Can a Chinese driver’s license be used in Canada?

When many people plan to travel to Canada, they may want to borrow a car locally and drive it themselves, which is more convenient. However, at this moment, there will inevitably be confusion in my mind: I have a Chinese driver’s license in hand, can the Chinese driver’s license be used in Canada? Can I drive in Canada with a Chinese driver's license? Can I rent a car in Canada? How to use it in Canada? Does Canada recognize Chinese driver's license?

A Chinese driver's license can be used in Canada. A Chinese driver's license can drive and rent a car in Canada. Canada recognizes a Chinese driver's license. So, how to use it?

To drive in Canada with a Chinese driver’s license, you must use any combination of the following documents:

1. Chinese driver’s license + certified translation of international driver’s license (recommended).

The certified translation of the international driver's license is an online car rental platform for overseas self-driving tours. It is launched by NAATI (Australian Translator Accreditation Authority), NZTA (New Zealand Ministry of Transport), the German High Court, the French Court of Appeal, and the Spanish The Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly translated and certified the Chinese driver's license into a standard driver's license translation document in 9 languages ??in accordance with the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic and in strict accordance with international standards, so that the Chinese driver's license can be recognized and accepted by a wider range of foreign institutions and car rental companies. It can be used at Nearly 200 countries and regions use the original Chinese driver’s license for car rental.

In Canada, the provinces (states) that support driving with a Chinese driver’s license + certified translation of an international driver’s license are:

British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, Saskatchewan Skatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Labrador, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Quebec, Northwest Territories, etc. (to name only a few).

In Canada, the cities where you can drive with a Chinese driver’s license + international driver’s license translation and certification are:

Hamilton, Moncton, Jasper, Abbotsford, and Regina Na, Richmond Hill, etc. (to name only a few).

(Warm reminder: International driving license translation certification is only applicable to Chinese citizens who rent a car for short-term tourism in Canada. Users who live in Canada for a long time, such as overseas Chinese, international students, etc. are not applicable.)

In addition, in Canada, the car dealers that support the use of certified translations of international driver's licenses are:

AVIS, ACERentACar, Carboy Motors, Enterprise, SIXT Car Rental), Interrent, DiscountQuebec, DOLLARTHRIFTY, DiscountCanada, Europcar (Onopka Car Rental), Hertz (Hertz Car Rental), TrustAutoGroup (Jiacheng Car Rental), KeddybyEuropcar, PAYLESS, UCAUTO (UCAR Car Rental), National, Budget (Hundred Car Rental) Jile Car Rental), DISCOUNTCARANDTRUCKRENTALS, Firefly, Thrifty (Sulifeti Car Rental), acerentacar, Peel, Dollar (Dollar Car Rental), Alamo (爱LO美车rental).

The following are the feelings and comments of some users who have rented a car and driven themselves in Canada.

(1) Yang ** rented a Dodge Grand Caravan model from Budget Car Rental Company in Toronto, Canada:

Evaluation of Budget: There are not many people and there is no queue, and the service attitude is acceptable

(2) Hou** rented a Toyota Camry model from Alamo Car Rental Company in Vancouver, Canada:

Evaluation of Alamo: There are many Alamo counters, but not many staff, and you still have to wait to pick up the car. .

Self-driving experience: Driving in Canada is a kind of enjoyment. You only need to pay attention to the front, and you don’t have to watch all directions and listen to all directions like in China. The traffic regulations in Canada are similar to those in China. You must strictly follow the signs.

Self-driving route: Vancouver-Banff-Jasper-Vancouver

(3) Congratulations to ** for renting a Toyota Camry model from Thrifty Car Rental Company in Toronto Island, Canada:

Evaluation of Thrifty: The service staff is very patient, there is basically no queuing time, and you can handle it as soon as you go

Self-driving experience: Very good

Self-driving route: Markham to Toronto and back

(4) Ao** rented a Jeep Grand Cherokee model from CNR Car Rental Company in Vancouver, Canada:

The car pick-up experience: very convenient. After arriving, he contacted us through WeChat to hand over the car in the airport parking lot. , the employees of the car rental company explained the precautions and traffic regulations very seriously, signed it and it was OK. The car is very new and has only been driven for more than 10,000 kilometers. I am very satisfied.

