Two engineers land in Toronto on the same flight, each with ten years behind the wheel. The one from Germany swaps his licence at DriveTest after a vision test. The one from India takes a knowledge test and the G2 road test, then waits at least 12 months for the G road test. Their driving is the same; the paper is not.
Exchange lists are not national. Each province signs or recognizes its own, so a Dutch licence is exchanged in Halifax but not in Toronto, and a Ukrainian one in Winnipeg but not in Vancouver.
This page compares the published lists of eight provinces as of October 2026, explains what happens when your country is missing, lists the extra documents some countries need, and covers translation.
Which countries can exchange a driver's licence in Canada without a test?
The table covers ordinary car licences (Class 5, or Class G in Ontario); drivers with under two years' experience may still enter graduated licensing. Provinces: ON Ontario, BC British Columbia, AB Alberta, MB Manitoba, NB New Brunswick, NS Nova Scotia, PE Prince Edward Island, NL Newfoundland and Labrador.
| Licence issued in | Exchanged without knowledge or road tests in | Not on the list in | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | All eight | None | Ontario: states only, not US territories; Manitoba includes the US territories |
| Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) | All eight | None | Ontario needs a DVLA certificate of entitlement only if the licence is lost |
| Northern Ireland | ON, BC, AB, MB, NS, PE, NL | NB | Ontario: DVA certificate of entitlement, issued within six months |
| Ireland | All eight | None | PE: one-way exchange with a supporting document |
| Isle of Man | All eight | None | Ontario: verification history search, issued within six months |
| France | All eight | None | Ontario: abstract from the French licensing authority; consulates cannot supply it |
| Germany, Austria, Switzerland | All eight | None | Ontario: MTO-recognized translation, or an embassy or consulate authentication letter |
| Belgium | All eight | None | Ontario: authentication from your last Belgian municipality, with a stamp |
| Japan | All eight | None | Ontario: consulate certificate or IDP; the licence is not surrendered |
| South Korea | All eight | None | MB: Certificate of Driver's Licence from the National Police Agency |
| Taiwan | All eight | None | BC, MB, NB: translation by TECO; ON, MB, NB: a Verification Certificate of Driver's Licence |
| Australia | ON, BC, AB, MB, NB, NS, PE | NL | MB: vision test and a driver licence report dated within 90 days |
| Ukraine | ON, AB, MB, NB, NS, PE, NL | BC | Category B or BE; Ontario: authentication document within six months |
| Denmark | ON, AB, MB, NB, NS, PE, NL | BC | PE: one-way exchange |
| New Zealand | ON, BC, AB, NB, NS, PE | MB, NL | Ontario and NS: a Class 1 licence |
| Netherlands | BC, AB, MB, NB, NS, PE | ON, NL | PE: one-way exchange |
| Portugal, Sweden | AB, MB, NB, NS, PE | ON, BC, NL | PE: one-way exchange |
| Italy | AB, MB, NB, NS | ON, BC, PE, NL | |
| Spain, Norway | AB, MB, NB, PE | ON, BC, NS, NL | PE: one-way exchange |
| Hungary | ON, AB, MB, NS | BC, NB, PE, NL | Ontario: category B or higher, translated |
| Croatia | ON, AB, MB | BC, NB, NS, PE, NL | Ontario: category B or higher, translated |
| Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia | AB, MB | The other six | Alberta: Class 5 only |
| Guernsey, Jersey | BC, AB | The other six | |
| Kosovo | ON | The other seven | Category B or higher, translated |
| India, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Iran, Brazil, Mexico and most other countries | None | All eight | Knowledge and road tests everywhere |
PEI's one-way ("unilateral") exchange, in force since January 24, 2022, covers Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. You show a valid Class 5 equivalent plus one supporting document: an IDP, or an original driving record or a letter from the licensing agency or embassy issued within 30 days.
Manitoba splits its list into reciprocal countries and a "simplified licence exchange" list; both skip the knowledge and road tests. Nova Scotia's exchange still includes a vision test.
Motorcycles and trucks are different. Ontario excludes motorcycle classes from most exchange countries, Nova Scotia recognizes motorcycle endorsements only from Belgium, the Isle of Man, South Korea and the United Kingdom, and Alberta and Manitoba list Class 6 for some countries only. Ontario exchanges no commercial class issued outside Canada, Nova Scotia tests commercial classes in full, and Newfoundland and Labrador does not transfer commercial credentials from its reciprocal countries.
What about Quebec and Saskatchewan?
They keep their own lists, which are not reproduced here. Quebec's Highway Safety Code allows an exchange without examination where the issuing authority has an exchange agreement with Québec (s. 91.1), or where the SAAQ can verify the licence directly with that authority electronically (s. 91). The application must be made within 12 months of settling in Canada (Regulation respecting licences, s. 32.1). Check SAAQ's list and SGI's site before you book.
What happens if your country is not on the list?
You apply as a new driver with credit for experience, and the rules differ more than the lists do:
- Ontario: since July 1, 2026, at most 12 months of credit. With the full 12 months you take the G2 road test right away, then wait 12 months for the G test.
- British Columbia: knowledge and road tests; without proof of more than two years' full-licence experience you enter graduated licensing.
- Alberta: a Class 7 knowledge test, then a graduated licensing exemption application reviewed by Service Alberta's Special Investigations Unit. Return after 10 business days; the surrendered licence and documents "will not be returned."
