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hongdae2
Joined: 17 Sep 2006
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 Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2006 7:51 pm Post subject: how to get a korean driver's license for canadians |
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hope my first post can help some people.
i just got my korean driver's license yesterday.
what u need:
1. valid cdn driver's license (mine was going to expire next week)
2. passport
3. alien registration card
4. 3 3by4 cm color photos
cost:
eye test 5000 won
license 5000 won
3 photos 5000 won
where:
http://www.dla.go.kr/eng/Html_index.jsp?content=/eng/exam/26.jsp&left=/eng/menu/left_exam.jsp&topFlag=2
find the one nearest you. i went to the one in seoubu, near world cup stadium. it wasn't busy and they spoke enough english
how long:
45 minutes for the whole process
process:
(for the seoubu branch)
if you don't have any photos, walk towards the right side of the building when you enter and there will be a photo booth inside the far right room.
6 pictures cost 5000 won and it takes 30 secs.
head to the foreigner desk and take a number
they'll give you an application, help you fill it out and glue your photos on
hand in you canadian driver's license, passport, and arc card.
 they will keep your cad driver's license. the lady told me that when i go back to canada, i exchange my korean license for a new cad license at any motor vehicle branch.....costs 75 cad to get a new, valid cad license...
walk back to the room with the photo booth and take an eye test. you cover one eye,then read some numbers and identify some objects, ex cow, house...
the eye examiner will stamp your application and back to the original desk.
hand in your completed application and wait 30 minutes and your good to drive in korea and canada for 9 years.
the easy parts done, now to figure out driving in seoul  |
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Slep
Joined: 14 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2006 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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question, do you plan on renewing your canadian drivers license?
My medicare/canadian passport are set to expire while I'm here and I really don't want to redo the SAAQ test while i'm here. |
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 3:28 am Post subject: |
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You mention that you can drive in Canada with a Korean drivers licence- are you sure? What's your source? I'm considering this but I'd hate to get pulled over the next time I'm home and find out I'm not allowed to drive.
Also, does the drivers license expire when your visa expires?
Finally, are people with Canadian drivers licenses allowed to drive in Korea? If not, then why are people with Korean licenses allowed to drive in Canada (if they are)?
Thank you in advance for the information (to anyone who can provide it) |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 4:03 am Post subject: |
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You mention that you can drive in Canada with a Korean drivers licence- are you sure? What's your source? I'm considering this but I'd hate to get pulled over the next time I'm home and find out I'm not allowed to drive.
Canada and Korea have an agreement on this. It's true.
Also, does the drivers license expire when your visa expires?
Nope, Korean Driver's are good for around 5 years.
Finally, are people with Canadian drivers licenses allowed to drive in Korea? If not, then why are people with Korean licenses allowed to drive in Canada (if they are)?
Good question. I do not know. |
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ajgeddes
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Location: Yongsan
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| Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 4:29 am Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
Also, does the drivers license expire when your visa expires?
Nope, Korean Driver's are good for around 5 years. |
Actually, they are good for 9 years.
I am not sure but, I don't think you can actually drive with a Korean driver's license in Canada. Well, I think you have a certain grace period before you have to change it over.
What you can do though, is next time you go home, get your Canadian driver's license again and they won't take your Korean one, and then you will have both. I was lucky because I got mine a year and a half ago and back then, you didn't need to give in your Canadian license, so I still have both. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 4:45 am Post subject: Re: how to get a korean driver's license for canadians |
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ajgeddes is right. They are good for nine (9) years. Mine expires in 2014.
| hongdae2 wrote: |
1. valid cdn driver's license (mine was going to expire next week)
2. passport
3. alien registration card
4. 3 3by4 cm color photos
cost:
eye test 5000 won
license 5000 won
3 photos 5000 won |
Yep. That's what it was at the Gyeongsangnamdo provincial office in Masan.
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| 45 minutes for the whole process |
Just under 15 minutes for me. Wasn't busy. In and out before I knew it. Couldn't believe how easy and straightforward it was.
I used it to rent a car on Jeju island, which I highly recommend. I paid 130 thousand won for a 48-hour rental of a nice car on a summer weekend, with no hidden expenses, justing making sure to put LPG kind of fuel in the car. So if you think you ever want to rent a car in Korea then by all means go through the painless process of getting a licence. |
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hongdae2
Joined: 17 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:05 am Post subject: |
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they will keep your cad driver's license. the lady told me that when i go back to canada, i exchange my korean license for a new cad license at any motor vehicle branch.....costs 75 cad to get a new, valid cad license...
you cant drive with a korean license in canada. you have to switch it back to cad driver's license, but to switch it back is just as easy as switching it to a korean license because, as captain said, korea and canada have a sweet agreement.
the license does not expire when your passport expires.