Experience of returning the car: When I returned the car to the same address where I picked it up, the dealership staff checked the mileage. Because it exceeded the 2,800 kilometers stipulated in the contract, they paid 155 Canadian dollars for the excess mileage. The handover is completed after paying the parking lot fee, which is very convenient.

(5) Yang ** rented a Toyota Camry model from Alamo Car Rental Company in Vancouver, Canada:

Evaluation of Alamo: Customer service responded promptly and effectively solved the problem

(6) Meng ** rented a Dodge G Caravan model at Alamo Car Rental Company in Toronto, Canada:

Evaluation of Alamo: Very good

(7) Hou ** rented a Carboy in Vancouver, Canada The car rental company rented a Nissan Versa model:

Car pickup experience: Pick up the car at the dealership, and the dealership will send a car to pick us up at the nearest light rail station at the agreed time. Since the employees in the store are all Chinese, the process of picking up the car was smooth. The car prepared for us was relatively new, with a distance of less than 10,000 kilometers, and it had been cleaned. The employees in the store are friendly and friendly. After copying the driver's license, passport and credit card of the car renter, they sign the car rental contract and drive away after checking the vehicle.

The car return experience: The car return process was smooth. We filled up the gas before returning the car. We made a reservation with the store in advance to return the car at 9:30 am and took us to the airport. When we arrived at the store at 9:00, there were already employees waiting for us. After checking the vehicle, someone took us to the airport. The employees were very welcoming.

(8) Anonymously rented a Toyota Camry model from the Hertz car rental company in Vancouver, Canada:

Evaluation of Hertz: I have always used Hertz, except the year before last when I rented a car from Avis. In comparison, I still like Hertz

Self-driving experience: The GPS of the rental car should be updated in time, and offline map exploration is not bad

Self-driving route: Vancouver-Banff-Victoria-West Asia-Vancouver

(9) I rented a Hyundai Accent anonymously from the Budget Car Rental Company in Toronto, Canada:

Comments on Budget: At the BUDGET Car Rental Company in Toronto Airport, I was greeted by an uncle. The service attitude was very good. There was no such car on site, so I paid a little more money and replaced it with a Toyota RAV4. It was great to drive from Toronto to Quebec.

Self-driving experience: The journey from Toronto to Quebec was very smooth, with stops in Kingston and Montreal. Kingston mainly visited Thousand Island Lake, and Montreal has many attractions. , such as Notre Dame Cathedral, St. Joseph's Basilica, Royal Park, etc. Quebec's old city is relatively small, walking is enough, and the streets are relatively narrow. If you rent a car, it is recommended to rent a smaller car.

Self-driving route: Toronto-Kingston-Montreal-Quebec

(10) Ma** rented a Hyundai Accent model from Budget Car Rental in Toronto, Canada:

Evaluation of Budget: Unlike other stores, the clerk did not pretend to be stupid to trick me into buying more insurance

Self-driving experience: The road conditions in Toronto are very complicated, so you must focus on driving

Self-driving routes ：Toronto-Niagara-Erie-Hamilton-Toronto-Kingston-Ottawa-QC-Montreal

Additional explanation: There is a difference between the certified translation of the international driver's license and the international driver's license, but both are auxiliary translations of the driver's license. The certification document must be used together with the original driver's license.

International Driving Permit is the popular name translated into Chinese by (International Driving Permit, referred to as IDP). It is actually not a driver’s license, but an auxiliary certification document for the driver’s license. It is issued by the traffic authorities of the member states of the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic. The management department or traffic association issues a translation document to the driver's license holder of the home country to demonstrate the legality of the driver's license to other contracting countries.

Due to historical reasons, mainland China has not joined the United Nations Convention on Roads, resulting in mainland residents being unable to apply for an "International Driving Permit (IDP)" today.

However, in addition to the "International Driver's License IDP", various countries and regions also support the use of other translation certification methods with Chinese driver's licenses for local use. The international driver's license translation certification is launched on this basis to ensure that users It is worry-free to use. Currently, the translated and certified international driving license has helped more than 10 million Chinese tourists successfully rent a car and drive in nearly 200 countries and regions around the world.

