DriveSmartBC - Your Driver's License Isn't Yours
 

Regardless of the fact that I paid $75 to renew my driver's license, it isn't mine. In fact, it states on the back of the license that "This card remains the property of the issuing agency and must be surrendered upon request." If that request is made or the law requires its return there is no refund of fees and you must give it back.

There are three circumstances where ICBC may request that the license be returned to them. The first is where a person owes a motor vehicle related debt to ICBC, was dishonest in supplying information to obtain the license or owes certain fines or monetary penalties to the Government of B.C. This situation will result in the cancellation of the license and a demand for its return.

The second is where a person cannot find their driver's license and has obtained a duplicate copy of the original license. If the original is subsequently found, the original must be returned to ICBC immediately. Once found, it is also an offence to use the original license in place of the duplicate.

Finally, when a driver is prohibited or suspended from driving, they must immediately surrender the license when notified of the prohibition or suspension.

In all cases, failing to surrender the license is an offence. A person found in possession of a license that was not surrendered as required faces a traffic ticket with a ticketed amount of $109.

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ya this is the biggest bullshit in the world...give us a partial return on however long is left on the license until it expires at least, i know for 99% of ppl this doesn't matter and i myself have never had my license taken away..but as stated the fact that we pay 75 however much to get the new licenses etc to then have it taken away is bullshit...i can accept not being able to use it for its intended purpose but it still a valid ID. This also remind me that people always saying driving is a privilege and something happens to your car and you never get it back..i can understand if all teh fines and stuff you can't pay it off they keep it but im sure it would almost never off-set the actual price of the car..what they should do is give market value to you for the rest of the car after what you owe..or a little bit under and then be allowed to auction it off, i mean it is YOUR car not THEIR car you paid with YOUR money for it

If you play by the rules you'll never have it taken away anyways...

Or don't get caught....:)

You may buy a firearm that is used in breaking the law and the courts can take it away from you and prohibit you from owning something you bought yourself. Such are the rules we live by. We choose to break them at our risk. Just because we don't like the penalties when we get caught does not make them unfairf or unjust, aafter all, we knew in advance what we could face.

You can say the same about a car you have paid for already. You're paying for insurance to be able to use it. Mess up and you'll have to pay more and you may not even be able to drive it legally. Nothing in this world is "really" yours. Your own body returns to the earth after your lease on life runs out. We're all living on borrowed time. How is a license any different?

Driving is a privilege not a right. It's time people come to accept that.

Though I am mildly annoyed that I'm having to tote around my passport because I've renewed my license and my new one hasn't come so I'm without photo ID until it does but hey that's why I have alternate photo ID right?

I think that people who get their license suspended should have a mandatory retest of the road test before they can be re-licensed instead of just paying to get thier license back.

They at least reset the class 5 date sometimes.

My sister was well past her testing date for her N when she got hers suspended for the second time and when she got it back her test date was reset at 2012.