Converting an Australian Driver Licence in Canada

In Canada, each province sets its own licence rules, but the two busiest destinations both exchange Australian licences without the usual tests. British Columbia gives you 90 days after moving and Ontario gives you 60. Both want your original licence and original proof of how long you have been driving. A notarised copy is not one of the accepted forms.

Key takeaways

• Driver licensing in Canada is run by each province and territory, not the federal government, so check the province where you will live.
• British Columbia lists Australia among the places whose car licences can be exchanged without additional testing, and gives new residents 90 days to switch.
• Ontario has had a licence exchange agreement with Australia since 25 January 2010, and gives new residents 60 days.
• Both provinces rely on original documents. ICBC in British Columbia will not accept photocopies or email printouts of a driving record.
• Your driving experience matters. In British Columbia, at least two years of non-learner driving exempts you from graduated licensing.

Which province are you moving to?

Canada has no national driver licence. Each province and territory licenses its own drivers and decides whose foreign licences it will exchange. This page covers British Columbia and Ontario in detail, because both publish clear rules for Australian licences. If you are moving to Alberta, Quebec or elsewhere, look at that province's licensing authority, as its time limits and documents may differ.

	British Columbia (ICBC)	Ontario (DriveTest, ServiceOntario)
Time to switch after moving	90 days	60 days
Australian car licence	On the list for exchange without additional testing	On the list of exchange jurisdictions
Australian motorcycle licence	Knowledge test waived for most motorcycle licences	Australia is not on Ontario's list of places whose motorcycle class cannot be exchanged
Learner licence	Driving experience excludes learner time	A learner's permit cannot be exchanged
What happens to your Australian licence	Surrendered to ICBC	Check at the counter

British Columbia: 90 days and your driving experience

ICBC, which runs driver licensing in British Columbia, says that after moving you have 90 days to switch a valid licence to a B.C. licence. The 90-day rule does not apply if you are visiting as a tourist for up to six months, are a full-time student at a designated institution with a valid exemption, or are ordinarily resident outside B.C.

ICBC lists Australia among the jurisdictions whose licences can be exchanged for a B.C. licence without additional testing. It says B.C. waives knowledge testing for passenger licences and most motorcycle licences from those jurisdictions. You apply in person at a driver licensing office, with accepted identification, your current licence, the fees and proof of your driving experience.

ICBC says proof of at least two years of driving experience, with a full, non-learner licence, is needed to be exempt from B.C.'s Graduated Licensing Program. Without it, you can still get a licence, but with graduated licensing restrictions. ICBC also credits up to 15 years of driving experience for insurance purposes when it receives acceptable proof of the date you were first licensed, which can affect what you pay for car insurance in B.C.

ICBC says that when you apply, you surrender any other driver's licence you hold, because B.C. law allows you to hold only one. Plan around that if you visit Australia often.

What counts as proof of driving experience in B.C.?

This is where people waste money on the wrong document. ICBC accepts one of two things as proof for the graduated licensing exemption:

• an original, current driver's licence printed by the issuing authority that shows at least two years of experience or the date your first licence was issued, or
• an original driver licence record or letter of experience showing at least two years of driving experience

A record or letter must be original. ICBC says photocopies and email printouts are not accepted, unless it is a copy of the original that has been approved and stamped by the licensing body. It must be signed by, or on the letterhead of, a verifiable licensing body, include that body's name, address and phone number, show your name, date of birth, licence number and class, and state the date your licence was originally issued.

That last point is worth spelling out. ICBC's rule for copies is that they must be approved and stamped by the licensing body. A copy certified by a notary is not one of the forms ICBC describes, so paying a notary to certify a licence history is unlikely to help. Ask your Australian state or territory licensing authority for an original record, or a copy it stamps itself, before you leave.

ICBC also names Australia among the countries whose licensing bodies may email or fax extra experience records directly to ICBC, to add experience after your B.C. licence is issued. The record must come straight from the licensing body, not through you, and ICBC says emailed records cannot be used for the graduated licensing exemption itself. For that, bring the original to the office.

