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Order your driver abstract →An Ontario driver’s licence history is not the same document as the common 3-year driver abstract. The distinction matters because each record is designed to show different information.
If you have been asked for proof of licence history, address information or certain licensing changes, knowing what this record contains can prevent you from ordering the wrong document.
What does a driver’s licence history show in Ontario?
Ontario says a driver’s licence history includes standard driver identification details along with Ontario beginner driver education course completion and a history of licence replacements, renewals and class changes.
When ordered online or by mail, it can also include past and current residential addresses. This is an important difference from the common 3-year driver record, which does not include a residential address.
What driver identification information is included?
Ontario lists information such as the driver’s name, licence number, date of birth, sex, height, licence class, expiry date, current status, earliest licence date available, and applicable conditions or endorsements.
Those details can help document a person’s licensing history, but they do not turn the licence history into a conviction record.
What does a driver’s licence history leave out?
Ontario specifically states that the driver’s licence history does not include the demerit point total or conviction and suspension information.
That is why someone looking for recent convictions or the demerit point total may instead need the common 3-year driver record. Our guide to what appears on a 3-year Ontario driver abstract explains that record separately.
Does the licence history always include addresses?
No. The method of ordering matters. Ontario says past and current residential addresses are included when the driver’s licence history is ordered online or by mail. For an in-person order with immediate delivery, past and current residential addresses are not included.
If address information is the reason you need the document, confirm the ordering method and the requester’s requirements first.
Who can order a driver’s licence history?
Access is more restricted than for the common 3-year driver record. Ontario states that a driver’s licence history can only be ordered by the driver themselves or by a Canadian law-enforcement agency.
By comparison, Ontario currently allows a 3-year driver record to be ordered when the required driver’s licence number is provided.
Driver’s licence history or standard driver abstract?
The right choice depends on the information being requested. If the request is primarily for recent driving convictions, suspensions and the demerit point total, the common 3-year record may be the relevant document. If the request concerns licence changes, beginner driver education or eligible address history, the driver’s licence history may be more appropriate.
If you were specifically asked for the standard abstract, you can review our Ontario Driver Abstract service. When the wording of a request is unclear, ask the employer, insurer, court or organization to identify the exact record before ordering.
Key takeaway
A driver’s licence history is primarily a licensing-history document. It can show licence changes, beginner driver education and, depending on ordering method, address history. It does not show the demerit point total or conviction and suspension information that people often associate with a driver abstract.
GetMyAbstract.ca is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Transportation. Information can change, so confirm current requirements with official Ontario sources and the organization requesting your record.