Help - Ontario driver's licence question

[calirgr]

Hi,
I'm in grad school in the states but my wife is from Ontario.

I am finishing school soon and we are planning on moving to Ontario for the full 6 months I am allowed as a US citizen because my wife is pregnant and we want to have our child born in Canada. It might end up being more than 6 months. I don't plan on working in Canada during this time so I will be entering without a visa, since US citizens can live in Canada for 6 months without a visa. The rub is, Ontario requires anyone living/driving in the province for more than 3 months to get an Ontario driver's licence, so this technically affects me.

I currently live in upstate NY and can get to ON fairly easily. I would like to get an Ontario driver's licence in advance. I've checked on the Ontario Ministry of Transportation's website and it looks almost too good to be true - a very simple reciprocity process where I can provide my passport and U.S. state licence and just exchange it.

So here's my question: can anyone tell me if I need to be a Canadian citizen/permanent resident to do this, and what are the Ontario residency requirements to exchange a U.S. licence under the reciprocity agreement? The way I understand it, all I need is my original US licence (still valid), my US passport (still valid), and an Ontario mailing address. This seems so much easier than doing it the other way around in a US state.

If anyone can tell me, I would be much obliged. It is confusing because I know most states require state residency AND either US citizenship or some type of visa in order to get a state licence; even British Columbia requires (from their website) proof that you have either Canadian citizenship or a work/student visa. Ontario, on the other hand, apparently accepts a US passport as the sole form of identification (BC does not). It is somewhat of a predicament because Ontario law requires me to exchange my licence but I will not be in Canada on a visa so I want to make sure they do not require proof of residency (other than a permanent mailing address in ON, which I already have) in Ontario or Canada. I hope this makes sense!

[agnelson]

Just a quick correction. Visitors can VISIT canada for six months at a time, while maintaining their foreign residence throughout.

So, you don't really need to change your DL,. since it is still valid where you live. Only those living and/or working long-term in Canada need to change their DL (this the requirement to show proof of status).

You don't care about status, you are just visiting, and have a home in US. Your car should be plated/insured there.