How to start getting your driver's licence in British Columbia through ICBC's graduated licensing program, from the learner stage to a full Class 5 licence.
Applies in: British Columbia
British Columbia uses a graduated licensing program run by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC). You ease into driving in stages: first with a qualified supervisor, then on your own with restrictions, then with a Class 5 licence that still carries restrictions for a year. ICBC states that to get through the graduated licensing program you will have to pass two tests, one multiple choice test and one road test, and a driving record assessment, and that if you drive safely it will take about 3 to 4 years from start to finish. This guide follows the current ICBC graduated licensing page and the ICBC Learn to Drive Smart manual. Follow the current ICBC page over older guides: it describes a driving record assessment, not a second road test, for the move to Class 5.
You can get your learner licence on or after your 16th birthday. If you are under 18, get a parent or legal guardian to sign consent. Take the practice knowledge test first to build confidence, then take the online knowledge test or book an appointment to take the test at an ICBC driver licensing office, and pass a vision screening test. When you go to the driver licensing office, take primary and secondary identification, a custodial parent or legal guardian if you are under 18, the fees for the knowledge test and Class 7L licence, and glasses or contact lenses if you need them to drive.
The knowledge test has 50 multiple-choice questions that measure how well you know the information in the Learn to Drive Smart guide. The test can be taken online or at any driver licensing office, it is not an open-book test, and cellphones and electronic devices are not allowed while taking it. In some parts of the province it is only offered as a written test. The test is available in English, French, Arabic, Cantonese, Croatian, Farsi, Mandarin, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. Your vision will be checked for colour vision, depth perception, field of vision, double vision and sharpness of vision, and you will be asked about your medical condition. If there is any question about your physical ability to drive, or if you have a progressive medical condition, you may need a medical examination and a doctor's report sent to RoadSafetyBC, which makes the final decision on issuing the licence. The learner licence is valid for two years, and you will need to retake the knowledge test if you want to renew it.
While you hold a learner licence, a qualified supervisor must sit beside you when you are driving. Your supervisor must be at least 22 years old and hold a valid Class 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 licence without a zero blood alcohol and zero blood drug restriction. Check the front of your supervisor's driver licence for the licence class and restrictions if you want to confirm eligibility. You must have zero blood alcohol content and zero blood drug concentration, must not use hand-held or hands-free communication devices while driving, must display the official L sign in your back windshield or on the rear of your vehicle so it is visible to drivers behind you, may carry only one passenger aside from your supervisor unless they are immediate family, meaning parents, children, spouse, brothers, sisters and grandparents, including step and foster relationships, and may drive only between 5 a.m. and midnight. Free replacement L signs are available at any driver licensing office, and a temporary L sign can be downloaded from the ICBC website.
Use the practice period well. ICBC recommends at least 60 hours of practice, recorded in the driver experience log you are given when you get your learner licence. For drivers under 25, the learner stage lasts a minimum of 12 months. For drivers aged 25 or older, the learner stage lasts a minimum of 9 months. Professional training can help you learn faster and avoid developing bad driving habits, and the manual gives guidance on choosing a driving school. If you violate the zero blood alcohol or zero blood drug restriction, you may be subject to fines and other penalties, and if you hold a learner or novice licence you are not allowed to use any personal electronic devices, even with a hands-free system.
After at least 1 year of practice with a qualified supervisor, or 9 months if you are 25 or older, you can take your first road test. Book, take and pass the Class 7 road test. The road test is conducted by a driver examiner who marks your ability to drive in a safe, smooth and controlled manner, takes about 40 minutes, and requires you to provide a safe vehicle. Pets and passengers other than the examiner or other authorized people are not allowed during the road test. The test assesses observation, hazard perception, speed control, space margins, steering and communication. Prepare by reviewing the Learn to Drive Smart guide and using the Tuning Up for Drivers guide to practise.
As a novice driver you keep the zero blood alcohol and zero blood drug restrictions and the ban on hand-held and hands-free electronic devices, display an N sign, and may carry only one passenger, immediate family exempt, unless a supervisor aged 22 or older sits beside you. The N sign and passenger restrictions no longer apply once you turn 25. The novice stage is a minimum of 24 consecutive months without a driving prohibition for drivers under 25, and a minimum of 12 consecutive months without a driving prohibition for drivers aged 25 or older. Penalties in the graduated licensing program are strict, and a prohibition during the novice stage breaks the consecutive-months requirement, so drive as if every trip counts toward the record assessment that follows.
