Policy

The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) Interprovincial Record Exchange (IRE) allows registry agents to query a client’s driver’s licence details (such as class of licence, condition/endorsement codes, date first licence, etc) and status in other jurisdictions within Canada. A CCMTA IRE search must be completed in the following situations:

• All Operator First services; see 3.15.01 Operator First.
• All Out of Province Operator First services; 3.15.02 Out of Province Operator First.
• An Operator Renewal service (see 3.15.03 Operator Renewal) or Operator Exchange service (see 3.15.06 Operator Exchange) when:
  • MOVES indicates the last service on a client file was ‘O-Return CCMTA closeout notification – XX’, where XX is the province abbreviation.
  • Or
  • A client is exchanging an out of province or out of country driver’s licence and previously held an Alberta driver’s licence that is still valid.
• An Operator Reclass service (see 3.15.04 Operator Reclass) when:
  • The client is reclassing from an Alberta ID card to a driver’s licence.
  • Or
  •  A client previously held an Alberta driver’s licence that is still valid, and is exchanging an out of province or out of country driver’s licence that is a different class than the previous Alberta licence,

Note:
A CCMTA IRE Search is not required when issuing an Alberta Identification Card; see 3.20.01 Identification (ID) Card.

A close out is completed when exchanging a driver’s licence from another Canadian jurisdiction. Completion of the close out service will advise the former jurisdiction that the client has obtained an Alberta driver's licence, invalidates the licence that was surrendered, and transfers the driver’s enforcement record. 

Requirements

Issuing an Alberta Driver’s Licence

Prior to issuing an Alberta driver's licence, a registry agent must complete two across Canada CCMTA IRE (explosive-AC) searches for all clients. The first search must be completed using the client’s first, middle and last name while the second search must be completed using only the first and last name. A registry agent must review the driver’s licence details for each jurisdiction that returns a 000-response code.

When the CCMTA IRE is not available, an Alberta driver's licence must not be issued. Prior to issuing an Alberta driver’s licence to a client exchanging a licence from another Canadian jurisdiction, a response must be received from the jurisdiction the licence is being exchanged from.

A response is required from all jurisdictions. When a blank (no response) or an N24 response code (target destination not available or down) is displayed for one or more jurisdictions a registry agent:

• May issue the client an Alberta driver's licence provided a response is received from the jurisdiction they are exchanging a driver’s licence from.
• Must complete at least one CCMTA IRE query per day to obtain a response from all jurisdiction(s) that displayed the N24 or blank response code.
  • When a jurisdiction(s) will be unavailable for an extended period of time, RAnet News will be posted advising the length of time that jurisdiction(s) will be down. A registry agent must follow up with that jurisdiction(s) when it becomes available again on the CCMTA IRE.
• When the CCMTA IRE search results indicates the client holds an out of province driver's licence; see the appropriate sub-section in Section 3.10 Reciprocal Licensing.

When the CCMTA IRE search indicates the client previously held a Canadian driver’s licence and the client denies ever holding one, a registry agent must ask the client if they wish to proceed with the issuance of the Alberta licence, and if so, the registry agent may proceed with the service. The registry agent must advise the client to follow-up with the Canadian jurisdiction in question if the client suspects that they are a victim of fraud. This only applies if the client is not showing a status in the other jurisdiction that would prohibit them from obtaining a licence in Alberta (for example, suspended). If the search indicates a suspension/prohibition, denied status (not applicable for Manitoba), or mention of “Code 22 – Ignition Interlock” (not applicable to Ontario or Quebec), the service must not be processed, and the file must be forwarded to the Special Investigations Unit for review.  

Search Results

When the CCMTA IRE search indicates:

• A CCMTA IRE code 22 – Ignition Interlock, the driver’s licence must not be exchanged (unless the licence is from Ontario or Quebec) and the client must be directed to contact DFM to make licensing arrangements.
  • For BC: The licence may be exchanged if the code 22 does not make reference to “ignition interlock.”
• A CANCELLED status, and the issue date is not within the last three years, documentation from the jurisdiction's licensing authority indicating the cancellation date must be received before issuing an Alberta driver’s licence to determine if full testing is required.  
• A DENIED status, documentation from the licensing authority indicating the reason for the denied status is due to unpaid fines must be received from the jurisdiction before issuing an Alberta driver’s licence. A copy must be sent to Motor Vehicles immediately following the service. 
  • A Quebec DENIED status requires the registry agent to contact Driver Fitness and Monitoring for further instructions.
  • A Manitoba DENIED status does not require further investigation as this jurisdiction has provided Alberta with written authorization for the client to be re-licenced.
• A SUSPENDED/PROHIBITED status, an Alberta driver’s licence must not be issued. A registry agent must:
  • Create the client on MOVES. 
  • Refer the client to the applicable jurisdiction to have the suspension/prohibition cleared. 
  • Forward the CCMTA IRE search information to DFM. 

Discrepancies Between IRE and Driver’s Licence

When there is a discrepancy between the driver’s licence and the CCMTA IRE search results, documentation from the applicable licensing authority confirming the contents of the client's driver’s licence must be obtained before issuing an Alberta driver’s licence, except in the following situations:

• Exception – Issue Dates:
  • Confirmation is only required for issue date discrepancies when the date on the CCMTA IRE search is after the date that appears on the driver’s licence.  
• Manitoba (MB), Quebec (QC) and Saskatchewan (SK) Issue / Expiry Date:
  • MB, QC and SK all have multi-year renewal programs in place which may result in a discrepancy between the driver's licence issue date and/or expiry date and the CCMTA IRE search. Confirmation is not required for issue date/expiry term discrepancies from these jurisdictions.
• Quebec Class:
  • When the client’s licence is a different class from what is displayed on the CCMTA IRE, the registry agent must issue the “Classe Du Quebec” class(es) of licence found in the comments section of the search; a confirmation letter is not required. A confirmation letter is only required if the client requests the same class of licence that is displayed on their Quebec licence; see 3.10.10 Quebec Driver's Licence.

Date First Licensed (DFL), Licence Class Equivalencies and Condition/Endorsement Codes

The date first licenced, driver’s licence classes, and condition codes/endorsements are reported differently depending on the jurisdiction; see the policy for the applicable jurisdiction in Section 3.10 Reciprocal Licensing.

Close Out

A close out must be completed on the same day the out of jurisdiction licence was exchanged. For information regarding close out formats; see QR 3.8 CCMTA Driver’s Licence Close Out Format (pdf).

A registry agent must process the driver’s licence Close Out service by completing all of the following fields:

• AB DL No.
• MVID
• OOP DL No.
• OOP Issue Dt.

Date Originally Issued: Mar 16, 2012
Date Last Revised: Jan 23, 2024