A lot of questions have been asked about if individuals can buy a car without a driver’s license in Ontario. This article has been written to answer these questions.
Where is Ontario?
Ontario is one of the thirteen provinces and territories in Canada which is located in Central Canada. It is considered Canada’s most populous province. Therefore it’d imperative to have your own car while in Ontario to ease mobility.
Most immigrants prefer their personal cars and this has been a matter that calls for immediate addressing, as mobility is one very important aspect of settling down in Canada.
A foreigner, from say Nigeria has a valid Nigerian driver’s license, but this license cannot be replaced with an Ontario license. The immigrant, as usual, intends to buy a car and pay in cash as soon as she arrives in Ontario. The question is how will she get to do car insurance with her foreign license or how long it will take to get a G license.
It is imperative to note that one cannot buy a car or even get car insurance without a Canadian licence. However, the immigrant can still freely drive a car around using a foreign or an international driving licence, but there are terms and conditions to be applied.
This means that making use of a foreign or international driver’s license may not afford you to drive freely without being questioned. You’ll need to have an International Driving Permit (IDP). This IDP should be given to you from the country you’re coming from. This IDP allows your licence to be translated to either English or French.
One may ask, ” How can I rent a car without a Licence “?
As earlier stated, an immigrant cannot make use of his foreign license to purchase a car in Ontario. The foreigner has to resort to renting a car using his foreign or international driver’s license to ease mobility until the Canadian driving license is ready and available.
Renting a car is very much accepted in Canada especially in Ontario which is a big province in Canada, it seems like a better option. There are several car rental services in Canada and they all have different options to suit different persons, depending on the taste of the person.
There are several factors that affect the cost of renting a car in Ontario, Canada. This factor may be the type of car, the time or season of the year etc. The car rental services differ in their payment arrangements.
Some charge per day, some monthly, which means that using the car more than the arrangements attracts extra charges.
There are various requirements for renting a car in Canada. They include;
- The foreigner must not be younger than 21 years of age.
- A valid driver’s license which in this case is foreign. The foreigner should include an international Driver’s permit ( IDP). Attend event where the IDP is not available, the foreigner can present an international Driver’s license alongside the Foreign driving license.
- A credit card that has the exact name on the driver’s license.
Although renting a car is a solution, it is good to note that it is temporary and may end up being more expensive. This brings us to the point where we proffer solutions by outlining the various ways in which a foreigner can obtain a driver’s license in Canada.
To buy a car in Canada, Ontario to be precise, you require your own license as well as get insurance. This insurance enables the transfer of documentations and also the registration paper works. Without the insurance, there will be no way foreigners can purchase a car. In the process of registering the bought car, the Ontario driver’s license will come in handy.
In Ontario, the age that has been approved to apply for a driver’s license is from 16 years and above. The right authorities will verify how long you have been driving, if you’re new to driving, you’ll be required to go through extra training through a two-step process offered by the province of Ontario.
Requirements needed to apply for Driver’s License in Ontario
When applying for a driver’s license, the foreigner needs to be physically present. There are two centres where your presence is needed which are, Drive Test Centre and the Service Ontario located in Toronto.
Note: There are up to 15 different types of driving license and anyone the foreigner choose is dependent on his experience in driving. Listed below are the basic requirements needed to obtain any kind of 15 drivers license.
- The foreigner must be 16 years old and above
- An eye test is required and the foreigner must pass this test.
- It’s important the foreigner should understand road signs, therefore the foreigner must pass the written road tests and traffic signs.
However, as a Canadian Citizen, you’re required to submit any of the following:
- The Canadian passport
- Canadian citizenship card
- Photo Card from Ontario
If the person is a Permanent Resident, then the following documents can be presented
- The applicant Permanent Resident card
- Record of Landing
- Confirmation of Permanent resident
- Ontario Photo Card
Finally, if he’s still totally a foreigner which means, he’s not a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident yet, then the following documents should be made available.
- Work Permit
- Student Authorization or study permit
- Refugees claim
- Record as a visitor
- Temporary Resident Card.
