In Canada, driver's licences are issued by the government of the province or territory in which the driver is residing. Thus, specific regulations relating to driver's licences vary province to province, though overall they are quite similar. All provinces have provisions allowing non-residents to use licences issued by other provinces and territories, out-of-country licences, and International Driving Permits. Many provinces also allow non-residents to use regular licences issued by other nations and countries. Canadian driver's licences are also valid in many other countries due to various international agreements and treaties.
The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators provides a standard for the design of driving permits and identification cards issued by AAMVA member jurisdictions, which include Canadian territories and provinces. The newest card design standard released is the 2020 AAMVA DL/ID Card Design Standard (CDS). [1] The AAMVA standard generally follows part 1 and part 2 of ISO/IEC 18013-1 (ISO compliant driving licence). The ISO standard in turn specifies requirements for a card that is aligned with the UN Conventions on Road Traffic, namely the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. [1]
Canada's driving age is determined on a province-by-province basis. The age to begin driving varies by province, with the earliest being Alberta at 14 years of age. [2] The provinces use a graduated driver licensing (GDL) system for a standard car and light-truck licence to ensure the proficiency of drivers.
The driving age in the various Canadian provinces is as follows:
Province | Standard age for learner's permit | Standard age for restricted licence | Minimum age for restricted licence (with driver education) | Standard age for full licence | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alberta | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | |
British Columbia | 16 | 17 | 17 | 19 | Restricted licence stage can be shortened from two years to one year and six months if driver goes through an accredited driver education program. |
Manitoba | 16 | 16 years 9 months | 16 years 3 months | 18 | Learner's permit can be acquired at 15 years and 6 months, and restricted licence at 16 years and 3 months, if student uses an accredited high school driver education program. |
New Brunswick | 16 | 17 | 16 years 8 months | 18 | Restricted licence can be acquired in 8 months (so 16 years, 8 months) if driver uses an accredited driver education program. |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 16 | 17 | 16 years 8 months | 18 | Restricted licence can be acquired in 8 months (so 16 years, 8 months) if driver uses an accredited driver education program. |
Nova Scotia | 16 | 16 years 3 months | 16 years 3 months | 19 | Driver education is mandatory. If a new driver completes the long course, they can take the road test and obtain their restricted licence after 3 months (16 years, 3 months). If they complete the short course, they must wait 6 months (so 16 years, 6 months) to be eligible for a restricted licence. |
Ontario | 16 | 17 | 16 years 8 months | 18 | Restricted licence can be acquired in 8 months (so 16 years, 8 months) if driver goes to accredited driver education program. This reduces age for full licence to 17 and 8 months old. |
Prince Edward Island | 16 | 17 | 16 years 9 months | 19 | Restricted licence can be acquired in 9 months (so 16 years, 9 months) if driver uses an accredited driver education program. |
Saskatchewan | 16 | 16 years 9 months | 16 years | 18 | Learner's permit can be acquired at 15 years of age, and restricted licence at 16 years of age, if student uses an accredited high school driver education program. |
Québec | 16 | 17 | 17 | 19 | Driver education is mandatory. |
Territory | Standard age for learner's permit | Standard age for restricted licence | Standard age for full licence | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Yukon | 15 | 16 | 17 years 6 months | Manual and road laws partly derived from British Columbia. |
Northwest Territories | 15 | 16 | 17 | Manual and road laws partly derived from Alberta. |
Nunavut | 15 | 16 | 18 | Manual and road laws derived from federal guidelines. A Nunavut driver's licence is typically not valid in other jurisdictions in Canada, unless the driver undergoes special exams and endorsements. |
Except for Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and DND 404 licences, each data field on the licence is labelled with a number. This is required by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators' design standard. The AAMVA standard generally follows part 1 and part 2 of ISO/IEC 18013-1 (ISO compliant driving licence). The ISO standard in turn specifies requirements for a card that is aligned with the UN Conventions on Road Traffic, namely the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.
Some fields are optional. For example, some provinces omit some or all of these fields: 4d, 17, 18, and 19.
