New to Canada? We’ve got you covered
- Buy insurance today, be covered when you land.
- Onlia recognizes out-of-country driving experience.
Let Onlia make your transition to Canada seamless
Car insurance is mandatory in Ontario, but your out-of-country licence is good for 60 days after moving here.
Be sure to have an English or French license, also known as an International Driving Permit. You can request one from the licensing authority in your home country.
After the 60 days are up
You can exchange your home country’s driver’s licence for an
Ontario one from the Ministry of Transportation.
The process is easier from other Canadian provinces or territories, as well as the U.S., Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Isle of Man, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, and Taiwan.
Bring your license to a DriveTest centre and they’ll take you through the steps and get you to do a quick vision test.
If you have less than two years of driving experience, you’ll have to take a road test. That means if you’ve been driving for 14 months, you’ll have to wait another eight months. In that time, you can get to know Ontario’s rules of the road.
What newcomers get with Onlia
New to Ontario and have no prior insurance history in Canada? We give you three claim-free years as a baseline.
We're one of the few insurers who considers out-of-country licensed years, as long as the MTO has your foreign driving record registered. You can contact them, and consult your drivers abstract to confirm your total number of licensed years.
But you need a valid Ontario driver’s licence to apply for Onlia insurance. For claims, we collect information from the CGI AutoPlus insurance history database.
If you cannot exchange your licence
- Take a vision test
- Show originals of your accepted identity documents
- Provide your valid out-of-province/foreign driver’s licence and any original supporting documents (in English or French) that show proof of your driving experience
- Fill out an application form and pay the applicable fees
- Take a vision test
- Take a written test and one road test
- Follow Ontario’s driving test process
- It can be tedious, especially if you have experience driving back home
All the coverage you need, and then some
Our car insurance comes with everything you need to drive in Ontario — plus, you can add extras for more protection. Our policies are clearly worded so you’ll know exactly what you’re covered for when you buy Onlia insurance.
Read about some of our car insurance coverages: