Ontario is the First Province to Allow Online Renewals
THUNDER BAY – Ontario is stepping into the digital age for drivers licences. Ontario drivers need to renew their driver’s licences every five years, whether online, in-person or by mail, and they need to update their driver’s licence photo every 10 years.
Ontario is the first province to offer the online renewal of driver’s licences.
Your driver’s licence renewal notice indicates whether a new photo is required to complete the licence renewal process. If a new photo is not required, you may be eligible to renew your driver’s licence online.
After using the online driver’s licence renewal service, your new driver’s licence will be valid for five years with its existing photo.
To renew your driver’s licence online, please visit ServiceOntario.ca/DriversLicence.
Eligibility to renew online
Eligibility will be determined as the user goes through the online application. Drivers who do not meet the eligibility criteria will be advised to visit one of Ontario’s nearly 300 ServiceOntario centres.
Drivers will be able to renew their driver’s licence online provided they:
- Are not required to take a new photo
- Hold an Ontario driver’s licence card that has a licence class type of G or D or M (including condition L) or any combination
- Have a driver’s licence card status that is not cancelled or suspended
- Have a driver’s licence card that is expiring within six months of the date of renewal or within 12 months past the date of renewal
- Are between the ages 16 and 79
- Have not changed their address within the last 90 days
- Do not have an enhanced driver’s licence or an Ontario Photo Card
- Are not required to take tests (vision and/or written and/or road)
- Have no outstanding fines or fees
- Are not removing any existing vision condition, such as corrective lenses, from their driving record
- Do not have any new medical conditions that prevent them from driving
- Are not required to change information that appears on their driver’s licence, such as their date of birth or name.
Temporary driver’s licences
When a driver has a licence that expires within 28 days of the date of renewal or a licence that expired within one year of the date of renewal, a temporary driver’s licence will be electronically issued.
The temporary driver’s licence must be printed and kept with the existing driver’s licence card for the licence to be valid. The temporary driver’s licence will be valid for 90 days from the transaction date, allowing for processing and delivery of the new card. The self-printed temporary driver’s licence is recognized by the enforcement community and is also valid outside of Ontario.
Safety and security
The Government of Ontario is committed to ensuring the privacy of personal information. Our online services automatically encrypt all confidential information to ensure the highest level of protection possible.
Online payment options
Drivers renewing online can pay using VISA, Mastercard, American Express and Interac® Online.
