Can an Ontario driver with a G2 licence drive in New York State?

July 26, 2006 8:29 PM

Can an Ontario driver with a G2 license drive in New York State?

My girlfriend and I are headed from Toronto to New York City for the weekend by car, and she was hoping to do some of the driving in the States. However, she only has her G2 licence. Is it legal for her to drive in the states? Specifically, I believe we are driving through New York State, and we may drive through Pennsylvania (but I don't recall, if we do it's brief - it's more important to know about NYState). The NYState page gave me a vague answer about a valid licence, but I couldn't tell what that meant in our circumstance. Thanks for the help...

posted by evadery to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

I did it a-okay two or three years ago. Have fun!
posted by travosaurus at 10:28 PM on July 26, 2006

New York does not have graduated licensing at all. I believe they have a "learner's permit" (which you can get when you're around 15 and which requires only that you drive with a licensed driver over 18 beside you), and a full license (which you can get the day you turn 16 if you pass the tests).

So unless her license says something like "Not Valid unless used in the day, with a hat on, etc", I think anyone who pulls you over wouldn't even notice. But I don't know about legalities (if you got in an accident,eg).
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:10 AM on July 27, 2006

You don't say how old you and your girlfriend is, but you should know that residents of New York, while they can get their license at age 16, cannot drive within the city boundaries of New York City (maybe just Manhattan, I'm not sure anymore) until the age of 18.

Of course, I don't know if this applies to out of state licensees, not to mention Canadian ones.

Just FYI.
posted by Inkoate at 6:01 AM on July 27, 2006

I though you were not allowed to drive across the border without a full "G" license, so you might want to be in the driver's seat when you cross.
posted by helvetica at 6:39 AM on July 27, 2006

As far as the MTO is concerned, a G2 is a full license with restrictions; a G1 is a learner's permit. For example, you can drive in Quebec with a G2 but not a G1. I can't think of any reason why the same principle wouldn't apply to driving in the USA.
posted by mendel at 7:26 AM on July 27, 2006

Oops, meant to add: I'm aware of the license vs. permit distinction because I had to answer the same question about M1 vs M2 last summer.
posted by mendel at 7:27 AM on July 27, 2006

NY DMV says: "If you are a resident of another country, and you have a valid driver license issued by that country, you can operate motor vehicles in NYS. You are not required to get a NYS driver license. You can operate the same types of vehicles in NYS that you can operate in your home country."

You can ask them about G2 if you like.
posted by Margalo Epps at 10:53 AM on July 27, 2006