Enhanced Driver's Licence

Apply Today For Your Enhanced Driver's Licence

Ontario drivers who are Canadian citizens can now apply for the Ontario Enhanced Driver’s Licence.

Nine ServiceOntario centres are now accepting applications for this passport alternative, which can be used at Canada-U.S. land and water border crossings.

Those who wish to apply for a licence should visit www.ServiceOntario.ca to book an application appointment. Appointments will be available starting May 19, with the first batch of licences projected for delivery by June 1.

Read news release.

Background

The Ministry of Transportation introduced the Photo Card Act, 2008 on June 3, 2008 to enable the efficient and secure flow of cross border travel and commerce as well as continue to establish Ontario as a leader in road safety.  The legislation came into force on March 6, 2009.  This legislation introduced three new products, the enhanced driver’s licence (EDL), the photo card and the enhanced photo card, as well as a leading edge fraud prevention and detection measure, photo comparison technology (PCT).

The EDL will be available to qualified Ontario driver’s licence holders and can be used as an alternative travel document at Ontario-United States land and sea border crossings.  The photo card will ensure that Ontarians who do not drive have access to a government issued photo card that they can choose to use when completing everyday transactions such as opening bank accounts.  Non-drivers who are Canadian citizens can also apply for an enhanced photo card for US land and sea border crossings.  Photo comparison technology is currently being used by several Canadian provinces and U.S. states.  PCT has proven to be a valuable tool in preventing fraud and identity theft.

FAQ's

• General
• Enhanced
• Photo Card

General

1. Why was legislation introduced?

In anticipation of the implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel initiative (WHTI) Land and Sea rules in June 2009, legislation was introduced on June 3, 2008 that, if passed, will give the Ontario government authority to implement a new enhanced driver’s licence, a photo card and a new enhanced photo card.  The enhanced cards will be alternatives to a Canadian passport for crossing the border into the U.S.

2. What is an enhanced driver’s licence (EDL) and an enhanced photo card?

If passed into law, drivers will have the option of adding Canadian citizenship information to their driver’s licence to create an “enhanced” driver’s licence that can be used as a passport alternative at Canada-U.S. land and sea border crossings. 

The proposed legislation would also allow Ontario to develop an optional photo identification card for people who do not drive — providing these individuals with a convenient, government-issued photo card for use when completing everyday transactions, like opening a bank account.  Like driver’s licence holders, Canadian citizens who are non-drivers would also have the option of adding citizenship information to create an “enhanced” photo card. 

3. What is the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)?

The United States government passed the WHTI under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 as one of the recommendations from The 9/11 Commission Report.  The law came into effect for air travel January 23, 2007.  The full requirement of the rules for land and sea travel is legislated to come into effect June 1, 2009.  The law will require all travellers entering the United States to present a passport or other accepted secure document (such as a NEXUS card or an EDL), that establish the bearer’s identity and citizenship.  Learn more about the new rules for traveling into the United States at the U.S. Department of State’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative website.

4. Are there any exemptions for children under WHTI?

Yes.  Canadian citizens 15 years of age and under will only require proof of citizenship, such as an original or a copy of a birth certificate, or a Canadian citizenship card.  Canadian citizens 18 years of age and under who are travelling with a school or other organized group, under adult supervision with parental/guardian consent may also present proof of citizenship alone. Learn more about the new rules for traveling into the United States at the U.S. Department of State’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative website.

Enhanced Driver's Licence

5. What is the difference between an EDL and the current Ontario driver’s licence?

An EDL will contain the same information as a driver's licence with three additional features; a citizenship identifier, an optical character recognition (OCR) zone and a radio frequency identification technology (RFID) chip.  The RFID chip will use radio frequency technology to facilitate traveler processing at U.S. border crossings. The OCR zone is available as a backup to the RFID chip.  OCR is a technology that helps streamline data entry by “reading” specially formatted text in a document and translating it for use on a computer.  Canadian passports contain OCR. 

6. Can someone use the Radio Frequency Identification chip in my enhanced driver’s licence to get my personal information?

No. The Radio Frequency Identification chip embedded in your enhanced card doesn’t contain any personal identifying information, just a unique reference number.

In addition, the chip is passive.  This means that it doesn’t have a power source and cannot transmit data unless it is activated by a special reader.

When you get an enhanced driver’s licence, you will receive a security sleeve that will prevent anyone from reading the RFID information unless you remove the card from the sleeve. 

7. When and where can I get an Enhanced Driver’s Licence? 

We are targeting Spring 2009 for the enhanced driver’s licence to be available through selected locations in major centres across the province that can accommodate operational requirements. More locations may be added if needed.

8. How much will the enhanced driver’s licence cost?

It is anticipated that the fee for an enhanced driver’s licences will be $40 for a five-year-term (on top of existing $75 fee for current driver’s licence fee). This fee will be confirmed prior to implementation.

9. Can I use the enhanced driver’s licence as a passport when I travel to the United States by air?

Enhanced driver’s licences cannot be used to enter the United States by air; a passport will still be required.

Enhanced driver’s licences will only be accepted as a legitimate form of identification for entering the United States by motor vehicle or boat. Ontarians who fly to the United States or travel to other countries require a passport.  

Travellers should check the entry requirements of other countries before leaving home. 

10. What additional fraud prevention measures will be included in the EDL program?

MTO will be implementing photo comparison technology for all photo cards and driver’s licence as a fraud prevention measure.

11. What is photo comparison technology?

Photo comparison technology will automate the process of photo image matching to help ensure that one individual is not receiving multiple cards in different names. 

This technology will be implemented for all photo cards and driver’s licences as a fraud prevention measure. 

Photo Card

12. What is a photo card?

MTO is proposing a wallet-sized card similar to a driver’s licence for non-drivers.  The card would contain basic identification information such as date of birth, name and photograph and can be used, at the discretion of the holder, when identification is requested. 

13. Once the photo card is available, will I have to obtain one?

No.  The Photo Card Program will be voluntary.  

14. Can I hold both a drivers’ licence and a photo card? 

No.  A person is only permitted to hold one of the four products -- driver’s licence, enhanced driver’s licence, photo card or enhanced photo card.

15. When and where can I get a photo card? 

We are targeting spring 2011 for the photo card to be available through ServiceOntario locations across the province.

16. How much will a photo card and enhanced photo card cost?

The price of the photo card will balance the need to recover the cost of implementing and running the program with having a reasonably priced product for Ontarians.

We anticipate that the card will be valid for five years and cost $35 for a regular photo card and $75 for the enhanced version.  This is consistent with other jurisdictions’ pricing and will be confirmed before we implement the cards.

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