Converting Licence from Australia to Canada, Getting M | GTAMotorcycle.com

Converting Licence from Australia to Canada, Getting M

Q

Qilin

New member
Hey All,

Just moved over from Australia to Canada and looking to convert my Motorcycle Licence over.

I am Age 29 and managed to get my full Unrestricted Motorcycle Licence (aka M) before i left the country.

Looking at their website on transferrals it states:
https://drivetest.ca/licences/licence-exchanges/licence-exchanges-motorcycles.html

  • If you do not have at least two years of motorcycle driving experience, you may receive a Class M2 licence and have limited driving privileges.

Since I am over the age of 27 and own a Full Car Licence in Australia I am able to get my full Motorcycle Licence within 1 year of getting my 'Provisional' (aka M2 i guess). Which is what i did.

If i Transfer this Licence will get an M2 or an M? I have a full Australian Licence but its been under 1 year. If I wont would it be more prudent to transfer my Licence next year? Anyone have any experience with this or not sure.


Edit: For Specific Dates;

Received Learners on the: 01/03/2016 (First of March)
Received Provisional on the: 22/06/2016 (22nd of June)
Received Full on the: 22/06/2017 (22nd of June)

So to make it 2 years 'to be safe' I would convert in March 2018.
 
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Welcome. I can't help you much with your question. Insurance in Canada is going to suck no matter what. I would probably transfer now. If you get an M2 so be it, the exit test isn't that bad. M2 isn't that restricted (0 blood alcohol which is a great idea on a bike in general). Get a small bike insured to start gaining ontario motorcycle insurance history. In a year, you can get your M (if they don't give it to you now), turn 30 and have a year of insurance and your rates should drop dramatically.

Be very careful on a bike here until you get your brain reprogrammed to ride on the right side of the road. A car visually triggers you that something is different, it is easy to forget on a bike. I know a Japanese man that made this easy mistake and lost his life because of it.
 
GreyGhost said:
Welcome. I can't help you much with your question. Insurance in Canada is going to suck no matter what. I would probably transfer now. If you get an M2 so be it, the exit test isn't that bad. M2 isn't that restricted (0 blood alcohol which is a great idea on a bike in general). Get a small bike insured to start gaining ontario motorcycle insurance history. In a year, you can get your M (if they don't give it to you now), turn 30 and have a year of insurance and your rates should drop dramatically.

Be very careful on a bike here until you get your brain reprogrammed to ride on the right side of the road. A car visually triggers you that something is different, it is easy to forget on a bike. I know a Japanese man that made this easy mistake and lost his life because of it.
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Cheers for the Reply. Wasn't really planning on riding this Season myself anyway so its no real skin of my nose if I do it next year, but do you suggest just getting an M2 and a little 125 or something for the sake of History?

And yeah, I am planning to practice making sure I'm on the right side of the road for a while anyway. Cheers for the heads up anyway
 
If you transferred your car lic. already or soon, it might raise questions if you try your MC lic. next year. Maybe, I don't know. They might just go by the 2 years and you're good. Either way it's always better to get a learner bike and get experience in. You are still a new rider and have to get used to driving on the right side of the road. So all in all you are starting new. I'd say get the transfer now and start learning to ride on this side of the pond with a smaller cc bike. Besides, insurance co.s don't care if you have an M if your experience is less than they want.
 
I'd get your M2 now. You will have to wait 18 months to get your M (I believe) but as stated by others at least you will start building an insurance record.
 
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Riceburner said:
If you transferred your car lic. already or soon, it might raise questions if you try your MC lic. next year. Maybe, I don't know. They might just go by the 2 years and you're good. Either way it's always better to get a learner bike and get experience in. You are still a new rider and have to get used to driving on the right side of the road. So all in all you are starting new. I'd say get the transfer now and start learning to ride on this side of the pond with a smaller cc bike. Besides, insurance co.s don't care if you have an M if your experience is less than they want.
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Cheers for the Input. I wasn't really planning on buying a motorcycle for a while anyway since i got nowhere to store it for a while... So i'm not sure if transferring for the sake of building records will work if i don't own a vehicle, unless just the sheer ownership of a licence counts?

Haven't xferred over my Car yet since the Australian Licence was transferred from my NZ Licence but the Australian Licence only started in 2016, even though i'd had a full Car licence in NZ for a while... Ahh the issues with International travel, but that's another issue i'll discuss with them.

And yeah, back in Aus due to their licencing was on my small bikes anyway (VTR250 and KTM RC390 for the Racetrack) and will probably end up with something similarly small (R3 or Ninja 300) or Slow (KLR650?) for a while just for the sheer fact of Insurance costs and continuing improving my skills which i really enjoyed more on the little bikes esp on the Racetrack. On that note i wish you guys had bikes like the CB400SF and CBR250RR 4cyl here, loved those things...

SVeezy said:
I'd get your M2 now. You will have to wait 18 months to get your M (I believe) but as stated by others at least you will start building an insurance record.
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Do i still build up driving records even if i don't own a vehicle? As above not planning to buy for a while until i get all my other dumb immigration affairs sorted, a job, a place to live and the income to buy toys again etc.
 
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Getting the M2 now, just lets you take the M test sooner than if you wait. Owning a MC has nothing to do with it. So by the time you get one and have done your M, you should be in better insurance range.
 
It's my understanding that you HAVE to get an Ontario drivers licence within a certain period of time. I know for a fact you can not drive on a foreign drivers licence indefinitely here. Ask at a service Ontario, they'll know the exact time frame, but I think it's between 4 - 6 months that you are allowed on a foreign licence. That being the case, you will have to switch before the 2 years are up on your Australian M licence.
 
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