- Quebec: with at least one year of licensing, knowledge and road tests without a learner stage. Fail the road test and you can no longer drive on the foreign licence; you get a learner's licence.
- Manitoba: knowledge and road tests.
- New Brunswick: a full examination with vision, written and road tests.
- Nova Scotia: after the vision and knowledge tests you may get a Class 5 with condition 46 (supervising driver) until you pass the road test.
- PEI: a written test, the Novice Driver Course for Newcomers and a road test.
- Newfoundland and Labrador: written, vision and road tests; surrendering a valid foreign licence exempts you from the wait between Class 5 levels I and II.
The full deadline and testing table is in our province-by-province guide.
Does my licence need a translation if my country is on the list?
Usually, if it is not in English or French. Alberta and ICBC go by English, and ICBC asks for translations of many card formats only at its discretion. Ontario's DriveTest asks for a translation of Austrian, German, Swiss, Croatian, Hungarian, Kosovar, Ukrainian and Danish licences not in English or French, or the original licence with an embassy or consulate authentication letter in English or French. ICBC's country list says Japan and Taiwan need translations, Taiwan's only from TECO.
Who may translate is decided province by province. Ontario asks for an approved translator who can prove credentials, such as employment in translation services or membership in an association like ATIO, or a foreign embassy or consulate, and the translation must be dated within six months of your application. ICBC, Alberta registries, Manitoba Public Insurance, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador accept only the translators, organizations or consulates they name or, in Manitoba, translations notarized in Manitoba; a translation from Official Translations does not meet those rules. New Brunswick accepts a translation agency's translation and PEI a certified translation.
Licences from countries on no list: translation notes
- India, the Philippines, Nigeria: ICBC's list says no translation is usually needed. Manitoba is stricter: a translation is mandatory if the document "contains any foreign characters or words, even if the document also contains the information in English or French."
- China and Mexico: ICBC lists a translation as required.
- Brazil: ICBC lists no translation; other provinces may ask.
- Iran: ICBC may ask for one for older or alternative formats. Iranian documents use the Solar Hijri calendar; Manitoba makes a translation mandatory for documents dated only in a non-Gregorian calendar (its examples are licences from Nepal and Ethiopia), and Alberta wants such dates converted in the translation. See our Farsi documents guide.
- Hong Kong: licences show no issue date, so Alberta wants a Certificate of Driving Licence Particulars from the Transport Department.
- Saudi Arabia: some older cards show only an expiry date, and Alberta then asks for a driver report from the Ministry of Interior, translated.
Mistakes that send people back to the counter
- Assuming one province's list applies everywhere. A Ukrainian licence is exchanged in seven of the eight provinces but not in BC; a Dutch one in BC but not in Ontario.
- A stale supporting document. Ontario wants letters issued within six months, Manitoba an Australian report within 90 days, New Brunswick a Taiwanese verification certificate under three months old, PEI unilateral documents within 30 days.
- Asking a French consulate for the abstract. DriveTest says it must come from the French licensing authority that issued the licence.
- Photocopies. Ontario refuses photocopied letters and certificates for most countries.
- A Taiwanese translation not made by TECO in BC, Manitoba or New Brunswick.
Checklist before you book an exchange appointment
Questions people ask
Which countries can exchange a driver's licence in Canada without a test?
In all eight provinces compared here, licences from the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are exchanged without knowledge or road tests. Other countries are on some lists only, so check the province you are moving to.
Can I exchange an Indian driver's licence in Canada?
No. India is not on any of the eight provincial lists compared here, so you take knowledge and road tests, with credit for experience. In Ontario, since July 1, 2026, that credit is capped at 12 months and you pass both the G2 and G road tests.
Can I exchange a Ukrainian driver's licence?
Yes, in Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador, generally for category B or BE. British Columbia does not list Ukraine. Ontario also wants an authentication document issued within six months, plus a translation unless an embassy or consulate letter in English or French comes with the licence; see our Ukrainian documents guide.
Is a UK licence exchangeable everywhere in Canada?
A Great Britain licence is exchanged in all eight provinces compared here. Northern Ireland is listed everywhere except New Brunswick, whose list names England, Scotland and Wales.
Can I exchange a Philippine or Chinese licence?
No province among the eight lists the Philippines or China, so both take knowledge and road tests. ICBC usually needs no translation of a Philippine licence but does require one for a Chinese licence.
Do Quebec and Saskatchewan use the same lists?
No. The SAAQ exchanges licences under Quebec's own agreements, or where it can verify the licence electronically with the issuing authority, and the application must be made within 12 months of settling in Canada. Saskatchewan's SGI sets its own rules, so check both directly.
Can I exchange a motorcycle licence?
Often not. Ontario excludes motorcycle classes from most exchange countries, Nova Scotia recognizes motorcycle endorsements only from Belgium, the Isle of Man, South Korea and the United Kingdom, and Alberta and Manitoba list Class 6 for some countries only. Expect motorcycle testing unless your province's list names your class.
How much does a licence translation cost?
Official Translations charges CA$39.95 per page, usually delivered within 24 hours as a signed PDF. It fits the stated rules in New Brunswick and PEI. Ontario asks for an approved translator with proof of credentials, and in BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, use the translators those offices name.