2. Chinese driver’s license + notarized driver’s license.

The notarized driver's license is a notarized translation of the driver's license issued by a Chinese notary office, which is recognized by Canada. It is an auxiliary certificate for the Chinese driver's license abroad and does not have universal legal effect.

The purpose of a notarized driver's license is that when Chinese people need to drive or rent a car in Canada, because Canadians (police, car rental company employees, etc.) cannot understand Chinese, they have to go to a notary office to apply for one in the local language. Notarized translation of driver's license. When renting a car in Canada, this notarized document must be presented together with the original driver's license, otherwise you will be refused to pick up the car and the rent will not be refunded. The same is true when the Canadian traffic police inspect your vehicle. The notarized document and the original driver's license must be presented at the same time. Otherwise, you will be considered to be driving without a license and will be sanctioned by local laws.

As for the notarized driving license, also in Canada, different car rental company stores accept it, some accept it, and some do not. This situation is particularly common.

Even well-known large car rental companies rarely inform users in advance whether the car rental store accepts a notarized driver's license. It often happens that the car is refused and no refund is given when picking up the car. This is a disadvantage of the notarized driver's license.

Notarization of a driver's license can be obtained at the notary office where the Chinese driver's license is issued or where one's household registration is. The driver's license translation and notarization are usually translated into English and stamped with the official seal of the notary office. If you have special needs (for example, if you want to use it in a non-English speaking country), you can ask the notary office to make an additional translation and notarization in that country's language. Generally, the translation fee for a non-English driver's license notarization is more expensive than the English notarization.

The translation fee and notarization fee generally total around 200 to 300 yuan. Please consult the local notary office for details. The time to complete the process varies slightly in different regions, ranging from 2 to 3 working days to 5 to 10 working days.

When applying, you need to bring the original and copy of your Chinese driver's license, the original and copy of your household registration book, and the original and copy of your Chinese resident ID card. If you entrust someone else to handle it for you, you must also bring the agent's resident. ID card and "power of attorney".

3. Chinese driver’s license + car dealership translation.

The car dealership translation refers to a paper document that translates the content of the Chinese mainland driver's license into English according to the translated driver's license template provided by the car rental company and prints it out. It is mainly used for the convenience of store staff of Canadian car rental companies and Canadians. Police are better able to identify driver's license content.

The car dealer’s translation must be presented together with your original valid Chinese driver’s license in order to successfully pick up the car at a Canadian car rental store. Neither one of them will work. In addition, car dealer translations are only applicable to Chinese citizens who rent cars for short-term tourism in Canada. It is not applicable to users who live in Canada for a long time, such as overseas Chinese and international students.

The document combination of Chinese driver’s license + car dealer translation has some limitations:

1. You need to go online to find the translation template for the corresponding car dealer;

2. The car agency translation can only be used by the corresponding car rental company. For example, translations from Thrifty (Thrifty Car Rental) can only be used at Thrifty (Thrifty Car Rental) and cannot be used at other car rental companies;

3. Translations from the same car rental company, May not be universal in different regions. For example, UCAUTO (Ucar Rental) car dealership translations may be usable in one country but not in another.

In general, a Chinese driver’s license can be used in Canada. The above is how to use a Chinese driver’s license to drive, rent a car or drive yourself in Canada.

Legal basis:

"Regulations on Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving License"

Article 29 Subject 1 examination content includes: road access, traffic Regulations on signals, traffic safety violations and traffic accident handling, application and use of motor vehicle driving licenses, motor vehicle registration, and other road traffic safety laws, regulations and rules.

Article 68: If a motor vehicle driver accumulates 12 points within a scoring period, the traffic management department of the public security organ shall detain his motor vehicle driving license. Motor vehicle drivers shall, within 15 days, go to the traffic management department of the public security organ where the motor vehicle driving license is issued or where the violation was committed to participate in a seven-day study of road traffic safety laws, regulations and related knowledge. After a motor vehicle driver participates in the study, the vehicle management office shall conduct a test on road traffic safety laws, regulations and related knowledge within 20 days. If you pass the exam, your points will be cleared and your motor vehicle driving license will be returned; if you fail the exam, you will continue to study and take exams. If a person refuses to participate in the study or take the test, the traffic management department of the public security organ shall announce that his or her motor vehicle driving license shall be suspended.