Eye test only. No road test.
A first conviction carries a minimum one-year suspension, so most first-time drivers land here. You do not need us, and we will say so.
The whole road, in order
Getting your licence back, in order
Suspension, Back on Track, the interlock lease, the reinstatement fee, and the one question nobody answers clearly: do you have to sit a road test again? That depends on a single number, and it is probably not the one you expect.
- Reinstatement
- $281.00Paid to MTO
- Back on Track
- $894After a conviction
- G2 road test
- $53.75If you need one at all
- Under 3 yrs
- Eye testNo road test required
The order it happens in
How to get your licence back after a DUI in Ontario
Not every step applies to every driver, but the sequence does not change and none of it can be done out of order.
1
Serve the suspension
One year for a first Criminal Code conviction, three for a second. A reduced-suspension stream can cut that to three, six or nine months.
2
Register for Back on Track
Seven days after court. Up to 11 months for a conviction, because the follow-up interview cannot happen before six months after the workshop.
3
Sign an interlock lease
With Smart Start Canada or ALCOLOCK Canada. Book the installation before your reinstatement date, not after it.
4
Pay the reinstatement fee
$281 to MTO, plus any outstanding fines or penalties. Every other suspension and prohibition has to be cleared first.
5
Re-test, only if you need to
Decided by how long your licence was invalid. Most first-time offenders never sit one.
The question everyone asks
Do you have to retake your road tests?
Ontario’s rule is about how long your full class licence was suspended or invalid, and nothing else. Not the offence, not the stream, not the interlock condition.
Knowledge test, eye test and two road tests
No mandatory waiting between them. If your licence carries an “I”, both road tests need an interlock car. This is who we are for.
You reapply as a new driver
Every graduated licensing waiting period is served again from the start. There is no fast-tracking it, whatever anyone tells you.
Work out your own number before you book anything. A first Criminal Code conviction carries a minimum one-year suspension, which lands in the one-to-three-year band — eye test only. Under Stream A the suspension is three months. The drivers who genuinely face road tests are those off the road three years or longer: stacked suspensions, unpaid fines, second or third convictions, or a long prohibition order.
The 60-day temporary licence trap
If your licence has been invalid for one to three years, Ontario issues a temporary licence at your last known class, valid for 60 days. Every re-examination requirement has to be completed inside those 60 days or the licence is cancelled.
For most people in this band that means one eye test, which is not difficult to fit into two months. The trap is treating the temporary licence as the finish line and forgetting there is anything left to do.
Between three and ten years invalid, you must complete graduated licensing — but not the mandatory waiting periods between the tests. You can book the G1 road test as soon as the knowledge and eye tests are passed, and the G2 road test as soon as the G1 road test is passed. Beyond ten years, you reapply as a new driver and every waiting period is served in full. There is no fast-tracking that, whatever anyone tells you.
What all of it costs
| What | Fee | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Licence reinstatement | $281.00 | Ministry of Transportation |
| Back on Track, after a conviction | $894 | remedial.net |
| Back on Track, administrative suspension | $344 | remedial.net |
| G2 road test | $53.75 | DriveTest |
| G road test | $91.25 | DriveTest |
| Knowledge test, extra attempt | $16.00 | DriveTest |
| Interlock lease and installation | Set by the provider | Smart Start or ALCOLOCK |
The device lease is the recurring one. Smart Start Ontario published a monthly lease of $77.97 including tax plus an MTO monthly fee of $7.50 as at 27 July 2026, with installation and removal at no charge. ALCOLOCK does not publish an Ontario fee schedule. Treat that as one provider’s price on one date, not as the Ontario rate, and get your own quote.
How to check your current licence status
Before you spend money on anything, confirm what your record actually says. Request a driver’s licence history or a driver’s record from ServiceOntario. It tells you the suspension type, the dates, whether anything else is outstanding, and the conditions printed against your licence.
The conditions matter to us specifically: if there is an “I” on the record, any road test vehicle must have a device fitted. If there is not, a car with a device is also a problem. Both mismatches are on DriveTest’s out-of-order list.
Where to reinstate
Reinstatement is handled at DriveTest centres and at ServiceOntario. In Ottawa the two DriveTest centres are Walkley Road and Canotek Road, and they are not interchangeable — Canotek runs G2 and G road tests only, while Walkley handles every licence class and is the only Ottawa centre offering Saturday road test appointments. We bring an ignition interlock road test car across Ontario to either of them.
If you will need a road test, what has to be true about the car
DriveTest does not provide vehicles. In their words, the vehicle can be owned, borrowed or rented, and it does not need to be a driving instructor’s vehicle. What it must be is roadworthy, insured, plated, and matched to the conditions on your licence.
Two more that cost people the fee: no passengers or pets in the vehicle during the test, and in-vehicle recording devices must be disabled. Arrive 30 minutes early. The full vehicle checklist, and what out-of-order costs.
If your conviction was for dangerous driving
Some drivers are also required to attend a driver improvement interview before reinstatement. It is separate from Back on Track and separate from the interlock programme, and MTO will tell you if it applies to you. If a letter arrives asking for one, book it immediately — nothing else in the sequence proceeds until it is done.
Questions
Getting your licence back FAQ
I was suspended for one year. Do I need a road test?
Almost certainly not. Ontario requires a road test only where the full class licence was suspended or invalid for more than three years. One to three years is an eye test and nothing further. Check your own dates on a driver’s record before assuming either way.
Does the interlock condition mean I have to re-test?
No. The two are unrelated. The “I” condition governs which vehicle you may drive; the length of time your licence was invalid governs whether you re-test. You can easily have an “I” condition and no road test requirement at all.
Can I pay to get my licence back faster?
No. The suspension period, the Back on Track timeline and the DriveTest booking queue are all fixed. The only genuine lever is doing each step as early as it can be done — registering for Back on Track seven days after court, and booking the interlock installation before your reinstatement date.
What is the single most common delay?
The six-month Follow-Up in Back on Track. It cannot happen earlier than six months after the workshop, and the workshop cannot happen until the assessment is done and a place comes free. That chain is what turns a conviction into a timeline of up to 11 months.
Do I have to redo the G1 knowledge test?
If your licence was invalid three to ten years, yes — a written knowledge test, an eye test and two road tests. Extra knowledge test attempts are $16.00 each.
Do you handle any of this for me?
No. We are an independent driving school and we are not affiliated with MTO, DriveTest, Smart Start or ALCOLOCK. We do two things: teach the device in ten hours of in-car training, and rent an interlock-equipped car for a road test. Everything else on this page you do yourself.
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Availability & pricing
If a road test is at the end of it
Work out how long your licence was invalid first. If it is three years or more, you have road tests coming and the car has to match your licence. Send the date and we will quote it in writing, and if you do not need us we will tell you that instead.
- Answered the same day, Monday to Saturday
- A written figure with everything included
- If you don’t need a road test, we’ll tell you that instead
Phone is faster. Someone answers Monday to Saturday, evenings included.