Driver's Licence Last Name Numbering Format (Ontario, Quebec, New Jersey)?

Question

So I found out that Ontario Driver's Licences have the following format: LXXXX - NNNIY - YMMDD

L - first letter of last name XXXX - number referring to your last name NNN - number referring to your first name I - number referring to your middle initial (0 if you don't have one) YY - year of birth MM - month of birth - add 50 to month if you are female DD - day of birth

My question is, what is the encoding system they use for the first 5 alphanumeric digits? The first letter is the first letter of your last name, but what about the numbers? Everyone with the same last name will have the same first 5 alphanumeric digits. I used to think Ontario had propitiatory system with a database of last names, and attached a number onto them, but I discovered that New Jersey and Quebec uses the SAME system as well by looking at their sample licences on google. I wonder if anyone knows how the name is encoded. I've found something about the SoundEx system, but I don't think it applies in this case. This question has been brought up once at Decoding New Jersey Driver's License Codes but they did not manage to crack the code. Thanks!

how do we find the reference number on a quebec liscence ? – pat luck Jun 15 '19 at 21:31 — pat luck, Jun 15 '19 at 21:31
Anyone know the format for New brunswick drivers licenses ? – Christopher Eatmon Jun 26 '19 at 17:41 — Christopher Eatmon, Jun 26 '19 at 17:41

John · Answer 1 · 2017-04-27T01:23:13.610

2

I know this is an old thread and probably you either figured it out on your own or gave up and dgaf anymore. But this is I believe Soundex code (It absolutely is the case for the Quebec drivers license atleast), which is based on how names sound rather than spelling.

For Quebec: SSSSL DDMMYY NN - soundex last name + license type, DOB, NN

Hope it helps someone.

edited Apr 27 '17 at 01:23

answered Apr 27 '17 at 01:05

John

31
3

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 01 '16 at 10:11

0

The NNNI part is wrong, my D/L has my middle name on it and the I position is a 0, you are correct for the First 5 as the Last name and the Last 6 are the birthdate.

answered Dec 01 '16 at 10:11

Stan Salter

1

It could be that when the name was entered into the computer, it was entered as a part of your first name (this is the case for me), not a middle name. The lady at DriveTest asked me specifically if the second part of my name was my first name or my middle name, which I presume would be encoded differently. – jerry70450 Feb 23 '17 at 23:21

Driver's Licence Last Name Numbering Format (Ontario, Quebec, New Jersey)?

2 Answers2