Can I get a license from another province if I am suspended in British Columbia?

Driving prohibitions suck. There’s no other way to put it. Many people try to come up with creative solutions to find ways to get around driving prohibitions. In some circumstances, individuals will attempt to drive vehicles that do not require driver’s licenses, such as certain types of e-bikes or scooters. In other situations, drivers may try to avoid the prohibition by getting a license from another province.

This is not as easy as it sounds.

First of all, all of the provinces and territories in Canada share information about your driving record and your driver’s license status. In addition, when you go to get a driver’s license in another province, you will be required to make a solemn declaration that you do not have a license in any other province and that your right to drive is not suspended in any other province.

This means that the first step to getting a license in another province would require you to lie, which could lead to your being prosecuted. This is obviously not a good idea, nor is it lawful.

But the second, more pressing problem with this, is that if your driver’s license is suspended in British Columbia, in order to be eligible to apply for a license in another province, you would have to take up residence in that province.

You would have to move houses, move your family, your life, and your work to a different province just to be able to drive. The cost and stress associated with doing this would probably not be worth it. But even if you think they are, there is no guarantee you would actually get a license.

You would still have to have a valid license from the jurisdiction you are moving from in order to convert that to another province. Some people have considered not being truthful, and have attempted to mislead other provinces about their license status. However, if you do that, not only do you expose yourself to the risk of criminal prosecution for fraud, but you also would have to start the graduated licensing program in the other province from the beginning. This would be because you do not have any driving history, at least according to your false claims. It would put you in a position where you would be required to drive around with a supervisor.

This is not a solution to your problem.

There is an exception to this rule. If your license originally came from another jurisdiction, for example, if you get suspended in British Columbia while you have a valid Alberta or Ontario license, then you can continue to drive in any other province or territory, provided you do not receive notification from your home province that your license is suspended.

This is because provincial driving prohibitions apply only in the province in which they are issued. In some circumstances, provinces will reciprocate the prohibition, but typically for provincial prohibitions, this does not seem to happen.

There is one exception to the exception.

That exception is that if you are charged and convicted of a criminal driving offence, and sentenced to a prohibition under the Criminal Code, that prohibition is in effect across Canada, regardless of where your license is from.

For example, if you get convicted criminally of impaired driving or dangerous driving in British Columbia, you cannot drive in Manitoba, even though you have a valid Manitoba license. If you are charged with a criminal driving offence, that prohibition is in effect in all the provinces.

These rules, like many rules related to driving offences, can be confusing and difficult to navigate. If you are unsure about your license status, contact the jurisdiction in which your license was issued to determine if your license is valid and whether you are able to drive there. If you are unsure how to navigate the driving prohibition, our office is always available to take your call.