I don't want to make this a long drawn out story but i am at a loss for words after going to exchange my Florida Driver's License for an Ontario one today. I am 44 yrs old and i have never had a bad license. I have lived in FL the majority of my life however I do have Dual citizenship. When I was 19 I went to University for one year in Ottawa. When I lived there I had an Ontario License. Being that was almost 25 yrs ago, I don't truly remember if at that time I was required to give up my FL License to get an Ontario one. I had that license for a very short time in my life a very long time ago. I just recently moved to Toronto, and decided to buy a car. This has been a complete nightmare!!! I got financed, got Insurance agent to write my policy with my FL license pending me getting it switched to Ontario, and after jumping through every hoop they have asked me to. Now the dealership, who knew when i test drove the car i had a FL license, is telling me they are having trouble getting my registration. Getting my license here has been a nightmare. When i went to get my license today they told me my license I had in Ontario 24 yrs ago is and has been suspended. I really have no idea why and don't know even where to find out why. I can honestly say I don't remember any tickets in the short time I had that license but I could be wrong. Please let me know if anyone can point me in the right direction.

Thank You for taking the time to read this crazy story

Well the MTO (where you get your license) should be able to tell you why it is suspended and should be able to tell you what you need to do to get it re-instated.

Assuming they can not tell you that, you need to get your old drivers license number and then go to a Provincial Offences office and ask them there what the issue is.

If there is some huge fine due, you can just pay it, or you can ask (at the Provincial Offences office) to see a Justice of the Peace so you can setup some kind of payment plan so you can get your license re-instated right away.

Thank you for the advice. I really just wasn't sure which courthouse to go to. At Drivetrain, they told to go to City courthouse. They did write down my old driver's license number for me so I do have it. ALthough they told me to go to city court in Toronto, she really seemed like she had no idea where i was supposed to go.

I'd suggest you not drive in the meantime. Florida license or not, you can't drive in Ontario while suspended.

Once you have your suspension sorted out you will also have to visit service Ontario to pay a reinstatement fee.

tonorato wrote:I don't want to make this a long drawn out story but i am at a loss for words after going to exchange my Florida Driver's License for an Ontario one today. I am 44 yrs old and i have never had a bad license. I have lived in FL the majority of my life however I do have Dual citizenship. When I was 19 I went to University for one year in Ottawa. When I lived there I had an Ontario License. Being that was almost 25 yrs ago, I don't truly remember if at that time I was required to give up my FL License to get an Ontario one. I had that license for a very short time in my life a very long time ago. I just recently moved to Toronto, and decided to buy a car. This has been a complete nightmare!!! I got financed, got Insurance agent to write my policy with my FL license pending me getting it switched to Ontario, and after jumping through every hoop they have asked me to. Now the dealership, who knew when i test drove the car i had a FL license, is telling me they are having trouble getting my registration. Getting my license here has been a nightmare. When i went to get my license today they told me my license I had in Ontario 24 yrs ago is and has been suspended. I really have no idea why and don't know even where to find out why. I can honestly say I don't remember any tickets in the short time I had that license but I could be wrong. Please let me know if anyone can point me in the right direction.

Thank You for taking the time to read this crazy story

Dealing with the Toronto court can be slow process whether in person or by telephone. The front line clerks in Toronto generally seem a lot less empowered to problem solve issues or take initiative. You may wish to contact the Ottawa Court and speak to a clerk there. The Ottawa Court can be reached at 613-580-2665.

Among the various causes of licence suspension, the most common one is a fine that was left unpaid. Over the years I have also seen very rare cases where a clerical error has been made and a conviction has erroneously been placed against the wrong driver's licence number. The first step is to find out the cause of the suspension and then address the issue.