Irish driving licences to qualify in Ontario

Irish driving licences will be eligible in the Canadian province of Ontario very shortly, according to the Department of Transport.

A spokesman for the department said the Road Safety Authority is to notify Ontario that its licence is acceptable to Ireland “before the end of the year”.

It is expected that the Canadian province will give sanction to the Irish licence “shortly thereafter”, the spokesperson said.

The issue has been a bugbear for Irish immigrants as Canada has mutual driving agreements with many other European countries. Under these agreements, drivers can convert home licences into provincial ones.

Reaching an agreement is not straight-forward because each Canadian province operates its own licensing system.

The RSA began discussions with Ontario in 2012, working through the Irish Embassy in Canada. The RSA has also engaged with Newfoundland, Labrador, and Alberta, and last week received documentation from Manitoba which is now being analysed, a department spokesperson said.

The matter was first raised with Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar by members of the Irish diaspora during an official visit to Canada and the department also received a number of representations from individuals.

In 2012, the department and the minister asked the RSA to explore the mutual recognition of driving licences. Mr Varadkar also raised the matter during an official trip to Canada this year, and has since followed it up with the Irish Ambassador to Canada. Since then a considerable amount of discussion has taken place, the department said.

Cathy Murphy of the Toronto-based Irish Canadian Immigration Centre said she anticipates the change will open up employment opportunities for those in the trades: “There are technical issues that are taking time to work through, but I understand negotiations are proceeding well and as such it will be very good news for the new Irish arriving here.”

Under the current rules, Irish people have to retake their driving test to get an Ontario ‘G’ licence.

Ian Barry from Cork, who moved to Toronto last year, had to do just that. “This would have saved me a lot of hassle,” he said. “I ended up re-sitting my test.

“I spent about a week studying the driving manual and doing practice tests online in preparation for the written test, which cost me about $80 (€54),” he said.

“I also spent $200 for driving lessons and the use of a car for the test. On top of which I had to get time off work to do the lessons and the exam.”

In addition to this hurdle there is the issue of insurance. Ontario has the highest car insurance in North America, and without a Canadian driving history, prices for annual coverage can range up to $3,000 or more. Some company do take no claims bonus documents into account.