Driving Licence in Canada - Age of Eligibility - Ontario

Ontario

Graduated Licensing System for Passenger Vehicles

• Learner's permit (G1): Available at the age of 16, with the passing of a multiple choice road theory test and an eye vision test(G1 test), a G1 licence is issued which allows the learning driver to drive on roads accompanied by someone with full valid driver's licence whose blood alcohol content (BAC) is less than 0.05. The driver also cannot drive on 400-series highways and other high-speed expressways (unless accompanied by a licensed instructor) or between 12:00 AM – 5:00 AM and must maintain their own BAC at zero.
• Probationary licence (G2): Available after having held a G1 licence for 12 months, or eight months if the driver has completed and passed a ministry-approved driver education course. Probationary licence is acquired after successfully completing a road test. At this point, the driver must still maintain a BAC of zero. As of September, 2005, teenage drivers with a G2 licence are restricted in the number of passengers under 19 that they can carry during night-time driving.
• Full licence (G): After 1 year of possessing the G2 licence, a driver can take an additional road test that often includes driving on a four lane divided highway. With successful completion, they will obtain a full licence, which carries no restrictions and are not required to take any further tests until the age of 80, provided they renew their licence every five years. Drivers aged 21 and under must still have a blood alcohol level of 0, even with a full G licence. Drivers 80 and over must complete a vision and knowledge test and participate in a 90-minute group education session to renew their licence, and the maximum number of years that a licence can be issued for is two years.

Graduated Licensing System for Motorcycles:

• Class M1: Motorcycles, including a limited-speed motorcycle (motor scooter) and a motor-assisted bicycle (moped). Level 1 of graduated licensing. Holders may drive a motorcycle under certain conditions, which are: Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) must be zero, riders can only ride during daylight hours (1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset), cannot ride on any highway with speeds of greater than 80 km/h except Highways 11, 17, 61, 69, 71, 101, 102, 144 and 655 and no passengers.
• Class M2: Motorcycles, including a limited-speed motorcycle (motor scooter) and a motor-assisted bicycle (moped). Level 2 of graduated licensing. Holders may drive a motorcycle but only with a zero blood alcohol level. Holders may also drive a Class G vehicle under the conditions that apply to a class G1 licence holder.
• Class M2 with Condition L: Limited-speed motorcycle (LSM) or moped only
• Class M: Motorcycles, including a limited-speed motorcycle (motor scooter) and a motor-assisted bicycle (moped). Holders may also drive a Class G vehicle under the conditions that apply to a class G1 licence holder
• Class M with Condition L: Limited-speed motorcycle (LSM) or mopeds only. Limited-speed motorcycles are motorcycles with a maximum speed of 70 km/h. If manufactured after 1988 they are identified by a label on the vehicle that indicates it to be a "LSM/MVL".

Additional Licensing Types for Ontario:

• Class F: Regular bus maximum of 24 passenger capacity and ambulances. Can also operate vehicles in Class 'G'
• Class E: School purposes bus - maximum of 24 passenger capacity. Can also operate vehicles in Class 'F' and 'G'
• Class D: Any truck or motor vehicle combination exceeding 11,000 kg provided the towed vehicle is not over 4,600 kg. Can also operate vehicles in Class 'G'
• Class C: Any regular bus with designed seating capacity for more than 24 passengers. Can also operate vehicles in Class 'D', 'F' and 'G'
• Class B: Any school purposes bus with designed seating capacity for more than 24 passengers. Can also operate vehicles in Class 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F' and 'G'
• Class A with Condition R: Drivers with a restricted Class A licence condition would be prevented from operating a motor vehicle pulling double trailers or a motor vehicle pulling a trailer with air-brakes.
• Class A: Any tractor-trailer or combination of motor vehicle and towed vehicles where the towed vehicles exceed a total gross weight of 4,600 kilograms. Can also operate vehicles in Class 'A with Condition R', 'D' and 'G'

Ontario has used a graduated licensing system since 1994. A driver can take as little as 20 months to get a full licence, however a driver must have a full (G) licence within five years of obtaining a learners permit (G1).

In 2006, Ontario passed legislation that would allow a court to suspend the licence of high school dropout until they turn 18. But the Act did not receive royal assent until December 2009 and is now in effect.

Traffic violation convictions usually come with demerit points against your licence. While the demerit points have no official impact on insurance rates, most insurance providers will increase the rate charged to a driver in response to demerit points. The demerit points are used by the Ministry of Transportation to determine licence suspensions due to repeated traffic violations (Effects on Ontario insurance rates and eligibility are typically measured by the number of tickets received in recent years, rather than the associated points).

Drivers from out of province must obtain an Ontario driver's licence if staying more than 90 days. New residents of Ontario may only apply after residing in the province for 60 days.

Starting June 2009, Ontario began issuing Enhanced Drivers Licences (EDLs) as an option to residents upon request. These licence while almost visually identical to regular drivers licences contained 2 distinct differences. The first being a machine readable code printed on the back of the card (visually similar to the same coding on a Canadian Passport). The second: an embedded RFID microchip. These changes were made in response to the heightened security precautions at US land border crossings. The changes allow for quicker procedures at a border crossing as well as a cheaper alternative to a Canadian Passport ($40 vs. $100).