Tiggy

I understand that in Alberta it's possible to exchange you UK driving licence in for a Canadian one. My questions are:

1) Does the UK one need to be one of the new ones with a photo on?

2) When they say "exchange" do they mean that they keep the UK one? (or it it just me being stupid again? )

Steve_P

Here are a few links a quick search of this forum brought up.

First an article written by Rabrol who exchanged his license in Edmonton.

Then a couple of threads on the subject.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...icence+Alberta

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...icence+Alberta

Cheers
Steve

Butch Cassidy

What a polite Elf you are.

Tiggy

[QUOTE=Hangman]Here are a few links a quick search of this forum brought up.

Thanks Steve, believe it or not I did do a search before I posted, but didn't come up with anything!!
I guess I better smarrtenn upp my tie-pin!!

Regards
Mark (Mr Tiggy)

Butch Cassidy

[QUOTE=Tiggy] And yer speling mayte

Tiggy

[QUOTE=Butch Cassidy] It wor a joke me old buck ho

I no that far going as yet

Posidrive

1) No. Just needs to be issued after 1976

2) Yep, they keep it.

john fisher

But if you return to England just tell them you lost your UK license, and they send you another. Though you do need a UK address I believe.

Farfromhome

[QUOTE=Tiggy] We phoned DLVC a month before we left the uk, said my bag had been stolen, containing purse and wallet with licences, charged us £19 each to replace, no forms to fill in done on the phone there and then (how's that for efficient), as they were sent to the same address, we arrived in Canada, exchanged for new Alberta one (and the UK were issued before 1976, no one even asked) so now we have two nice new licences, at some point we will change the address on the UK to family address.

Alberta_Rose

Yes they take yours. No you don't have to have a picture-card one, (I didn't as they hadn't been invented yet), but if you do have the picture one you have to have your paper part as well and submit that also!

Hubby just gave the card as he couldn't find his paper one and they said it was OK, ...then the local office wrote and said they did need the paper bit and he again said he couldn't find it and they said ok never mind. Then we recently had the Alberta licencing office saying he MUST have it, and he should get one from the UK.

He called the DVLA and they said he had to send his existing card one back to be issued with a new paper one!! WELL,.. he doesn't have it now, as he already exchanged it! SO .... the Alberta licencing lady said she'd talk to her contacts in UK, and we're now waiting with bated breath as the most recent threat was that he could have his Alberta licence revoked if we couldn't produce this bit of paper! .....

You think UK has the monopoly on red tape eh?

If push comes to shove he'll just have to take his test again (which he honestly was expecting to have to do as he passed his UK test in 1968!)

H143

Ok do you reckon this would work...and is it too sneaky!?

In BC you have to take both a written and driving test to get a licence. So what if I did this: Used my friend's Alberta address to get an Alberta one, then transferred it to a BC one?! Saves doing two tests and having to borrow a car etc.

Steve_P

Isn't it going to be a bit obvious, the short time between exchanges that is.

If you're going to BC just do the test for goodness sake or are you that worried that you'd fail.

And here I thought all you brits were superior drivers to us Canadians.

H143

Well yes it might be obvious but a. can they do anything about it anyway? and b. I could just say I originally planned to live in Alberta.
Ok so it's a little cheeky. Yes a. worried about failing (I'm a great driver, but you just never know ) and b. if I arrive in Whistler when it's starting to snow they send you to another town to do the driving test which all in all is a pain because I either have to borrow a friend's car or hire one from the driving instructor.

Hayley

Alberta_Rose

Well.... for one thing you can drive for up to 3 months on your UK licence.

And the test is sposed to be really easy...much easier than in the UK, and you can just phone or even call at the test center to take it, not have to apply weeks/months before like in UK. I haven't heard of anyone failing it (more than once), and if you do you can just take it again in a few days.

Most people just read through the book to get the rule changes in their heads, but you could take a lesson or two if you're really that nervous. It's truly no big deal.

Linda P

Our insurance company (TD ) gave us only 1 month to pass the test, or the rate would have gone up.

The test was very straight forward though.

Linda P