Regardless of the fact that I paid $75 to renew my driver’s licence, it isn’t mine.
In fact, it states on the back of the licence 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 licence 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 licence or owes certain fines or monetary penalties to the Government of B.C. This situation will result in the cancellation of the licence and a demand for its return.
The second is where a person cannot find their driver’s licence and has obtained a duplicate copy of the original licence. 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 licence in place of the duplicate.
Finally, when a driver is prohibited or suspended from driving, they must immediately surrender the licence when notified of the prohibition or suspension.
In all cases, failing to surrender the licence is an offence. A person found in possession of a licence that was not surrendered as required faces a traffic ticket with a ticketed amount of $109.
For more information on this topic, visit www.drivesmartbc.ca. Questions or comments are welcome by e-mail to comments@drivesmartbc.ca.
Tim Schewe is a retired RCMP constable with many years of traffic law enforcement experience. His column appears Friday.
