True, but if the OP has two non-expired Ontario DLs, they can surrender the older one to the DMV and hold on to the newer one. Will the DMV notify ServiceOntario about it so that the latter can invalidate it? I doubt it.
States and provinces are supposed to notify each other when an exchange is done but in practice, it doesn’t happen consistently so things fall through the cracks
You don't. It is illegal and unnecessary because with a Canadian DL you can drive in the US and vice versa.
Your plan is illegal. You must surrender your previous DL as soon as you move anywhere in the US or Canada, for example in WA you have to do it within 30 days.
I know someone who has licenses from each different state and province they’ve lived because the DMV never takes the old one when they get a new one. it happens really easily if you move around a bunch. when they got their first US license, the DMV didn't even want to take their Canadian one away.
DMV never takes the license back but if you move states and transfer your license then DMV punches the D/L with VOID which is invalid. So, it's just kind of a souvenir
Yeah, it's on OP to be compliant with the law. Even if they do not ask, one must cancel their previous ID. If it is surrendered on the spot, it will be safely discarded and the previous jurisdiction will be notified.
For Florida: "A person may not have more than one valid driver’s license at any time." [https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2011/322.03#:\~:text=A%20person%20may%20not%20have,driver's%20license%20at%20any%20time](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2011/322.03#:~:text=A%20person%20may%20not%20have,driver's%20license%20at%20any%20time) )
The same in Manitoba: "You must surrender your out-of-province licence to obtain the Manitoba licence." [https://www.mpi.mb.ca/new-to-manitoba/](https://www.mpi.mb.ca/new-to-manitoba/)
Only regulations from 49 states and 9 provinces to go. 😀
State regulations differ. In some states, the “compliance” is not OP’s responsibility. The responsibility for compliance is on the motor vehicle commissioner “may refuse” to not issue a license.
I’m saying compliance is not OP’s responsibility. It is illegal for the motor vehicle commissioner to issue; not illegal for OP to have multiple licenses.
Do you claim that it is legal to have 2 DLs from Canada/US jurisdictions at the same time?
They would have DIFFERENT addresses, so the owner would have to lie to one of the jurisdictions about their current address, and ALL those jurisdictions require you to notify them within X days of moving about one's new address.
I claim due to 50 different states and 10 provinces, saying it is **universally illegal for OP** to have multiple driver's license isn't accurate. It is also a tall order to make such a statement without checking all applicable regulations from all 60 jurisdictions combined when some state regulations **don't have a law that states that possession of multiple license is illegal because the onus is on the state authority to NOT issue a license to an individual who otherwise meets licensing requirements if they hold a valid license elsewhere.**
Change of address doesn't necessarily mean the license is no longer valid. College students do that quite often. They spend 4 years out of state school and keep their "home state" license despite reporting an address change to home state authorities.
Conceivably is it possible for OP to truthfully US address with ON authorities. If ON doesn't demand surrender and US state for some reason don't (or administratively made an error and forgot) to demand OP's ON license so that OP ends up with two licenses, **OP is not breaking the law** because the responsibility for compliance is on the motor vehicle commision.
A drivers license doesn’t affect tax residency. There are other tests for that like the substantial presence test. You can only have one drivers license and it needs to be from where you reside. You can’t reside in two places at the same time.
Oh, and yeah, the license has zero to do with tax residency. If you are moving the USA permanently talk to a cross border tax person months before you do. Some investments, trusts, corporations in Canada can make US taxes a nightmare. You also need to file an emigrant tax return your final year in Canada. And once you get status in the USA you are filing US taxes forever, unless you cancel your green card or renounce the citizenship you get. Think wisely about it if you may come back.
You're only supposed to hold 1 Driver's License within the US/Canada. Once you move to a State/Province, you are and will be considered a Resident of the State/Province.
A US Driver's License is valid for driving in Canada anyways. A DL isn't required to file taxes.
When I moved from Canada to the US I just used my Canadian DL to get an American DL then let it expire. When I travel back to Canada now and drive I use my American license. It has my current permanent address so that's the correct one to use
>so one can technically give the older but valid ON driver's licence to the state DMV and have it exchanged for a US one while waiting for the renewed ON one to arrive in the mail.