Ontario: 60 days and original documents

Ontario's government page on exchanging an out-of-province licence, updated on 23 September 2026, says that when you move to Ontario you can use a valid licence from another country for 60 days. After that you need an Ontario licence. Australia is on Ontario's list of places whose licences can be exchanged. Ontario announced its reciprocal agreement with Australia in 2010, saying new residents could exchange a valid licence without a knowledge or road test, while still meeting vision and medical standards.

Ontario lists what it will not exchange, and these points matter for Australians:

• a learner's permit from any jurisdiction
• a commercial licence class issued outside Canada, although you may be eligible for a car or motorcycle licence based on the class you hold
• a driving instructor or school bus licence
• a licence cancelled for specific reasons, such as alcohol-related offences

Ontario's list of places whose motorcycle class cannot be exchanged includes several countries but not Australia. Check the current page before relying on a motorcycle exchange, though, because these lists change.

How do you apply in Ontario?

Ontario says you apply in person, at a DriveTest centre or the ServiceOntario location at Bay and College in downtown Toronto. You need to take a vision test, bring originals of accepted identity documents showing your legal name and date of birth, bring your original, valid Australian licence, bring any original supporting documents in English or French showing your driving experience, fill out an application form and pay the fees. You might also need a knowledge or road test, depending on your circumstances.

Ontario adds two conditions worth knowing. Since 11 May 2026, when you apply for a car or motorcycle licence you must declare that Ontario is your primary place of residence and that your presence in Canada is legal. And the foreign licence itself must be valid, show a visible expiry date, and be in English or French. An Australian licence is in English, so no translation is needed.

Do you need a notary, a translation or an apostille?

No. Both provinces work from original documents: your licence, your identity documents and original records from your Australian licensing authority. An Australian licence is in English, so neither province needs a translation. ICBC's rule on copies points to the licensing body's own stamp, not a notary's, and Ontario asks for original supporting documents. Neither mentions an apostille.

A move to Canada may involve other documents that do need a notary or an apostille, such as documents for immigration, study or a professional registration. That is a separate question. Only DFAT issues apostilles in Australia; an apostille confirms the signature and seal on a document, never its contents. Canada's status is shown on the HCCH status table, and our guides to apostilles for Canada and Canadian visa documents cover documents that do need one.

How do you exchange an Australian licence in Canada?

1. Confirm your province and read its licensing authority's page for new residents.
2. Note the deadline: 90 days in British Columbia, 60 days in Ontario, from when you move.
3. Get an original licence history from your Australian state or territory showing when you were first licensed.
4. Make sure you have a physical, valid licence with a visible expiry date.
5. Book an in-person appointment at ICBC or a DriveTest centre.
6. Bring originals of your identity documents, licence and experience records, and take the vision test.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming one rule covers all of Canada. Each province sets its own.
• Missing Ontario's 60 days because you read British Columbia's 90.
• Bringing photocopies of your licence history. ICBC refuses them.
• Paying a notary to certify records when the province wants originals or the licensing body's own stamp.
• Trying to exchange a learner licence. Ontario will not exchange one, and B.C. does not count learner time.
• Letting the Australian licence expire before you apply.

Here is an illustration, not a real case.

A physiotherapist from Hobart accepts a job in Vancouver. Before leaving, she orders an original licence history from the Tasmanian licensing authority showing when she was first fully licensed, since her card does not show it. Within 90 days of arriving, she books an appointment at an ICBC driver licensing office, brings her passport and immigration documents, her Tasmanian licence and the original history, and takes the vision test. She surrenders the Tasmanian card, gets a B.C. licence without graduated licensing restrictions, and never needs a notary.

In short

Each Canadian province sets its own rules. British Columbia exchanges Australian car licences without additional testing and gives you 90 days; Ontario has exchanged Australian licences since 2010 and gives you 60 days. Both want your original licence and original proof of driving experience; in B.C., two years of non-learner driving avoids graduated licensing. An Australian licence needs no translation, and a notarised copy is not what either province asks for. Our guide to driver licences and notaries covers other uses of an Australian licence overseas, and our document notarisation page covers documents that do need a notary.

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