Moving to B.C. with a foreign driver's licence

2026-10-04

If you move to B.C. with a driver's licence from another country, ICBC gives you 90 days to switch it to a B.C. licence (ICBC: Moving from outside Canada). Whether you also have to sit the knowledge test and the road test depends on where your licence was issued. This post goes through ICBC's list, what it means if your country is not on it, and what to bring.

Who does not have to switch

The 90-day rule does not apply, and you can keep driving on your current licence, if you are a tourist visiting for up to six months, a full-time student with a valid student exemption at a designated B.C. school, ordinarily resident outside B.C., or a seasonal agricultural worker under the federal SAWP program (up to 12 months) (ICBC). Everyone else who moves here has 90 days.

The exchange list

ICBC waives testing for licences from every Canadian province and territory, and for passenger and motorcycle licences from most U.S. states. It also waives the knowledge test for passenger licences, and most motorcycle licences, from these places (ICBC, "Licence exchange jurisdictions" tab):

Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland
Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey
the Netherlands (not its former territories in the Antilles)
South Korea and Taiwan (passenger licences only, not motorcycles)
the United Kingdom and the United States

Read the page itself before you go, because it describes the list in two ways. Near the top it says these licences can be exchanged "without additional testing"; the list tab says only that B.C. will "waive knowledge testing" for them (ICBC). If the road test matters to your plans, ask the office when you book.

If your licence is from Taiwan, ICBC asks for the licence card, a verification certificate of your licence with a red seal (issued only in Taiwan), and a translation done by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver (ICBC).

Mainland China and Hong Kong are not on the list

When we read the page on October 4, 2026, neither mainland China nor Hong Kong was on it (ICBC). For a licence that is not on the list, ICBC says you can still apply for a B.C. licence, but you also take a knowledge test and a road test (ICBC, "If you can't exchange your licence" tab). The steps are:

Book a knowledge test appointment. At the same visit, ICBC records your ID and your driving experience.
Pass the knowledge test: you need 40 correct answers out of 50.
Book and take the Class 5 road test. Bring another qualified driver with you in case you do not pass.

ICBC recommends starting early: the knowledge test comes first, and then you wait for a road test slot, all within the 90 days (ICBC). The list can change, so check the page again before you book.

Two years of driving experience

If you can prove at least two years of driving on a full licence (not a learner's), you skip B.C.'s Graduated Licensing Program. If you cannot, you can still get a Class 7 or Class 8 licence with graduated licensing restrictions (ICBC).

ICBC accepts either an original, current licence that shows at least two years of experience or your first issue date, or an original driving record or letter of experience from the licensing body (ICBC: Proving your driving experience). Photocopies and email printouts are not accepted; a copy of the original approved and stamped by the licensing body is. A document that is not in English must be translated by an ICBC-approved translator (ICBC).

What to bring, and what you give up

For the knowledge test appointment, bring accepted ID, your current licence, the licence fees and your proof of driving experience (ICBC). See what to bring to an in-person knowledge test for the ID rules.

B.C. law allows only one driver's licence, so you surrender your old one when you apply. If you have to take the road test and do not pass, you get a B.C. learner's licence and your previous licence is not returned (ICBC). Plan for that before you hand it over.

Preparing for the knowledge test

The knowledge test is offered in 12 languages, including Simplified and Traditional Chinese; see which languages the test comes in. The questions are based on Learn to Drive Smart. A note from us, not from ICBC: some rules in it may differ from the ones you drove under at home. Our free practice questions are written by us from that guide, in English and both forms of Chinese. They are not ICBC's test questions.