Driver’s Licence Information for Foreign Nationals
International Driving Permits
If you are a foreign national living in the NWT, you can drive legally if you have:
- a valid driver’s licence from a different country; and,
- an International Driving Permit (IDP).
IDPs are valid for 12 months and are equal to an NWT Class 5 driver’s licence.
If you have an IDP and want to apply for an NWT driver’s licence, you are required to give up your international driver’s licence and the IDP before you are given the NWT driver’s licence.
Applying for an NWT Driver’s Licence
You can apply for an NWT driver’s licence at a Driver and Vehicle Services Office.
If you have driver’s licence from a different Canadian province or territory, you can apply to transfer to an NWT driver’s licence.
- You will be required to give up your existing driver’s licence.
If you are applying for a driver’s licence in Canada for the first time, you may be able to transfer your international driver’s licence to an NWT driver’s licence if your country is eligible.
If you are not able to transfer your international driver’s licence, you will be required to pass both a knowledge test for a learners permit and a practical road test to receive your NWT driver’s licence.
To check if you qualify, contact the Driver and Vehicle Services Office in your community.
Do you have an expiring driver’s licence due to an expiring work permit?
To update an NWT driver’s licence, you must have legal status in Canada.
If you hold a work/study permit that expires within 90 days, you cannot update your driver’s licence until you have a new work/study permit or have proof of permanent residence.
However, driver’s licence extension letters are provided as a one-time courtesy to foreign nationals waiting to get their new Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) documents if:
- you have applied for a new work permit or to extend your current work permit; and,
- you provide documented proof they you still have a valid status in Canada.
You must carry the driver’s licence extension letter with the expired driver’s licence together.
The extension letter is valid for 90 days from the expiry date on the driver’s licence.
No changes are made on file to the existing licence when permits are less than 90 days from expiring.
Any changes to the licence (ie: address change, renewal or upgrades) are not processed until the documents have been received and reviewed.
To learn more about applying for NWT driver’s licence, please contact or visit your local Driver and Vehicle Services Office.