How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

I'm landing in January and I want to buy a car asap so will need to convert my UK licence to an AB licence.

I'll have my UK licence, CoPR, passport and DVLA driving record. But I also need to prove residence in Alberta. I'll be staying in an airbnb for the first few months so won't have a lease agreement or utility bills. I think my only option may be a bank statement? In which case, this is likely to take at least a month probably.

Is there any way I can expedite the process (eg will a bank send me an opening statement or something like that)? Or is there any other bill I can obtain quickly that will likely be acceptable as proof of residing in Alberta? I'll need to have a rental until I can buy a car, and it is expensive, so I'd like to buy a car asap.

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

why are you staying in an Airbnb for the first few months why not just rent an apartment instead?..then can get an alberta licence right away there and then

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

Goto Service Canada and get your SIN. This you can put any address on, even the Airbnb you're staying at. I did the same and I said to the lady at Service Canada that this is a temporary place/airbnb, she said it's not an issue. The SIN letter will have your address on it, which should be good for your drivers license I'd imagine. I assume its same as BC where they give you a paper license on the day you exchange it and you can buy a car & obtain insurance with that.

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

Thanks. The Airbnb is so that I have a guaranteed place to stay when I arrive and to give me time to look for an apartment. I'm not going with a job lined up and a combination of that and no credit rating yet means (as I understand it) that I will have difficulty in renting a place straight away.

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

Thanks, I'll do that. I'll also open a bank account asap and ask if some correspondence could be sent soon (eg confirmation of bank account opening).

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

i rented a house with no job or no credit as long as you got some money anything is doable

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

Thanks. I have paid for the first month of Airbnb and the owner has agreed to give me first refusal for future months. I'll get looking for an apartment when I arrive. I was going to wait until I have a job lined up as I'm not bringing much more than the required minimum of funds and that has to fund accommodation, living expenses and a cheap car. I'm guessing I'll have to leave a bigger deposit without the credit rating/job which could speed up money issues if I don't get a job within a few months.

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

i didn't i paid the standard damage deposit and the first month rent in advance

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

There are strict regulations about deposits and everything else when it comes to rentals.. I strongly suggest you read up on them - and be careful you don't get caught out by a scummy landlord or a scam on craigs list or similar (if it seems to good to be true, it probably is).... https://www.alberta.ca/information-t...landlords.aspx


Some helpful info for newcomers to Alberta (opens in new tab, no download): https://alis.alberta.ca/media/2440/welcometoalberta.pdf
The full act: https://www.alberta.ca/residential-t...nce-guide.aspx

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

You might want to check out the Budget brought down today by Alberta.

One item is .........

A tourism levy is to be introduced on short-term rentals such as Airbnbs.

This is the site I looked at, but there are many others

https://globalnews.ca/news/6079354/a...inners-losers/

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

Bloody typical lol. All I'm trying to do is guarantee I have a roof over my head when I arrive!

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

its definitely a renters market in Alberta right now..so that wouldn't be a problem

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

Just thinking on the proof of address requirement - I'm keeping my UK bank account after confirming with them that they will let me update my address to a Canadian address. Presumably a UK bank statement, sent to my Canadian Airbnb (with the owner's permission) would be sufficient to demonstrate proof of residence in Alberta?

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

Why complicate matters? Why not just follow the steps set out in post 3?

Re: How to get AB drivers licence as quickly as possible
 

Do you get the SIN letter in person on the day? If so, I agree this would be the easiest option.

I just want to avoid having to wait a couple of weeks or longer for a letter to arrive. If I change my UK bank address now, I can have a statement waiting for me when I arrive.