Switch to an Ontario driver's licence as a newcomer

You can drive on a valid foreign licence for your first 60 days in Ontario. Some licences swap straight for an Ontario one; the rest go through the knowledge and road tests, with credit for experience.

The steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Put the 60-day deadline in the calendar

   New residents can drive on a valid out-of-province or foreign licence for 60 days after moving here.

   5 min
2. 2

   Step 2: Check whether your licence exchanges directly

   Other provinces, US states, and Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, Taiwan and Ukraine (among others) exchange. Everyone else takes the tests.

   Exchange a licence (ontario.ca)ontario.ca
   5 min
3. 3

   Step 3: Get a letter confirming your licence from the office that issued it

   An official letter from the foreign licensing authority, in English or French, confirming the licence is genuine. With the original licence it can count for up to 12 months of driving experience.

   30 min
4. 4

   Step 4: Go to a DriveTest centre

   Bring originals: ID with your legal name and date of birth, your foreign licence, and proof of your driving experience in English or French. You'll take a vision test there, and the knowledge test if you can't exchange directly.

   DriveTestdrivetest.ca
   1½ hr
5. 5

   Step 5: No direct exchange: pass the G2 road test, then the G

   After the knowledge test, pass the G2 road test, then the G road test at least 12 months later.

   1 hr

Written by people who have done it, not by Helg or any government. Check the official sites before you pay for anything.

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