craig25

just a quick question, can you drive permantly on a uk licence in canada ?,or do you have to take there driving test ?

Tangram

No, you can't. The length varies with Province and some entail and exam.

Luke I Amyofath

simple, stay in the uk

Mrs Muesli

You can't drive permanently on a UK licence.......this link may be useful


http://canadaonline.about.com/od/dri..._in_Canada.htm

Lorna_D

In Saskatchewan you can just excahange your British license at any SGI office or registered office.

mandymoochops

In Alberta you have 3 months to exchange your license to a Canadian one. Costs about $75 to do and is a straight swap, no test!

Oakvillian

Short answer, as you'll have gathered, is no you can't drive permanently on a UK licence - in most provinces you're restricted to 90 days as a visitor, and will have trouble registering or insuring a vehicle without a local licence.

Your second question depends on which province you're going to - driving licences are a provincial responsibility in Canada. In some provinces (ON, SK, AB, at least) you can exchange your UK licence (subject to some restrictions on the lengh of time you've held a full licence in the UK) for a new local one simply by filling in a form and paying the fee. In others (BC, NS, NB from memory) you will need to retake both a theory and practical test. I can't remember what happens in MB, QC, PEI, NL or the territories - let us know where you're headed and I'm sure somebody will give you chapter and verse.

mandymoochops

Hi Oak as I read through your replies I always think that you offer advice on a similar level to Judy - I think you two need your own forum "Ask the experts!"

christmasoompa

I'm not sure that that's still the case as when I looked into it for NS, it seemed to say that you could just do an exchange of licence and didn't need to take a test? Not sure about the other places though but hope that helps somebody. I did look for NB as well as that's another area we're considering but haven't yet found the answer!

Tuppence

NB is a straight swap, NS is a new test.

Greenhill

http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/rmv/other/non.asp

A passenger vehicle owned by a visitor may be driven in Nova Scotia for personal, non-business purposes for a period of 90 days (on a valid, out-of-province licence) without being registered in the province. This 90-day period is determined from the date on which the passenger motor vehicle was first operated in Nova Scotia in any registration year. This exemption is permitted only once in any one year.

A person who becomes a resident of Nova Scotia must apply for a Nova Scotia Driver's Licence and register their vehicle with the Registry of Motor Vehicles within 90 days.

Any out-of-province licence you hold must be surrendered when you apply for a Nova Scotia licence. If you hold a valid unrestricted licence issued by another province or territory of Canada you may not have to take a driver's exam. If your licence is restricted or is from another country you may be required to pass the vision test and written and driving exams.

Any non-resident wishing to obtain a Nova Scotia driver's licence valid for driving a school bus must pass the vision test and written and driving exams.

Bill_S

Permanently? You won't last more than four or five hours unless your car has a loo in it.

Oakvillian

Thanks for the clarification... if I get round to it, I might collect all the various bits of info and put them in a wiki article, since this is a subject that seems to come up fairly frequently (unless somebody's already done a wiki? I had a quick search but couldn't find one)

(edit: there's a wiki article on AB licensing, but none for other provinces)

christmasoompa

Sorry, I got it the wrong way round in my post! Too many acronyms beginning with N for my little brain..........

Tam Kilmarnock

Sorry for hijacking the thread but could anyone tell me whats stopping me from exchanging my UK licence in AB even though I'm ultimately residing in BC?

Would I need a AB address?