FAQs

This rule has not changed. To drive outside the driving course, you must be accompanied by a person who has held a licence to drive a passenger vehicle for at least two years, and who is qualified to provide you with help and advice. A probationary licence holder cannot serve as an accompanying rider.

To obtain a class 5 learner's licence, Canadian citizens can go directly to the SAAQ. However, non-citizens have to call the SAAQ and make an appointment to open a file.

You are not subject to the new measures with regard to the driving course. If your learner's license is expired for less than three years, go to the SAAQ to renew it. However, if it is expired for more than 3 years, you must pass the SAAQ tests again.

If you are 16 years of age or older and have successfully completed Phase 1 of the driving course (5 two-hour modules, including the evaluation), you have to go to the SAAQ with the attestation of successful completion issued by the driving school to open a file, pass a vision test, fill out the Declaration of Illness or Impairment form and get a learner's licence. If you are under 18, you must provide the original of the written Consent of a Person Having Parental Authority form.

The wait time before retaking a knowledge test or road test is 28 days.

You can take the knowledge test once you have held a Class 5 learner's licence for at least 10 months.

To take the road test and get a probationary licence, you must have held a Class 5 learner's licence for at least 12 months, have passed the knowledge test and have the attestation of successful completion from the driving school.

Their driving experience is taken into account. If they have driven for less than 24 months, regardless of their age, they are required to drive with a probationary licence until they have 24 months experience (section 92.0.1 of the Highway Safety Code). If you are from outside Canada and you have settled in Québec, you have 12 months following your arrival in Canada to apply for a licence exchange for a Québec licence, regardless of whether you are required to take a driving test.

Anyone who does not hold or has never held a Class 5 learner's licence or probationary licence.

The probationary phase applies to everyone, since all new drivers are at a greater risk of having an accident during their first years of driving, due to their inexperience.

It has been proven that drivers age 25 and older are at greater risk during the first years of driving than more experienced drivers of the same age. Subjecting drivers age 25 and older, who represent nearly 20% of new drivers, to a two-year probationary period allows for a tighter control of this at-risk group

Advances have been made in driver education research over the last decade. Thus the SAAQ, in collaboration with the Québec driving school industry, has designed all-new course content and instruction methods based on work and experiments conducted in Europe.

The new Road Safety Education Program has been given at driving schools since January 2010. With this program, learners can acquire the competencies required to become safe, cooperative and responsible drivers. The program includes 4 phases with alternating theoretical instruction and practical training. There are a total of 24 hours of theoretical instruction in a series of 12 two-hour modules. The practical training includes 15 one-hour on-road instruction sessions for a total of 15 hours. All of these changes should have a positive impact on the road safety record of young drivers, as well as new drivers age 25 or older, who are also at greater risk of an accident during their first years as drivers.