cahill3

I changed my license yesterday for Alberta province, cost me $85.00. My wife tried to change hers but was not allowed because she does not have a photocard license. She has the old paper license so no counterpart. The old license has all the info on it that a counterpart does, no good! So now we have to reapply to DVLA for a new license to hand in to swap for an Alberta one! Cost £20.00 to DVLA and $85.00 to Alberta, plus the cost of postage from UK. Has anybody else had this problem?

wonderwoman1st

That is more accurate.

I had a letter from ICBC and had I shown it within a year would have had my license for Ontario straight away, but as I left it over a year by about a month I had to surrender my UK license, but as I say that is aok as I got a replacement from the UK again anyway and had to change it for the address change anyway as I see it.
So more accurately, if you replace for Ontario from another province you have a year to do so, I'd surrendered mine in BC not sure at the time if I was going to be in Ontario next or UK, but I came back.

Phoresis

The way I understand it the time limit is more that you can drive with a foreign license for upto 3 months (Ontario), but if you're caught without a Canadian license after this period then you are breaking the law. It's not a time period in which you must exchange your license.

I know that now from my experience, but I didn't know this when I first started the thread.

beautiful050278

Yep and the fine could be something around $1000 mark as my OH's friend had found out for himself. The police had also taken the car away and made him re-take the driving test over here and then he had to pay to get his car back. Just do it people as soon as you can!

exenglishman

On the drive test website I was reading about you have to have driven 24 months in the past 3 years, does this still apply in Ontario or am I reading it wrong?

I have been here since Aug 2010 and as soon as I get my PR (very soon) i will exchange my license.. havnt driven since Aug 2010, will this be an issue or can I just swap my UK one straight for a full G? Got my UK one in 2003 - dont fancy having to take driving tests again..

Phoresis

They never inquired about whether I have been actively driving. All it said on the form was that your license has to have been valid for at least 24 months of the last 36 months. Something to that effect.

exenglishman

thanks, maybe I was reading too much into it.

gingerman

According to all the websites when you do swap over, you need to do a vision test. Did you guys all do a vision test and what did it consist of?

wonderwoman1st

I used my perm resident card, but passport is required otherwise and yes it is all that simple
The $75 includes a 5 year driving license, renewing ongoing is very easy.

wonderwoman1st

Yes I did, and it's easy. They just get you to look in a lens and read off their list of letters, each line getting smaller (like at the Opticians), it was easy enough but then my eye sight is pretty good, I did this without my reading glasses aok.

SambaDeAmigo

Yes you have to do it. You just read letters off a machine. I had to wear glasses to drive and they wrote that info down on my driver's license card. After a year I went back to the MTO and said I felt that I didn't need glasses any longer. They made me take the vision test on the spot again and I passed. They then sent me an updated card with didn't contain the glasses requirements any more.