New to Canada: foreign licences and exchange

By the end of this topic you can

• You can find your province's deadline for switching licences.
• You can check whether your country has an exchange agreement with your province.
• You can explain what happens if there is no agreement.
• You can say whether international student or visitor rules apply to you.

What you need to know and understand

• Ontario: new residents can drive on a valid foreign or out-of-province licence for 60 days.
• BC: new residents have 90 days to switch to a BC licence.
• Alberta: new residents must exchange within 90 days of becoming a resident.
• Quebec: a new resident can drive a passenger vehicle for up to six consecutive months on a valid licence from outside Quebec.
• With an exchange agreement, you can often switch without tests. Without one, you usually take a knowledge test and a road test.
• In BC, if you cannot prove enough non-learner driving experience, you enter graduated licensing. ICBC sets the amount needed, and it depends on your age.
• In BC, full-time students at designated institutions with a valid student exemption and visitors for up to six months can keep using their own licence.

Steps to switch your licence

1. Note the date you became a resident and work out your province's deadline.
2. Check your province's list of exchange jurisdictions.
3. Gather your licence, ID, proof of residence and any proof of driving experience, with certified translations if needed.
4. Visit a licensing office or book online where offered.
5. Take a vision test, and a knowledge and road test if no agreement applies.
6. Expect to hand in your foreign licence. Alberta, for example, will not return it.

When there is no agreement

You can still get a licence, but you will usually join graduated licensing and take the tests. Experience you can prove may shorten the wait. Ontario changed its rules from July 1, 2026 so that drivers from places without an exchange agreement can be credited with up to 12 months of verified foreign experience, then must pass the G2 and G road tests.

Habits to relearn

• Canada drives on the right. Left turns cross oncoming traffic.
• Speeds and distances are in km/h and metres.
• Right turns on red are allowed after a full stop in most places, but not on the island of Montreal.
• Every vehicle must stop for a school bus with flashing red lights, in most cases from both directions.

Common mistakes

• Missing the deadline and driving on a licence that is no longer valid in your province.
• Assuming that because one province exchanges your licence, all provinces do.
• Not bringing a translation or proof of experience to the office.
• Bringing driving habits from home, such as treating a red light as no-turn, without checking local rules.

Test yourself: New to Canada: foreign licences and exchange

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Exchange a Foreign or Out-of-Province Driver’s Licence in Canada
• International students driving in Canada