How to Get a Quebec Driver’s License: Courses, Tests, and Stages

To get a Quebec driver’s license, you must be at least 16, complete a mandatory driving course at an SAAQ-recognized school, hold a learner’s licence for at least 12 months, pass the SAAQ knowledge and road tests, and then drive for 24 months on a probationary licence before receiving a full Class 5. The whole process takes a minimum of three years and is run by the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), which treats driving as a privilege under the Highway Safety Code.¹

Here is what each step actually requires.

Step 1: Meet the Age and Identity Requirements

You need to be at least 16 years old to apply for a learner’s licence. If you’re under 18, a parent or legal guardian must sign a consent form that you bring to the SAAQ service outlet.¹

First-time applicants must present two official identity documents, and at least one has to include a photo. The qualifying combinations depend on where you were born.

If you were born in Canada, at least one document must be a provincial birth certificate (Quebec-issued certificates need to be from January 1, 1994 or later), a Canadian citizenship certificate with photo, a Canadian passport, a Canadian Armed Forces ID card, or a Certificate of Indian Status. The second document can be a health insurance card or a driver’s licence issued outside Quebec.

If you were born outside Canada, at least one document must be a Canadian citizenship certificate with photo, a Canadian passport, a Canadian Armed Forces ID card, proof of legal presence in Canada, or a permanent resident card. The second can again be a health insurance card or an out-of-Quebec licence.

The SAAQ does not list a separate proof-of-residence requirement on its Class 5 application page. Your identity documents and the information you give at the service outlet establish your file.¹

Step 2: Complete the Mandatory Driving Course

Every new driver in Quebec has to complete the Road Safety Education Program (known by its French acronym, PESVR) at a driving school recognized by the SAAQ. You cannot skip it, even if you already know how to drive.²

The course runs at least 39 hours: 24 hours of theory delivered in twelve 2-hour modules (in class or online), plus 15 hours of behind-the-wheel training in 55-minute sessions with an instructor. It’s split into four phases, each with a minimum duration:³

Phase 1 (minimum 28 days) covers the vehicle, the driver, the road environment, and at-risk behaviours. Passing the school’s Phase 1 evaluation earns you the attestation you need to apply for your learner’s licence.
Phase 2 (minimum 28 days) introduces accompanied driving and on-road observation.
Phase 3 (minimum 56 days) focuses on speed management, sharing the road, and the effects of alcohol and drugs.
Phase 4 (minimum 56 days) covers fatigue, distractions, and eco-driving.

Because of the minimum durations, the full course takes at least about six months. You cannot compress it.

Step 3: Get Your Learner’s Licence

Once you pass Phase 1, take your school’s attestation to an SAAQ service outlet. At the outlet you’ll do a vision test and fill out a health declaration.¹ The learner’s licence costs $88.35, is valid for 18 months, and the price includes your photo.

Credit cards are not accepted at SAAQ service outlets. You can pay by cash, debit card (at most locations), cheque, money order, or pre-authorized debit.¹

Restrictions while you hold a learner’s licence:

You may only drive with an accompanying driver in the front passenger seat who has held a valid licence authorizing them to drive a passenger vehicle for at least two years.⁴
Your blood alcohol concentration must be zero.
Your demerit-point threshold is 4. Reach it and the SAAQ revokes your licence for a minimum of three months.

You must hold the learner’s licence for at least 12 months, and during that time you continue through Phases 2 to 4 of the driving course. Once the entire course is finished and you’ve held the learner’s for a year, you can book the SAAQ tests.

Step 4: Pass the SAAQ Knowledge and Road Tests

You book both tests through the SAAQ’s online portal or by phone. The knowledge test covers road signs, traffic rules, and safe driving practices. The road test evaluates how you handle real traffic. If you fail either one, you must wait at least seven days to retry, and the SAAQ does not state a limit on attempts.⁵

The 2026 fees:⁶

Knowledge test: $13.50 per attempt
Road test: $30.50 per attempt
Probationary licence (issued after you pass): $13.50

Vehicle Requirements for the Road Test

If you bring your own or a borrowed vehicle to the road test, the examiner will inspect it first. The vehicle must be in good mechanical condition with all of the following working: high and low beam headlights, turn signals, brake lights, hazard lights, parking brake, all mirrors, horn, windshield wipers, seatbelts for both driver and examiner, and doors that open from inside and out. Tires must meet legal tread depth and suit the season. You also need valid registration, proof of liability insurance, and enough fuel to complete the test.⁵

Step 5: Drive on a Probationary Licence for 24 Months

Once you pass both SAAQ tests, you receive a probationary licence, which you must hold for 24 months.⁷ You can drive without an accompanying driver, but two restrictions still apply:

Zero alcohol at all times, regardless of age. Violations can lead to licence revocation for a minimum of three months.
Demerit-point threshold of 8. Accumulate 8 or more points and the SAAQ revokes your licence.⁸

Those thresholds matter. A single red-light or stop-sign offence is 3 points, so a probationary driver is only a couple of infractions away from losing the licence entirely. Points stay on your record for two years from the conviction date.⁸

Step 6: Receive Your Full Class 5 Licence

Once the 24-month probationary period ends without a revocation, you qualify for a full Class 5 licence. Your demerit-point bracket rises to 12 points if you’re under 23, and to 15 points once you reach 23.⁸

The zero-alcohol rule lifts only once you turn 22 and hold a full licence. Until then it applies to every licence class you hold. After 22 the standard Criminal Code limit of 0.08 BAC applies, though a reading above 0.08 triggers an immediate 90-day licence suspension even before any criminal conviction.⁹

Health Declaration and Vision

Every Quebec driver must meet the health requirements, including adequate vision. The vision test happens when you first apply for the learner’s licence at the SAAQ outlet.¹ After that, if anything changes about your health in a way that could affect your driving, you are legally required to notify the SAAQ within 30 days. That includes conditions affecting mobility, cognitive function, and vision problems like cataracts, glaucoma, or macular degeneration.¹⁰

If You Already Have a Licence From Elsewhere

The three-year graduated process is for new drivers. If you move to Quebec with a valid licence from another Canadian province or from abroad, you can drive on it for up to six months. After six months, you are required to hold a Quebec licence, and driving past that deadline is treated the same as driving without a valid licence.¹¹

Quebec has reciprocal agreements with all Canadian provinces and territories and with a number of countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Isle of Man, Japan, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, South Korea, Switzerland, and Taiwan. Holders of a valid licence from one of these jurisdictions can generally exchange it without taking the SAAQ knowledge or road tests, provided the licence is current and covers the equivalent vehicle class. If your licence isn’t from a recognized jurisdiction, you’ll need to take both SAAQ tests. And if your licence is written in a language other than French or English, you’ll need a certified translation (with a narrow exception for Japanese licences, which use a certificate from the Japanese Consulate instead).¹¹

1
Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec. Obtaining a Passenger Vehicle Driver’s Licence (Class 5)
2
Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec. Driving Course
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Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec. Automobile (Passenger Vehicle)
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Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec. Module 6 – Accompanied Driving
5
Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec. Preparing for the Tests
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Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec. Licence Fees for the Current Year
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Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec. Obtaining a Driver’s Licence
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Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec. Demerit Points Driver’s Licence
9
Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec. Drinking and Driving What the Law Says
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Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec. State of Health and Driver’s Licences
11
Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec. Driver’s Licence Issued Outside Quebec