and probably Edmonton too) have grown well used to UK licences in the eighteen months or so since Rabrol wrote that article.

soopergal

Thanks dear. I will report back in late August.

us3andthedog

Thanks really handy to know.
Thanks

Iain Mc

No, you don't need your PR card, they're fine with your landing documents.

It was just the proof of Albertan residency we fell down on when passing through last year (hoping to avoid the BC driving test!).

Cheers, Iain

wonderwoman

Hi there, all i showed was my landing papers as proof of PR, and a lease agreement for proof of my address, do make sure that you have the paper part of your license to surrender and if they don't ask for it, give it to them anyway! as my husband had his license application bounced back as incomplete, because the girl dealing with it didn't take it, which meant another day off work to go back into the office to sort it out !

Sarahad

Hi
Husband here on a work permit and I am here on a 12 mth visitors visa at the moment. We were able to exchange our UK licenses for alberta ones and it was very easy.
We went to the alberta registry with permits and a few utility bills for house and UK license and they changed it. You get a paper one there and then and your card comes in the post a couple of weeks later.

woodmanbg

Do you have to hand over your UK drivers licence, what if you need to go back to the UK and spend time over there and need to produce your UK licence?

Steve_P

You would be a Canadian permanent resident so you would produce your Alberta license or the license of the province in which you live.

Why would there be a need to produce a UK license?

woodmanbg

I had got the impression from reading on here that some people had managed to keep hold of their UK drivers licence when obtaining their Albertan licence on the basis that they would be going back to the UK on a regular basis and would therefore need it, but if the UK accept the Canadian licence then there is no need for this, obviously. I hold dual nationality, also my kids, it is my husband who has the permanent resident visa.

Steve_P

If you have a valid Canadian license it is recognised in the UK so there is no real need to keep a UK one.

If a person goes back to live in the UK permanently then I would presume there is a method there to exchange a license or perhaps you would have to be retested just the same as it is here in some provinces in Canada.

I can only think that people don't like to give up their UK drivers license for strictly personal reasons.

There is no need to keep it in fact it could be considered illegal by some perhaps most jurisdictions to hold more than one drivers license.

Minor point and please don't take it as a personal attack, but it would be an Alberta license not Albertan. An Albertan is a person. I haven't heard the word used for anything else except here on the Expat forum.

Cheers
Steve

woodmanbg

Suppose I was only trying to avoid taking a UK test should we ever return. Having passed my test many years ago and seeing my kids go through theirs recently, didnt fancy taking it again!!!!

No offence taken, as one born in Alberta I can only excuse it as a typo!!!