Drivers upgrading to a Class 1, 2, 3, or 4 licence must possess a Class 5 (non-probationary) licence and be at least 18 years of age to apply. [3]
British Columbia has been using a GDL system since August 1998. [7] The program was last revised in October 2003, which involved large changes to the time it took to acquire a full licence (previously, a person could complete the Class 7L stage in as little as 3 months, and the Class 7N in 12, and no passenger limit was enforced above Class 7L). British Columbia requires all new resident drivers to take a driving knowledge test and a road test in order to get a BC driver's licence, except for people holding a valid driver's licence from other Canadian jurisdictions, Austria, Australia, France, Germany, Guernsey, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, or the United States. [8]
In 2017, all four Atlantic provinces (including New Brunswick [11] ) updated the driver's licence design to use a numbering scheme that resembles the European driving licence. [12]
In Newfoundland and Labrador, one can apply for a learner's licence for Class 5 vehicles (passenger car or light truck) at the age of 16 and cannot obtain their licence until turning 17 (unless one is a graduate of a government-approved driving school program), as well as Class 6 vehicles (motorcycles). [14] Upon completion and pass of a written knowledge test and a vision test, a Class 5 Level I licence will be issued. This licence, commonly referred to as a "learner's permit" restricts holders to one passenger in the vehicle who must be a licensee of no less than 4 years, a blood alcohol level of 0% and no driving between 12am and 5am. A "novice driver" sign must also be placed on the rear windshield. Parental consent is required for applicants under the age of 19. [15]
After 12 months in Level I, or 8 months with the completion of a government-approved driving school program containing both classroom and in-car training, a road test can be taken to advance to Level II. Upon successful completion of the road test, one is advanced to Level II of the graduated licensing program. Level II lasts for 12 months and carries less restrictions than the initial stage. Passengers are permitted during the day but between 12am and 5am, the Level II driver must be accompanied by a licensed driver with 4 years driving experience and cannot have any other passengers in the vehicle. The drivers' blood alcohol content must remain at 0% in this stage.
After 12 months in Level II, the driver is automatically advanced to a full Class 5 licence (unless their licence was suspended in the learner's stage).
Newfoundland and Labrador uses a demerit point system. In two years, a driver can accumulate a maximum of 12 points, although in the novice stage, a maximum of 6 points can be accumulated. [16]
The classes in Newfoundland and Labrador are as follows: [14]
The classes in Nova Scotia are as follows: [19]
For Class 7 or 8 licences, the Learner's stage of the system lasts for twelve months, which may be reduced to nine months if a recognized driver education or training program is taken. [20]
All licences in Ontario can carry any of the following restrictions/endorsements excluding some which are vehicle class specific. Some are related to health or to law enforcement penalty.
Ontario has used a graduated licensing system since 1994. A driver can take as little as 20 months to get a full licence; however, a driver must have a full (G) licence within five years of obtaining a learner's permit (G1).
In 2006, Ontario passed legislation that would allow a court to suspend the licence of high school dropout until they turn 18. The act did not receive royal assent until December 2009, but is now in effect. [25] [26]
Traffic violation convictions usually come with demerit points against a person's licence. While the demerit points have no official impact on insurance rates, most insurance providers will increase the rate charged to a driver in response to demerit points. The demerit points are used by the Ministry of Transportation to determine licence suspensions due to repeated traffic violations (effects on Ontario insurance rates and eligibility are typically measured by the number of tickets received in recent years, rather than the associated points).
Drivers from out of province must obtain an Ontario driver's licence if staying more than 90 days. New residents of Ontario may only apply after residing in the province for 60 days.
Starting June 2009, Ontario began issuing enhanced drivers licences (EDLs) as an option to residents upon request. These licences were visually almost identical to regular drivers licences, but had a machine readable code printed on the back of the card (visually similar to the same coding on a Canadian passport) and an embedded RFID microchip. These changes were made in response to the heightened security precautions at US land border crossings. The changes allowed for quicker procedures at a border crossing as well as a cheaper alternative to a passport ($40 vs. $100). [27]
The enhanced driver's licence program has been discontinued. [28]
If a person is 16 years or older, they may apply for an Instruction Permit. A instruction permit allows a person to drive under supervision to receive instruction. This type of licence is valid for two years. Testing Requirements for a Driver's Licence are a written or oral exam, road sign, driving, vision test and Novice Driving or Driver Education Course is required for first-time drivers.The classes of licence that can be obtained with appropriate training and required testing are as follows:
During the learning period the applicant must have held a Class 3 learner's licence for three months or for one month if the applicant is aged 25 or over; or has 60 months' cumulative experience as a holder of a Class 5 licence.
