Licence Exchanges & Foreign Licence Applications

If you have previous driving experience outside of Ontario, that experience may be acknowledged through:

• • licence exchange privileges where graduated licensing wait times are reduced or removed completely, or
• • foreign licence experience credits to reduce the time spent in graduated licensing or allow you to bypass specific testing.

The documents requested during your visit include:

• an original acceptable identity document(s) proving your legal name and complete date of birth including the day, month and year. If there is any variation in the names on the legal identification you present and the name that appears on your licence, you will need to provide acceptable ID or documentation (e.g., marriage certificate; change of name or divorce certificate; or court order) to link your records.

• an original acceptable identity document(s) proving your legal name and complete date of birth including the day, month and year

• an original, valid out of province/foreign driver’s licence

• a supporting document, authentication letter or abstract showing additional driving experience (if required)

• a translation from an MTO-recognized translator of your driver’s licence and/or supporting documents if not in English or French and not accompanied by a Consulate, Embassy or High Commissioner’s Office authentication document

All original supporting documentation related to your driving experience such as driving history/abstract/authentication letters or translations will be retained. Please photocopy for your records prior to your visit, if required. DriveTest does not offer photocopying or fax services.

Canadian military DND 404 permit holders (both active and retired members) may have driver’s licence testing requirements waived. Drivers with a DND 404 permit and a valid licence (within the last 3 years) issued by another Canadian licensing jurisdiction may be eligible, with appropriate documentation, for Ontario licence classes A, C, D, F, G, and Z endorsement without testing and without surrendering their permit. See the Waived Testing Requirements for DND 404 Holders page for details.

Ontario only exchanges commercial classes A, C, D and F licences with other Canadian jurisdictions. Class B or E (school bus) licences do not have an equivalent class in Ontario, and will be exchanged for the next highest class you are entitled to hold. Air brake endorsements from Quebec are also not exchanged in Ontario, the driver must take the applicable testing here to obtain an airbrake endorsement. U.S. and foreign countries that have an exchange agreement with Ontario are only eligible for Class G or GM licences, depending on the jurisdiction.

To obtain a commercial licence from these jurisdictions requires additional testing is required once your exchange application is processed.

Effective July 1, 2017, applicants who wish to exchange their Class 1 licence from another Canadian jurisdiction for an Ontario Class A licence, must provide proof that they have held the Class 1 licence for at least 24 months in the last three years or provide proof of completion of Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador or Saskatchewan. Proof can be provided by showing a driver’s licence card with the Class 1 issue date clearly listed or a driver’s abstract with Class 1 information and/or MELT completion. DriveTest may be able to obtain MELT information directly from your jurisdiction’s database by completing an Interprovincial Record Exchange (IRE) enquiry during your visit.  However, in the event you are unsure if your MELT training notation is listed on your record, contact the issuing jurisdiction prior to your visit to avoid being turned away.

See the Licence Exchanges – Commercial Vehicles page for more information.

When you visit a DriveTest Centre to apply for a licence, you must bring your current driver’s licence, acceptable ID, and possibly a letter of authentication or a driver’s abstract issued within the last six months to confirm the status of your licence and length of driving experience.

To be eligible for an exchange or credit towards an Ontario licence, an out-of-province or out-of-country driver’s licence needs to be in English or French, original, and valid. If your driver’s licence is not in English or French, regardless of jurisdiction, it must be accompanied by a written translation from a qualified translator.

Ideally, your licence will also display an issue date or visible expiry date; and for a licence exchange applicant to receive a Class G or higher, must show at least 2 years of driving experience in a full class equivalent. An applicant wishing to obtain driving credit from a foreign licence (non exchange) who does not have an issue date or an expiry date (not both) is still able to receive up to 12 months of driving experience credit upon application.

Jurisdictions without an Exchange Agreement

Drivers from jurisdictions where Ontario does not have an exchange agreement can receive up to one year of driving experience credit by presenting a valid, foreign driver’s licence on application.

Drivers looking to obtain more than one year of credit must provide acceptable documentation, an official letter issued within the last six (6) months by the licensing jurisdiction, the Consulate, Embassy or High Commissioner’s Office representing the jurisdiction. The letter and licence must be in English or French or accompanied by a translation from an MTO-recognized translator. The letter of authentication must contain specific features and details related to your driving experience in order to be accepted.

Jurisdictions with an Exchange Agreement

For Canadian jurisdictions and many U.S. states, DriveTest can retrieve information from the issuing authority during an Interprovincial Record Exchange enquiry (IRE). This information may not always reflect the first date licensed and in some cases a driver’s abstract or authentication document may be required to obtain a Class G/M licence or higher and complete the exchange. To avoid repeat visits, reach out to the issuing jurisdiction to obtain a letter of authentication outlining your previous experience. Drivers can also provide their previous (expired) driver’s licence cards to satisfy the requirement of continuous licensing experience. To use previous driver’s licence cards there must not be a gap of more than 12 months from the issue and expiry date of each previous card.

Drivers from certain eligible jurisdictions and those with U.S. records that are not accessible using an Interprovincial Record Exchange enquiry (IRE) will be required to provide a letter of authentication outlining their previous experience based on their jurisdictions licence exchange agreement.

We do not accept documentation from insurance companies or third-party verification websites.

Protected persons and Refugee claimants who are unable to present their foreign driver’s license because it was seized by the Canada Border Services Agency may present a certified true copy of their seized driver’s license stamped by the Canada Border Services Agency. If they are unable to present their foreign DL or photocopy of their DL, they may also complete a self-declaration to state the amount of their foreign driving experience, which will be applied to their new Ontario driver record. Drivers that complete the self-declaration and have at least 24 months of driving experience will be exempt from the mandatory time periods required under Ontario’s Graduated Licensing System and must complete all testing, including vision, knowledge and both G2 and G road tests. If less than 24 months is self-declared, wait times between testing will be reduced accordingly based on driving experience.

If the foreign driver’s licence, or the stamped photocopy is used to apply experience, it can be expired up to one year at the time of application and must be in English or French or must comply with current document translation requirements. The foreign driver’s licence must be from the country of citizenship.

At the time of application, the applicant must provide one of the following original documents in order to be eligible to present a stamped photocopy of their foreign driver’s licence or self-declaration:

• Acknowledgement of Claim and Notice to Return for Interview
• Refugee Protection Claimant Document
• Notice of Decision
• Verification of Status
• All other identification requirements proving the applicant’s legal name and date of birth must still be met.

Individuals from Ukraine are also eligible to complete the self-declaration to state the amount of their foreign driving experience, which will be applied to their new Ontario driver record. Drivers who complete the self-declaration and have at least 24 months of driving experience will be exempt from the mandatory time periods required under Ontario’s Graduated Licensing System and must complete all testing, including vision, knowledge and both G2 and G road tests. If less than 24 months is self-declared, wait times between testing will be reduced accordingly based on driving experience. Experience credits vary based on the length of time you have held your licence.

If the Ukrainian driver’s licence is used to apply experience, it can be expired up to one year at the time of application and must be in English or French or must comply with current document translation requirements.

At the time of application, the applicant must provide their Ukrainian Passport and valid Visa, and all other identification requirements proving the applicant’s legal name and date of birth must still be met.