Is my international Drivers License valid in Vancouver?

These are commonly asked questions that will be part of our Frequently Asked Question series – is my driver’s license still valid when I move to Vancouver?

Regardless if you’re moving from another Canadian province, the United States, or a different part of the world, at some point you will need to update your driver’s license to a British Columbia driver’s license.

The rules for visitors to British Columbia, as opposed to future residents moving to Vancouver, are different. Visitors have a grace period of 6 months to which they are able to use their native driver’s license in the city until they are required to transition to a BC Drivers License.

Whether you’re moving to Vancouver from another province, the United States, UK, China, Germany, India, or any other part of the world you will need to switch your driver’s license to BC within 90 days. The process is very straight forward by visiting one of the many Drivers Licensing centers in BC.

For Canadian residents, all you will need is to provide a piece of identification, your original driver’s license, funds for the processing fee, and a driver’s abstract with proof of your driving record.

For all other international drivers, there is a different process. You will need to provide your identification, original license, proof of driving history in the form of a driver’s abstract. However, there are several exemptions depending on your circumstances.

Moving to Vancouver temporarily as a student you are exempt from the 90-day restriction with proof that you are attending an accredited BC educational institution (University Of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, BCIT, Kwantlen, etc).

Will you need a commercials drivers license? This process is a little bit more lengthy as it will need further examination.

You can learn more about Driving in BC here or contact me for more information. Don’t hesitate to call me at 604-275-2997, email me at ron@oakwyn.com or drop a comment below!