Getting Your Driver's Licence

If you live in Ontario, you must:

• Be at least 16 years old
• Hold a valid Ontario driver's licence

Just moved here? For your first 60 days as an Ontario resident, you can keep driving on your previous licence while you go through the process of getting an Ontario one.

Applying for a driver's licence when you already carry an Ontario Photo Card means surrendering that Photo Card -- the two cannot be held at the same time.

If you're visiting Ontario, you must:

• Be at least 16 years old
• Carry a valid driver's licence issued by your home province, state or country
• Obtain an international driver's permit issued where you live, should your visit stretch beyond 3 months
• Note that visitors cannot apply for an Ontario driver's licence

Applying starts with documenting both your full legal name and your birth date -- and that date has to spell out the day, month and year. Every document you present must be an original that hasn't expired; copies and out-of-date paperwork won't be accepted.

Take those documents to a DriveTest Centre or to a Travel Point, which is simply a temporary DriveTest Centre. The closest one can be looked up online at www.drivetest.ca.

A fee is due at the time you apply, and it bundles together:

• The knowledge test
• Your first road test
• A five-year licensing charge

Expect separate charges for a second road test or any retests. Booking a road-test appointment also requires paying the fee up front.

Part of the application involves answering questions about your health, since certain physical and medical conditions make it unsafe -- and therefore not permitted -- for someone to drive.

After you're licensed, it's your responsibility to flag any change in your medical situation that could affect how safely you drive. The law also requires doctors and optometrists to pass along the name and address of any person older than 16 whose condition might make driving unsafe.

To establish both your legal name and your full date of birth, you can present any one of these:

• Passport (Canadian or foreign)
• Canadian Citizenship Card with photo
• Permanent immigration documents:
• Permanent Resident Card (PRC)
• Record of Landing (Form 1000)
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence (Form IMM 5292)
• Temporary immigration documents:
• Student Authorization (IMM 1442)
• Employment Authorization (IMM 1442)
• Visitor Record (IMM 1442)
• Temporary Resident's Permit (IMM 1442)
• Report Pursuant to the Immigration Act (IMM 1442 with photo)

When the document you bring doesn't show your legal name or your full date of birth, you'll need to back it up with further paperwork:

• Canadian or U.S. Birth Certificate (to confirm date of birth)
• Marriage certificate (Canadian or foreign, government-issued)
• Change-of-name certificate
• Court order for adoption, change of name or divorce

Your licence photo has to satisfy a few requirements. In the picture, your face needs to:

• Be completely visible
• Be free of any obstructions
• Show a neutral, relaxed expression -- no smiling
• Point straight at the camera, not tilted

Headwear worn for religious or medical reasons is fine, provided none of it hides your face. Staff may ask you to take off items such as hats, glasses or headphones, and your hair must stay clear of your eyes.

Moving to Ontario with a valid licence from elsewhere -- another province or another country -- buys you a 60-day window to keep driving on it. Carry on past that, and an Ontario driver's licence becomes mandatory.

A reciprocating jurisdiction is one that has a licence-exchange arrangement in place with Ontario. Every province and territory in Canada qualifies, and so do Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Japan, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United States.

• A driver holding an equivalent class of licence is issued a full Class G
• With under two years of experience behind you, you can be credited for it and slot into Level Two of graduated licensing

Non-reciprocating jurisdictions work differently:

• You'll need to show a valid foreign licence, clear a vision test and a knowledge test, settle the fees and prove your identity
• A G1 licence is the starting point, and you become eligible for the G1 exit test once you've logged 12 months of Ontario and foreign experience combined
• Finishing a ministry-approved BDE course trims that 12-month wait down to 8
• Before you can attempt the G2 exit test, a total of 24 months of experience is required
• Only experience from the past 3 years counts toward these totals

Once your licence is in hand, steer clear of two things: don't hand your licence details to anyone who isn't authorized to have them, and don't post pictures of the licence online.

When you want reliable road-test information, stick to ontario.ca and drivetest.ca. Keep in mind that neither the Ministry of Transportation nor DriveTest ever charges a fee just to book a road test.

Be wary of any site or service that:

• Offers a driver's licence with no testing involved
• Promises you'll pass your road test
• Asks for more money than the fees listed on ontario.ca and drivetest.ca