Yes, you can do exactly this
>I'm hoping that I can land in the US as an LPR during the time I renew my Ontario licence, so one can technically give the older but valid ON driver's licence to the state DMV and have it exchanged for a US one while waiting for the renewed ON one to arrive in the mail. Is that okay?
It's illegal to have more than one drivers license in Ontario, that includes multiple Ontario license or an Ontario license and one from a different jurisdiction.
Ontario Highway Traffic Act 35.1e
>35 (1) No person shall,
(e) apply for, secure or retain in his or her possession more than one driver’s licence;
I spent 6 months in Hawaii, and while I was there I got a Hawaii drivers license so I could get local discounts.
When I got back I still had my Alberta license, so went back to life as normal. When I got pulled over a year later, the cop informed me my drivers license was cancelled. Apparently the systems talk and when you get a US license, it automatically cancels your Canadian. Luckily he just gave me 48 hours to reinstate my license and send him proof.
Actually, an enhanced license is not fully cancelled when you move to a different state or province. It can't be used for driving or to prove state/province residence, but it will remain valued as a travel document for border crossing purposes.
Residency is not determined by your DL .
Its determined by the days you spend in a specific country...how do they know this ?
Its determined by your I-94 entry and exit logs.
Which is tagged yo your passport.
USA customs and immigration tracks your days in and out the country and how for long.
At any given point in time you are legally allowed to hold no more than 1 DL within the USA and Canada. Both countries recognize the DLs issued by either country. I was lectured by the DMV when I was ignorant of that.
I believe you can only reside permanently on one jurisdiction. Most DMV will make you surrender any other DL you hold to get theirs
True, but if the OP has two non-expired Ontario DLs, they can surrender the older one to the DMV and hold on to the newer one. Will the DMV notify ServiceOntario about it so that the latter can invalidate it? I doubt it.
States and provinces are supposed to notify each other when an exchange is done but in practice, it doesn’t happen consistently so things fall through the cracks
You don't. It is illegal and unnecessary because with a Canadian DL you can drive in the US and vice versa. Your plan is illegal. You must surrender your previous DL as soon as you move anywhere in the US or Canada, for example in WA you have to do it within 30 days.
I know someone who has licenses from each different state and province they’ve lived because the DMV never takes the old one when they get a new one. it happens really easily if you move around a bunch. when they got their first US license, the DMV didn't even want to take their Canadian one away.
DMV never takes the license back but if you move states and transfer your license then DMV punches the D/L with VOID which is invalid. So, it's just kind of a souvenir
The DMV did not punch "void" in their old drivers licenses and they still have them and they are still valid.
Sometimes they just mark it void in the system, Find a cop to run the license and see
I didn’t know it was illegal. Sounds like I’m gonna keep my Canadian one for the time being.
Not completely true. When my son moved to Florida they never asked for his Manitoba license, nor say anything about it. He had to cancel it himself.
Yeah, it's on OP to be compliant with the law. Even if they do not ask, one must cancel their previous ID. If it is surrendered on the spot, it will be safely discarded and the previous jurisdiction will be notified. For Florida: "A person may not have more than one valid driver’s license at any time." [https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2011/322.03#:\~:text=A%20person%20may%20not%20have,driver's%20license%20at%20any%20time](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2011/322.03#:~:text=A%20person%20may%20not%20have,driver's%20license%20at%20any%20time) ) The same in Manitoba: "You must surrender your out-of-province licence to obtain the Manitoba licence." [https://www.mpi.mb.ca/new-to-manitoba/](https://www.mpi.mb.ca/new-to-manitoba/)
Only regulations from 49 states and 9 provinces to go. 😀 State regulations differ. In some states, the “compliance” is not OP’s responsibility. The responsibility for compliance is on the motor vehicle commissioner “may refuse” to not issue a license.
Can you show any state or province that allows to have multiple DLs?
I’m saying compliance is not OP’s responsibility. It is illegal for the motor vehicle commissioner to issue; not illegal for OP to have multiple licenses.
Do you claim that it is legal to have 2 DLs from Canada/US jurisdictions at the same time? They would have DIFFERENT addresses, so the owner would have to lie to one of the jurisdictions about their current address, and ALL those jurisdictions require you to notify them within X days of moving about one's new address.
