For the most part, you no longer have to wait in painfully long lines at a Service Ontario to renew important documents and identifications like your Ontario health card or driver's license.
If the time has come for your Ontario health card renewal or driver's license renewal, you likely have the option to do it online — and it can save you so much time.
There are just a few things to keep in mind before you renew.
Whether you're looking to renew your health card or your Ontario driver's license, to do it online, both cards must still be valid and cannot be expired.
You'll also likely need a credit card handy because while completing your Ontario health card renewal is free, renewing your Ontario driver's license comes with a $90 fee.
In most cases, you can be eligible to renew both your health card and driver's license at the same time.
The only exceptions are if you need a new driver's license photo (which you are required to update every 10 years), if your name or address has changed, or if you are changing your sex designation.
Anyone without a driver's license can renew their health card using a valid Ontario photo card.
Once you've confirmed your documents are up to date and you're not in need of a new photo, you can start your online renewal process for your health card and/or driver's license here.
The process then takes just minutes and your new cards will be mailed to you within four to six weeks.
In many cases, you'll be given a temporary Ontario health card and/or driver's license to use in the meantime.
Throughout the online renewal process, Service Ontario will also prompt you to sign up for reminders that your renewals are coming up since it's pretty easy to forget about the fact you have to do this every five years.
Of course, it's pretty important to get this taken care of.
Driving with an expired driver's license in Ontario could land you a fine between $200 and $1,000, similar to the hefty fines being handed out to drivers with expired license plates, which can also be renewed online for free.
These are just some of the new online options rolled out by Service Ontario with promises of more to come, like applying for a marriage license online.
