They told me you can't hold a GB one and one from a country with which they have a reciprocal swap arrangement. Leaving BC/NS out of it, I guess Canada is such a country. They also said it was fine to still hold a GB license with your last GB address even though you're non-resident - so if you emigrate to the US or wherever, do a test, you're fine to still have the GB license as well. As long as your new license issuer allows you to hold more than one of course.

Apart from dbd33, has anyone found hanging on to their GB license to be of any use? I'm happy with the Ontario one, although I wish I could have been like Posh and taken my make-up artist along with me for the photo

One of my friends says you can get cheaper rentals in the US with a UK license - until you crash and get investigated and found to be driving on an illegal license that is... LOL.

I never use my store UK license for anything.

An "illegal license"? What is that exactly? I passed my test in the UK and have been certified fit to hold a UK license. Why does the fact that I temporarily move to another country invalidate that? Fact is, it doesn't. I am licensed to drive a car in the UK, and have a bit of plastic to prove it.

There are lots of references on this thread to "they" and "should". Can anyone drag up a Canadian or British law that says you have suddenly no rights to hold a UK license because you happen to be in Canada?

Not that it bothers me really. They don't take your UK license from you in Montreal.

Yawn...

From the DVLA website:

"you must surrender your foreign licence which will be returned to the issuing authority"

..and from the Societe de l'assurance automobile website (Quebec - obviously)
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...nce/DG_4022562

"exchange your licence for an equivalent Québec driver's licence without taking a test..." ya-di-ya-di-ya...
http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/driver...nts_canada.php (okay it says another province, but the same applies to other countries)

So the DVLA want you to and the Quebec equivalent want you to. I don't like the DVLA and I don't like Quebec as a whole, but there it is. All they want to do is prevent people from saying "Hmm, which license shall I put the points on, well, the UK one already has nine, maybe I'll start filling up the up Quebec one now..."

They are not saying they won't give you your old license back if you go home, just that you shouldn't have the option of deciding which alternate ID to hand over if you are caught being a naughty boy.

Doesn't apply to those leaving the United Kingdom.


But the previous poster has said they didn't ask for him to hand over his GB licence in Montreal.

However he couldn't use it in QC because they would now have his details on their system.

Less of the "yawn", smart alec.

It is 1:30am and I am waiting for the GP... sorry should have but a smiley a suppose.

No, but the other bit applies to those arriving in another province/country.

I don't care what people do, I've already said I kept my UK license in spite of everything I've written, just trying to offer the facts as I found them when I moved.

Technically, just as with your passport, you have no legal write to surrender your license to the authority of another country as it is a legal document of the government of the United Kingdom. Technically, however we know the truth is often otherwise. But is there any evidence that they do contact back?

Googling the different provinces for you isn't my idea of a fun Sunday morning, but here's the Manitoba blurb I've been able to find in the 5mins time limit I gave myself! I hate reading laws, I'm sure JAJ can wade through them properly but here's the relevant snippets I've found and they seem to support what I said. Look for Quebec/other province blurb yourself

As I said upthread, in Manitoba you have to sign to say you hold no other license from any other jurisdiction. And you do it again each time you renew (yearly). Scroll to the bottom of this link - http://www.mpi.mb.ca/English/dr_lice...Licensing.html


or far better from here - http://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/statutes/2005/c03705e.php :

Declaration by Applicant for Driver's Licence
Declaration by applicant
14(1) When a person applies for a driver's licence of any class, the person must make a declaration in the form and containing the information the registrar requires.
Specific declarations
14(2) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), a person applying for a driver's licence of any class must declare whether he or she
(a) has a disease or disability that may interfere with safely driving any motor vehicle that may be driven with the class of driver's licence applied for; or
(b) possesses a valid out-of-province driving permit.

...

Delivery of permits issued outside Manitoba
31(2) A person who applies for any class of driver's licence and who possesses a valid out-of-province driving permit must deliver the permit to the registrar before the registrar issues a driver's licence to the person.


or this one - http://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/statutes/ccsm/h060_3e.php

Prohibitions respecting registrations, use of licences, cards, etc.
170(1) No person shall
...
(i) hold, at any time,
(i) both a valid driver's licence and a valid out-of-province driving permit, or
(ii) more than one valid out-of-province driving permit.

Well get a search engine then. Now I've woken up.