What You Should Know About Taking Your Car to Canada and Driving in Canada

If you are planning on moving to Canada and will be driving your self most places instead of utilizing public transportation you will want to familiarize your self with all of the applicable driving laws. You may also be interested in taking your automobile with you to Canada. Before taking that step you will need to get it approved.

Driving in Canada should not be much different than driving in your home country. Canada has an extensive network of highways that criss cross through the country. In order to legally drive a vehicle in Canada you will need to have a valid driver's license. And then you can drive any car that you have rented, owned or imported into the country,

If you have an international driver's license from another country you are able to use that to drive in Canada. In you plan on staying in Canada less than a year you will not need to transition to a Canadian driver's license. But if you plan on staying for several years or if you aim to get permanent residency then you will need to get your self a Canadian driver's license.

The rules for qualifying for a driver's license in Canada tend to vary by province. In most of the provinces you will find a graduated licensing system. Under this you will have to take three tests over a period of two years to get three levels of license in order for you to get a full driver's license. Three parts are usually broken down into a written test, a city street test and a city and highway test. You have to go to the Ministry of Transportation in your province to get the process started.

If you are from the United States and have had an American driver's license from at least two years you do not need to go through the process just described. Instead, you just need to swap your American driver's license for a Canadian driver's license.

If you have a car that you wish to bring to Canada with you then you will need to contact the ministry of transportation in your province. They will check current transportation regulations and see if they will allow it. Usually this means that the automobile has to be of a certain age and meet certain safety standards. You will have to pay import taxes on it though. You are also required to have insurance on the car. If you do not then the fines are very steep!