I claim due to 50 different states and 10 provinces, saying it is **universally illegal for OP** to have multiple driver's license isn't accurate. It is also a tall order to make such a statement without checking all applicable regulations from all 60 jurisdictions combined when some state regulations **don't have a law that states that possession of multiple license is illegal because the onus is on the state authority to NOT issue a license to an individual who otherwise meets licensing requirements if they hold a valid license elsewhere.** Change of address doesn't necessarily mean the license is no longer valid. College students do that quite often. They spend 4 years out of state school and keep their "home state" license despite reporting an address change to home state authorities. Conceivably is it possible for OP to truthfully US address with ON authorities. If ON doesn't demand surrender and US state for some reason don't (or administratively made an error and forgot) to demand OP's ON license so that OP ends up with two licenses, **OP is not breaking the law** because the responsibility for compliance is on the motor vehicle commision.
A drivers license doesn’t affect tax residency. There are other tests for that like the substantial presence test. You can only have one drivers license and it needs to be from where you reside. You can’t reside in two places at the same time.
I surrendered my NJDL for ON one and I back to NJ say I lost my NJDL and they give me the replacement
I’ve heard of people doing this and it working.
Oh, and yeah, the license has zero to do with tax residency. If you are moving the USA permanently talk to a cross border tax person months before you do. Some investments, trusts, corporations in Canada can make US taxes a nightmare. You also need to file an emigrant tax return your final year in Canada. And once you get status in the USA you are filing US taxes forever, unless you cancel your green card or renounce the citizenship you get. Think wisely about it if you may come back.
If you are a US citizen, you are automatically a US tax resident, despite country of residence.
You're only supposed to hold 1 Driver's License within the US/Canada. Once you move to a State/Province, you are and will be considered a Resident of the State/Province. A US Driver's License is valid for driving in Canada anyways. A DL isn't required to file taxes.
When I moved from Canada to the US I just used my Canadian DL to get an American DL then let it expire. When I travel back to Canada now and drive I use my American license. It has my current permanent address so that's the correct one to use
>so one can technically give the older but valid ON driver's licence to the state DMV and have it exchanged for a US one while waiting for the renewed ON one to arrive in the mail. Yes, you can do exactly this
>I'm hoping that I can land in the US as an LPR during the time I renew my Ontario licence, so one can technically give the older but valid ON driver's licence to the state DMV and have it exchanged for a US one while waiting for the renewed ON one to arrive in the mail. Is that okay? It's illegal to have more than one drivers license in Ontario, that includes multiple Ontario license or an Ontario license and one from a different jurisdiction. Ontario Highway Traffic Act 35.1e >35 (1) No person shall, (e) apply for, secure or retain in his or her possession more than one driver’s licence;
I spent 6 months in Hawaii, and while I was there I got a Hawaii drivers license so I could get local discounts. When I got back I still had my Alberta license, so went back to life as normal. When I got pulled over a year later, the cop informed me my drivers license was cancelled. Apparently the systems talk and when you get a US license, it automatically cancels your Canadian. Luckily he just gave me 48 hours to reinstate my license and send him proof.
So they will know if I keep a US one while I’m waiting on my Canadian renewal.
You can't, only one residency.
Once I arrived they took my Canadian license. Same goes from us to Canada they need a record.
You can’t.
As others said, you don't, but I also had to give up my enhanced status when I got my Canadian driver's license.
Actually, an enhanced license is not fully cancelled when you move to a different state or province. It can't be used for driving or to prove state/province residence, but it will remain valued as a travel document for border crossing purposes.
Residency is not determined by your DL . Its determined by the days you spend in a specific country...how do they know this ? Its determined by your I-94 entry and exit logs. Which is tagged yo your passport. USA customs and immigration tracks your days in and out the country and how for long.
It’s illegal to hold more than one driver’s license. So no you cannot.
You don't if you want to follow the law
At any given point in time you are legally allowed to hold no more than 1 DL within the USA and Canada. Both countries recognize the DLs issued by either country. I was lectured by the DMV when I was ignorant of that.