KarenTurner510

I am in Canada at the moment on a work permit. I have my UK driving licence on me and I have been told that I can exchange that for a Canadian licence for the duration of my stay and then switch back upon leaving the country. The only thing is that I was disqualified from driving prior to coming to Canada so, in affect I have a invalid/fake licence. As far as I am aware Canada cannot check the validity of my UK licence so when it comes to switching for Canadian licence I should be fine shouldn't I? When I have my Canadian licence I will have and insure my own car so *touch wood* if I have an accident my licence will be a valid Canadian licence and valid insurance so I should be ok (within reason). Odd situation to be in but thought I would ask.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Karen

nldfc

So you are banned from driving but you don't think you should be banned from driving in Canada ??

This thread should get interesting - I will grab my popcorn and sit back

emyrthomas

Be careful Karen!

I'm sure if the time came to claim off you're insurance then they would probably check international driving credentials as part of their claims process. It is the job of the claims manager after all to find a way to NOT pay out an insurance claim.

When I came to Canada in 2008 I exchanged my UK license for an Ontario one with no problems and even changed it back to a UK one when I returned for a time. Canada or the provinces to the best of my knowledge can't check on UK driver's license status but Insurance companies can.

Speak to the licensing agency wherever you are, be honest you may be surprised with the result.

Any more Q's message me

Emyr.

KarenTurner510

In the UK yes but I still have my full documentation. So when I hand them in here to exchange for a Canadian licence they cannot check (Data Protection Act 1998) the validity nor would they have reason to believe I have an invalid/fake licence no?

emyrthomas

FOUND THIS TOO!!!!!

If I am disqualified from driving in the UK, will I be able to drive abroad?

If you are disqualified from driving by a court in the UK, this will not affect your right to drive elsewhere in the world, unless the domestic law in the country you are in provides for disqualifications from foreign countries to be recognised in their own.

The UK has an agreement in place with the Republic of Ireland where disqualifications imposed in either state will have effect in the other. In other words, if you are disqualified in the UK, this disqualification will also have effect in Ireland. This is the only agreement the UK has with another country in respect of the mutual recognition of a driving disqualification.

However, in order to drive abroad most countries will insist on you having a valid driving licence. In the absence of a valid driving licence you would be unable to hire a car or drive a car hired by someone else. You would also struggle to obtain insurance.

If you decide to drive abroad whilst you are disqualified in this country, although you will not be committing the offence of driving whilst disqualified, you could be committing the offence of driving without a valid licence. The punishment for this offence will vary from country to country but in most places the punishment is a fine.

Siouxie

1) There is no such thing as a Canadian drivers licence, only Provincial.
2) You are required to show the Provincial office your drivers licence from the UK which presumably shows that you have been disqualified.
3) It would be illegal and you risk a fine or imprisonment.

dbd33

I would think you'd have no problem switching to a license for whichever Province you're in (assuming "disqualified" isn't written on your license). I wouldn't count on being able to switch back to a UK one (unless the ban has expired by then).

I can't imagine any insurer would ever find out no matter what claims you made.

burks

Your disqualification is printed on your paper license no?

KarenTurner510

Thank you so much for this Emyr.

This is extremely helpful information .

Thanks,

Karen

KarenTurner510

The licence is untouched and has no markings of disqualified or anything else like that on it.

dbd33

Then hurry in and change it for a foreign one!

nldfc

Be careful of what the repercussions could be if you get caught though -

burks

How long is your disqualification for?

iaink

You hand the license in and they return it to the DVLA, so you would expect something to get flagged at that point.

The legal problem here is that you are claiming to have a valid licence and the provincial reciprocal agreements that now allow you to swap a UK license for a local one I would expect to have a provision to allow the province to check that its valid....

I dont know for sure, but it wouldnt be much of a bit of legislation if it didnt provide for that.

KarenTurner510

12 months. Will still be banned in the UK when I leave Canada, so obviously I won't be driving in the UK upon returning as I will be/am banned from driving in the UK.