You can apply for your Class 5 licence with restrictions after having your novice licence for at least 24 months of safe driving if you are under 25, or 12 months of safe driving if you are 25 or older. ICBC states the under-25 period is possibly 18 months if you took an ICBC-approved driver training course in your learner stage and were a safe driver during that period. You must have no prohibitions and no convictions for use of electronic devices or excessive speeding. To get your Class 5 licence, you must pass the Driving Record Assessment. Book an appointment online at an ICBC driver licensing office, not a Service BC location or driver licensing agent, and when booking select the Driving Record Assessment service type.
Your Class 5 licence will have zero blood alcohol and zero blood drug restrictions for 12 months. This 12-month period resets if you receive a prohibition or suspension during this time. Treat the restricted year as part of the program, not as full privileges with a label on them: one prohibition or suspension restarts the clock.
After 12 months of safe driving with no prohibitions or suspensions on your Class 5 licence with restrictions, you will have a full Class 5 licence. There is no need to apply for a new card. Keep your licence up to date after that point under the ordinary renewal rules, and confirm any renewal fee or medical reporting requirement with ICBC when the time comes, since the opened pages used for this guide do not state them.
No knowledge test fee, road test fee, learner licence fee, or driver licence fee is stated on the opened ICBC pages used for this guide, and no pass mark for the knowledge test is stated either. The Learn to Drive Smart manual states that there are fees for each knowledge test and road test and for the photo learner licence, and that current fees are shown on the ICBC website, without giving the amounts. No opened page states how long a knowledge test pass stays valid, how soon you may retake a failed test, or what the Driving Record Assessment itself involves beyond the booking route. Confirm all fees, the pass mark, and retake rules with ICBC before you book. Fee and pass-mark figures from practice-test sites and driving schools were not used.
You can get your learner licence on or after your 16th birthday. If you are under 18, get a parent or legal guardian to sign consent. Take primary and secondary identification, a custodial parent or legal guardian if you are under 18, the fees for the knowledge test and Class 7L licence, and glasses or contact lenses if you need them to drive. You will also need to pass a vision and medical screening, and you may need further vision testing by an optometrist or ophthalmologist if you do not pass the screening.
The knowledge test has 50 multiple-choice questions that measure how well you know the information in the Learn to Drive Smart guide. It can be taken online or at a driver licensing office, it is not an open-book test, and cellphones and electronic devices are not allowed while taking it. The learner licence is valid for two years, and you will need to retake the knowledge test if you want to renew it. No pass mark is stated on the opened ICBC pages, so confirm the pass mark with ICBC rather than relying on a practice-test site.
A qualified supervisor must sit beside you, aged at least 22 and holding a valid Class 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 licence without a zero blood alcohol and zero blood drug restriction. You must have zero blood alcohol content and zero blood drug concentration, use no hand-held or hands-free electronic devices, display the official L sign in your back windshield or on the rear of your vehicle, carry only one passenger aside from your supervisor unless they are immediate family, and drive only between 5 a.m. and midnight.
For drivers under 25, the learner stage is a minimum of 12 months and the novice stage is a minimum of 24 consecutive months without a driving prohibition. For drivers aged 25 or older, the learner stage is a minimum of 9 months and the novice stage is a minimum of 12 consecutive months without a driving prohibition. ICBC states that the novice period for drivers under 25 is possibly 18 months if you took an ICBC-approved driver training course in your learner stage and were a safe driver during that period. Confirm the training-course effect with ICBC before counting on the shorter period.
No, not on ICBC's current graduated licensing page. That page describes two tests, one multiple choice test and one road test, plus a driving record assessment. To get a Class 5 licence with restrictions you must pass the Driving Record Assessment after holding your novice licence for the required period with no prohibitions and no convictions for use of electronic devices or excessive speeding. Older guides that describe a second Class 5 road test do not match the current ICBC page, so follow the current page and book a Driving Record Assessment appointment at an ICBC driver licensing office.
Your Class 5 licence will have zero blood alcohol and zero blood drug restrictions for 12 months, and that 12-month period resets if you receive a prohibition or suspension during it. After 12 months of safe driving with no prohibitions or suspensions on your Class 5 licence with restrictions, you will have a full Class 5 licence and there is no need to apply for a new card. No test fees or licence fees are stated on the opened ICBC pages, so confirm the current fees on the ICBC website before you book.