the main reason i switched my cad license into a korean one was because my cad license was expiring soon. one can simply renew a bc driver's license after its expiry for up to 3 years past the expiration. the thing is, you have to renew it in canada. after 3 years, you have to take the whole graduated licensing program to get your license again. if i have the korean license to prove that i have been driving, i am good in canada without taking the graduated licensing program again for up to 9 years or whenever your korean license expires. i guess just more or less insurance in my case.
hope that helps
Last edited by hongdae2 on Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:12 am; edited 1 time in total |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:12 am Post subject: |
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| hongdae2 wrote: |
| they will keep your cad driver's license. the lady told me that when i go back to canada, i exchange my korean license for a new cad license at any motor vehicle branch |
Six months ago that was NOT true. Or at least not enforced. I know two other examples in addition to myself. They photocopied and return the Canadian one.
New law? Or inconsistently applied old law? |
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hongdae2
Joined: 17 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:17 am Post subject: |
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| not sure if its a new law, but that was what i was told at the korean dmv. the motor vehicle branch website for bc states the rules for expired licences but not for getting back your old unexpired license if for example i go back to canada tomorrow. basically, for expired licenses, my korean license is good to prove that i do not need to do the graduated licensing program even after 3 years past the expiration of my bc dl. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:27 am Post subject: |
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| hongdae2 wrote: |
| not sure if its a new law, but that was what i was told at the korean dmv. the motor vehicle branch website for bc states the rules for expired licences but not for getting back your old unexpired license if for example i go back to canada tomorrow. basically, for expired licenses, my korean license is good to prove that i do not need to do the graduated licensing program even after 3 years past the expiration of my bc dl. |
Ah, so for THAT one province, it should be handed over.
Mine was through another Canadian province. |
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hongdae2
Joined: 17 Sep 2006
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alphalfa
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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Has anyone here in Korea actually taken the written test and the driving
test - and passed - ?
Is it at all possible to have these tests done in English?
If so, how long a process is it to do?
Is it necessary to attend driving school here if you previously had a drivers' license ( expired now ) back in Canada?
Some provinces in Canada now have a graduated licensing system. You no longer get a full license after just one successful road test. I dread having to do this when I return home. |
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Pyongshin Sangja
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Location: I love baby!
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| Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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Has anyone here in Korea actually taken the written test and the driving
test - and passed - ? |
Yes.
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Is it at all possible to have these tests done in English? |
Written, yes. Everything else, no. Korean only.
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If so, how long a process is it to do? |
If you really push it, and have someone to help you, a week.
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Is it necessary to attend driving school here if you previously had a drivers' license ( expired now ) back in Canada? |
Irrelevant. There is no requirement to attend driver's school. Just pass the test. |
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the_beaver
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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| alphalfa wrote: |
Has anyone here in Korea actually taken the written test and the driving
test - and passed - ?
Is it at all possible to have these tests done in English?
If so, how long a process is it to do?
Is it necessary to attend driving school here if you previously had a drivers' license ( expired now ) back in Canada?
Some provinces in Canada now have a graduated licensing system. You no longer get a full license after just one successful road test. I dread having to do this when I return home. |
Yes.
Written test is actually on a computer and is offered in English. Then you sit through some safety lecture which has no test but mandatory attendance. Then you do the course test and then you do the road test.
I passed the written exam first time.
I failed the first course test (for going over 20 kilometers an hour or whatever the really low speed limit was) but nailed it the second time.
Passed the road test the first time.
All told it took me one week with the road test coming on a Monday so that I could get the mandatory 10 hours of road time over the weekend. |
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Pyongshin Sangja
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Location: I love baby!
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| Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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Written test is actually on a computer and is offered in English. |
It was a paper test for me at Kangnam in a big room with dozens of Koreans. English, Chinese and Japanese are available.
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Then you sit through some safety lecture which has no test but mandatory attendance. |
Right. It's 3 hours long, all in Korean. The movie they show has Konglish subtitles and there's a smoke break in the middle.
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Then you do the course test and then you do the road test.
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True, dat.
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I passed the written exam first time. |
Me, too. You need a 60% out of 50 questions, I think.
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I failed the first course test (for going over 20 kilometers an hour or whatever the really low speed limit was) but nailed it the second time. |
I failed the course test three times. Try really hard to get someone at the DLA to explain it to you in English and get a map. Don't skip the instructional video, either. The whole thing is very strange, really.
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Passed the road test the first time.
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Me, too.
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All told it took me one week with the road test coming on a Monday so that I could get the mandatory 10 hours of road time over the weekend. |
Well, you really just need someone with a Korean licence to sign a document that you did the 10 hours. Whether or not you actually do them is up to you. Considering that I'd already driven for years illegally in Korea, I didn't really feel it was necessary. You may. |
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