Hi,

I have a question re driving licences in Ontario

I have a full UK driving licence and have just bought a car with my wife in Toronto. She is the registered owner and I am a named insured on her policy. She is a Canadian resident holding an Ontario Licence. Can anyone tell me whether I am able to use my UK driving Licence (even though I have lived in Canada for the last 12 months, but am not yet a permanent resident) or am I legally required to change this for an Ontario driving Licence to ensure that the Insurance is valid?

Thanks for your help

Regards

Short answer, no you are not allowed to use your UK licence.

From the Ontario online Drivers handbook more info at the link below.

If you are a new resident of Ontario and have a valid driver's licence from another province or country, you can use that licence for 60 days in Ontario.
If you want to continue to drive after 60 days, you must get an Ontario driver's licence. If you hold a motorcycle licence from another jurisdiction that is equivalent to Ontario's restricted class M licence, you will be able to exchange your licence.


http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dan.../section1j.htm

Cheers
Steve

If you're a PR, the following applies:

A newcomer to Ontario is required to apply for an Ontario driver's licence within 60 days of taking up residence in the province.

(quoted from http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dan...r/drvlicen.htm)

See also:
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dan...r/drvlicen.htm

That says resident, though; if he's still officially a visitor, presumably that doesn't apply?

I think there's a bit of a snag in getting the Ontario license in that you have to be a resident.

Good point.

The status of the OP is not known, is he a visitor, on a work permit, sponsored spouse?????

Note to self...RTFQ (Read the F**ng question).

Snap. My OH has been driving on a foreign license here for three years. She did try to change it but they won't do it until she has PR. We should live long enough to see that!

Even as a visitor after 3 months you technically need to get an Ontario license, you might get away with it as a long term vacationer or otherwise status less person, but as a temp resident (ie on a work permit or whatever) you certainly need an Ontario license. You can be a resident without being a permanent resident. 12 months here is more than enough I suspect.

What dbds OH gets away with is largely immaterial as far as the law goes.

I am on a visitor visa hubby on work permit and we have both had our licences for 6 years, we got them 2 months after arriving.

It's 2.5yrs since Mr B changed his GB for Ontario, but I'm certain and so is he that he used his foreign passport for ID. It's possible that they caught sight of the ruddy great visa on 1 page of it, but nobody asked about his residency status. And we used the Delta Chelsea address (!) for the licenses so nobody wanted to see proof of Ontario residency either.

We changed our MB ones the other day and it was the same, just photo ID and he used a foreign passport (this time PR visa-less) again. I appreciate a Canadian swap might be different but probably not that different from a US one.

Are you sure you have to show proof of residency status?

When I initially asked about changing my UK licence for an Ontario one, I just needed a proof of residence address, not residence status. This was end of last year.

Hope this helps.

I believe that means residence as in a Canadian address.

Maybe. Although every province (sorry, can't search right now to substantiate this with appropriate links) has special clauses for students/visitors/non-residents of all sorts. Those are usually allowed to drive up to 12 months (if their license does not expire beforehand) on their non-Ontario license.

Then, again, it may be different in Ontario.

OK, as per http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/visiting.htm

If you are a visitor to Ontario and want to drive while you are here, you must be at least 16 years old and have a valid driver's licence from your own province, state or country. If you are from another country and visiting Ontario for more than three months, you need an International Driver's Permit from your own country or you may have to apply for an Ontario driver's licence, depending on your length of stay. You should also ensure your automobile insurance coverage is sufficient, and that you carry the original or a true copy of the vehicle registration or Certificate of Title for your vehicle.

Pretty vague, though. Still, an IDP is only valid for 12 months, so the above paragraph indirectly confirms my previous assertions.

I'm sure that the person in the one office wanted to see it but they're privatized and negotiable so I'm sure if we shopped around we could find one to do it. That'd be a mixed blessing as we'd then have no excuse for keeping the cars on US plates and the insurance would go up tenfold; no rush for that.