An Ontario driver's licence is the proof of your privilege to drive a car. You are supposed to carry it with you every time you are behind the wheel. Ontario has a one-piece plastic driver's licence. The licence has a digitized photograph and signature of the driver and a magnetic information strip.
A driver's licence includes your name, address, signature, date of birth, sex, height, date licence issued and expiry dates, and codes showing what class of vehicles you have the right to drive and under what conditions (for example, an "X" condition means you need to wear glasses/contacts for driving). If you have a singel red bar with four white dots under your picture, it indicates that you are qualified to be an accompanying driver under the graduated licensing programme.
Driving is a real privilege, it’s not a right.
If you live in Ontario, you must be sixteen years old and possess a valid Ontario driver's licence to drive in Ontario. A new immigrant to Ontario is required to apply for an Ontario driver's licence within sixty days of taking up residence in the province. Optionally, you can attend a driving school in your city in order to cut the waiting time between the Levels (see below).
Here is how to get your G1, G2 and G (a.k.a. G-full) driving licence in the province of Ontario, Canada.
There are three types of licenses in Ontario: G1, G2, and G (G full).
Level One - Ontario Drivers License G1
If you are more than 16 years of age, you can start with Level One (G1). In L1 as a novice driver, you can start learning to drive cars, vans or small trucks.In Level One (G1), the below six conditions will help make you a perfect driver:
- You cannot not drive on your own. A licenced driver instructor or a fully licenced driver who has at least four years of driving experience must be present in the front passenger seat.
Note: On an Ontario driver's licence, the photo of the licence holder with four or more years of driving experience has, under it, a red bar with four white dots. These are the only persons who are supposed to be in the front seat with you while you drive. This person's blood alcohol content must be less than .05 per cent, the legal suspension limit for fully licenced drivers. - You must make certain the accompanying driver is the only other person in the front seat.
- You must not drink any alcohol if you are going to drive. Your blood alcohol content must be zero when you're driving.
- You must not drive between 12a.m and 5 a.m.
- Each person in the car must have a seat belt, so everyone is safe and your vehicle is not overcrowded.
- You must not drive on Ontario's "400-series" highways or on high-speed expressways such as the Queen Elizabeth Way, the Don Valley Parkway, the Gardiner Expressway and the E.C. Row Expressway. Your Driver's Handbook has a complete list of those highways.
Level Two (Ontario Drivers Licence G2)
Normally, to get a G2 licence, young drivers of Canada should take an intensive driving course at one of the driving schools in Ontario.- In Level Two as a beginning driver, which lasts at least twelve months, you can drive at any time of day or night, without an accompanying driver. You may also drive on absolutely any Ontario road.
Four important conditions still apply in Level Two:
You must not drink any alcohol if you are going to drive. Your blood alcohol must still be zero when you're driving. - Each person must have a seat belt, so your vehicle is not over-crowded and each passenger is safe.
These rules apply between midnight and 5am: - In the first six months after recieving your G2 license, you're allowed to carry only one passenger aged 19 and under.
- After six months with your G-2 licence and until you receive your full G licence or turn twenty, you are allowed to carry up to three passengers aged 19 and under.
Exemptions: These restrictions do not apply if you are accompanied by a fully licenced driver (with at least four years of driving experience) in the front seat or if your young passengers are members of your immediate family.
Level Three (Ontario Drivers Licence G Full)
It will take at least 20 months from the time you start in Level One to the moment you can take the Level Two test to earn complete driving privileges. The final test tests your general driving ability.
You must pass the Level Two road test to qualify as a fully licenced class G-full driver.
Driver Re-qualification: Your Level One or Level Two novice licence will expire if you do not complete the Graduated Licencing Program within 5 years after you obtained your beginner licence. To keep your driving privileges, you still can take the appropriate road test to exit to the next level of licence.
If not, your licence will become expired and you will have to take the written test to re-qualify for Level One, or take Level One road test (Ontario Driver's G1 Test) to re-qualify for Level Two.
Road tests test your driving ability. You are checked on your ability to apply the rules of the road and safe driving practices. At the end of each test, the Examiner will give you a complete report of your skills and explain any mistakes you made. If you fail, after you have had more practice, you still have a chance to make an appointment to re-take this test but you must wait a minimum of ten days between exams.
This Ontario G1 test is completely free, there is no need to download any software, and no confidential info is collected. Please remember, however, that this is not a real G1 test.
Starting from December 2007, the Canadian Ministry of Transportation introduced a brand-new Ontario Driver’s Licence. The new Ontario driver’s licence has new colours and a new design. If you have 4 black dots going vertically on the left side of the secondary photo/signature area, it means that you qualify to be an accompanying driver under the graduated licensing program. For the time being, there still are three different versions of the Ontario driver’s licence in circulation.