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Driving

A driving license in Canada is issued by the federal authorities of the province or territory. For immigrants, gaining a driving license in Canada depends on the country one is from as one may just exchange their home country’s driving license for a Canadian one without having to appear for the knowledge and road tests. In fact, one can get International Driving Permit (IDP) in their home country. An IDP can provide translation of the license into French and English.

How to Get a Driver’s License for the First Time in Canada?

Before beginning driving in Canada, it is recommended to familiarize oneself with road signs and rules of driving in the country. The generic process of getting a license may include;

  • A written exam on the rules of the road. On qualifying for this exam, the applicant gets a learner’s permit.
  • After one year of driving along with an experienced driver, one needs to appear for one or two driving tests to get an intermediate permit.
  • After one to two years, one is allowed to appear for the full license road test.

Apart from this, the immigrant from the different countries can generally exchange their foreign license for the below-mentioned licenses without sitting for a written or road test. However, it may vary as per provincial rules:

  • Australia (Classes 5 and 6 only)
  • Austria (Class 5)
  • France (Class 5)
  • Germany (Class 5)
  • Ireland (Classes 5 and 6)
  • Isle of Man (Classes 5 and 6)
  • Northern Ireland (Classes 5 and 6)
  • South Korea (Class 5)
  • Switzerland (Class 5 and 6)
  • Taiwan (Class 5)
  • United Kingdom (Classes 5 and 6)
  • USA (Classes 5 and 6)

 License Types Are:

  • Class 7: Learner’s license for cars and mopeds.
  • Class 6: License for riding a motorcycle or moped. It also serves as a learner permit for all class 5 motor vehicles.
  • Class 5: Full driver’s license for two-axle vehicles, such as cars and mopeds.
  • Class 5-GDL: ‘Graduated Driver’s License’ is issued for the ones who have cleared a road test but have less than two years of driving experience.

Alberta Driving License and Manitoba Driving License: One can drive in these provinces for the first 90 days using their foreign driving license, however, after 90 days they are required to get a license issued from their respective provinces.

British Columbia Driving License: New immigrants can drive using a foreign license for up to 90 days and later they have to apply for a British Columbia driving license from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC).

Ontario Driving License: For the first 60 days one can drive in Ontario using a non-Ontario license. After 60 days, they require a valid Ontario license.

Quebec Driving License: In Quebec, one can use their foreign license for the first 6 months and later can gain a Quebec license issued by the province.

To gain extensive insight into the driving rules and gaining or exchanging licenses of different provinces, connect with our experienced professionals at ImmigCanada.