During the Learning period the applicant must have held a Class 2 learner's licence for three months or for one month if aged 25 or over; or has 60 months' cumulative experience as a holder of a Class 5 licence. An applicant who meets one of these three requirements, the one-month period may be substituted by a training program that includes at least 20 driving hours on public roadways with a vehicle covered by a Class 2 licence. An additional 'certificate of competence' is required in the case of a school bus, and there are endorsements for air brake system (F endorsement) and manual transmission (M endorsement)
During the learning period the applicant must have held a class 1 learner's licence for three months or for one month if the applicant is aged 25 or over; or has 60 months' cumulative experience as a holder of a class 5 licence; or is registered in the truck driving training program which leads to the Diploma of Vocational Studies issued by the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport and has successfully completed all mandatory sections of the program required to drive on the road without an accompanying rider; or already has a class 2 or 3 driver's licence.
The Department of National Defence issues a special driving licence known as DND 404 to Canadian Forces military personnel driving CF vehicles or vehicles rented by DND, and the issue is contingent on possession of a provincial driving licence and passing of a DND Safe Driving Course (SDC). [32] Between 2011 and 2012, all DND 404 permits were replaced with modern photo ID cards. [33] Provincial law enforcement agencies do enforce highway traffic laws against such permit holders, and DND 404 permits can be accordingly suspended. [34] [35]
Province | Front | Reverse | Latest version |
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![]() | Link to PDF with image | 2015-08-24 | |
![]() | Link to image | N/A | 2024 |
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Although licence suspensions and revocations are generally a matter for the territorial and provincial government departments of motor vehicles, some driving offences (e.g. dangerous driving and impaired driving) are criminal offences, set down in Canada's Criminal Code. Prison sentences are often given to repeat offenders and to drivers convicted of causing death or grievous bodily harm via Criminal Code driving offences.
An L-plate is a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and/or back of a vehicle in many countries if its driver is a learner under instruction, or a motorcycle rider with provisional entitlement to ride restricted motorcycles.
A large goods vehicle (LGV), or heavy goods vehicle (HGV), in the European Union (EU) is any lorry with a gross combination mass (GCM) of over 3,500 kg (7,700 lb). Sub-category N2 is used for vehicles between 3,500 kg and 12,000 kg (26,000 lb) and N3 for all goods vehicles over 12,000 kg as defined in Directive 2001/116/EC. The term medium goods vehicle is used within parts of the UK government to refer to goods vehicles of between 3,500 and 7,500 kg which according to the EU are also "large goods vehicles."
A commercial driver's license (CDL) is a driver's license required in the United States to operate large and heavy vehicles or a vehicle of any size that transports hazardous materials or more than 15 passengers.
Graduated driver licensing systems (GDLS) are designed to provide new drivers of motor vehicles with driving experience and skills gradually over time in low-risk environments. There are typically three steps or stages through which new drivers pass. They begin by acquiring a learner's permit, progress to a restricted, probationary or provisional license, followed by receipt of a full driver's license. Graduated drivers' licensing generally restricts nighttime, expressway, and unsupervised driving during initial stages, but lifts these restrictions with time and further testing of the individual, eventually concluding with the individual attaining a full driver's license.
A driver's permit, learner's permit, learner's license or provisional license is a restricted license that is given to a person who is learning to drive, but has not yet satisfied the prerequisite to obtain a driver's license. Having a learner's permit for a certain length of time is usually one of the requirements for applying for a full driver's license. To get a learner's permit, one must typically pass a written permit test, take a basic competency test in the vehicle, or both.
Driver licences in Australia refer to the official permit required for a person to legally drive a motor vehicle in Australia. The issue of driver licences, alongside the regulation and enforcement of road use, are all managed by state and territory governments.
In the United States, driver's licenses are issued by each individual state, territory, and the District of Columbia rather than by the federal government due to federalism. Drivers are normally required to obtain a license from their state of residence. All states of the United States and provinces and territories of Canada recognize each other's licenses for non-resident age requirements. There are also licenses for motorcycle use. Generally, a minimum age of 15 is required to apply for a non-commercial driver license, and 25 for commercial licenses which drivers must have to operate vehicles that are too heavy for a non-commercial licensed driver or vehicles with at least 16 passengers or containing hazardous materials that require placards. A state may also suspend an individual's driving privilege within its borders for traffic violations. Many states share a common system of license classes, with some exceptions, e.g. commercial license classes are standardized by federal regulation at 49 CFR 383. Many driving permits and ID cards display small digits next to each data field. This is required by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators' design standard and has been adopted by many US states. The AAMVA provides a standard for the design of driving permits and identification cards issued by its member jurisdictions, which include all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, and Canadian territories and provinces. The newest card design standard released is the 2020 AAMVA DL/ID Card Design Standard (CDS). The AAMVA standard generally follows part 1 and part 2 of ISO/IEC 18013-1. The ISO standard in turn specifies requirements for a card that is aligned with the UN Conventions on Road Traffic, namely the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.
In India, a driving licence is an official document that authorises its holder to operate various types of motor vehicles on highways and some other roads to which the public has access. In various Indian states, they are administered by the Regional Transport Authorities/Offices (RTA/RTO). A driving licence is required in India by any person driving a vehicle on any highway or other road defined in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. This act sets limits on the minimum age for vehicle operation ranging from 16 to 20, depending on specific circumstances. A modern photo of the driving licence can also serve many of the purposes of an identity card in non-driving contexts, such as proof of identity or age.
In Pakistan, the driving licence is the official document which authorises its holder to operate various types of motor vehicles on publicly accessible roads. Driving licences can be obtained by submitting an application to any licensing authority in the applicant's district.
A driving licence in Singapore is required before a person is allowed to drive a motor vehicle of any description on a road in the country. Like many other countries in the world, an individual must possess a valid driving licence before being permitted to drive on the road, and driving licence holders are subject to all traffic rules.
The New Zealand driver licence system is a graduated system that has been in place since 1988. It consists of three phases for a car licence, each with varying levels of conditions.
Swedish driving licences adhere to a standard set in the European Economic Area. 18 years is the minimum age to obtain a licence for cars.
In the United Kingdom, a driving licence is the official document which authorises its holder to operate motor vehicles on highways and other public roads. It is administered in England, Scotland and Wales by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and in Northern Ireland by the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA). A driving licence is required in England, Scotland, and Wales for any person driving a vehicle on any highway or other "road", as defined in s.192 Road Traffic Act 1988, irrespective of the ownership of the land over which the road passes. Similar requirements apply in Northern Ireland under the Road Traffic Order 1981.
A driving licence is required in Malaysia before a person is allowed to drive a motor vehicle of any description on a road in Malaysia under the Road Transport Act 1987, section 26(1). Under section 26(1) of the Road Transport Act, an individual must possess a valid driving licence before being permitted to drive on the road, or can be prosecuted under section 26(2). Upon conviction, the miscreant is liable to fines or jail or both. Driving licence holders are subject to all traffic rules stated in the Road Transport Act 1987.
Driving licences in Hong Kong are issued by the Transport Department. A full driving licence is valid for 10 years and is compulsory in order to drive a motor vehicle. Most driving licences are issued after the applicant passed a driving test for the respective type of vehicles. They may be issued without a test if the applicant is a holder of an overseas driving licence issued on passing a driving test in an approved country.
Driving licence in Thailand is a document that allows the holder to drive on any roads in the Kingdom of Thailand. The minimum age to drive a motor vehicle is 18, and to drive a motorcycle is 15. Driving licence is issued and administered by the Department of Land Transport, Ministry of Transport and its branches, land transport offices across Thailand.
A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public road. Such licenses are often plastic and the size of a credit card.
In Spain, a driving licence is an official document which authorises the holder to operate motor vehicles. It is issued by the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT).
A Lebanese driving licence is a driving licence issued by the government of Lebanon. It authorises its holder to operate various types of motor vehicles on highways and some other publicly accessible roads. It is issued by each individual district.
Vehicle weight is a measurement of wheeled motor vehicles; either an actual measured weight of the vehicle under defined conditions or a gross weight rating for its weight carrying capacity.
Driver Licences must be renew [sic] every 5 years on or before your birthday.
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