How to Start Getting Your Driver's Licence in Nova Scotia

The short answer

In Nova Scotia, a new driver works through three graduated stages before getting a regular driver's licence: Learner's Licence (Class 7), Newly Licensed Driver's Licence (Class 5N), and the Restricted Individual stage. The licences are issued by the Registry of Motor Vehicles, a Service Nova Scotia division, at Access Nova Scotia locations. You start at 16 or older by passing a vision test and a knowledge test, drive supervised for at least 12 months, pass a road test, drive as a Newly Licensed Driver for at least 2 years, and then complete an approved Driver Improvement Program.

This guide covers Nova Scotia only. It does not carry any other province's stages, grace periods, or reciprocal lists. If you already hold a licence from another province or country, read our How to Start Exchanging Your Foreign Driver's Licence in Canada guide instead: this guide does not repeat the exchange route.

Stage 1: Learner's Licence (Class 7)

Anyone who wants a Nova Scotia driver's licence and has never held one starts here. The regular Learner's Licence is Class 7, for cars, pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans seating less than 10 people. (Class LM is the learner's motorcycle licence, which this guide does not cover.)

How to apply

You fill out an Application for Driver Licence form, which you can get at any Registry of Motor Vehicles office. You must be at least 16 years old. If you are under 18, you need written permission from one parent or legal guardian: they can sign Section 2A on the form if they come with you, or you can get a Parental Consent Form signed ahead of time and bring it with you. If you do not have the proper signatures, your application will not be accepted. A parent or guardian who gave consent can change their mind at any time before you turn 18 by writing to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles; if that happens, you may lose your licence.

You must bring proof of identification, and you must come to an office in person to apply, so you can take the tests. You do not need an appointment to write the knowledge test, but not all Registry offices give it every day, so call ahead to find out when it is given at the office where you plan to apply.

The tests

You must pass a vision test and a knowledge test:

• Vision test. This covers colour perception, field of vision (minimum 120 degrees), sharpness of vision (minimum 20-40), and distance judgment. If you do not pass, you must get a form signed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist, and you must have proper glasses or contacts before a licence is issued. After you get your licence, you must always wear them when you are driving.
• Knowledge test. The written test has two parts: one on traffic and safe driving rules, and one on Nova Scotia highway signs. Each part has 20 multiple-choice questions, and you have to get at least 16 right on each part to pass. You have to pass both parts to get your licence. If you fail one part, you have to take the entire test over. Staff can give the tests orally rather than in writing if you need it, by special appointment ahead of time. The Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook sets out what you need to know; copies are available at regional libraries and at all offices handling this licence, for $9.75, tax included.

You can pay for the knowledge test in advance or when you take it. The cost is $15.03 (tax included). You pay the fee at any Registry service location. When you come in to take your test, first you present your test receipt, and then you are allowed to take the test. Unless you have your receipt, you cannot take it. If you lose it, you have to buy another one.

Fees, expiry, and restrictions

Once you have passed the knowledge test, there is usually no waiting period to get the licence: you pay the fee, your photo is taken, and you receive a temporary document valid for 30 calendar days. You receive your new card in the mail within 14 calendar days. The fee for a Learner's Licence is $25.10 (no tax is charged). A Learner's Licence issued after April 1, 2015 is good for 2 years. Once it expires, it is invalid, and you have to apply for a new one and take all the tests over. Book your road test well in advance, because you must complete it before the expiry date on your licence.

A Learner's Licence has a large letter "L" on it. Three restrictions apply while you hold it:

1. Zero blood alcohol. The tolerance for alcohol in your blood when you are driving is zero. If you are stopped and a breathalyzer test shows any alcohol content at all, your licence will be suspended for 6 months. If your blood alcohol level is over .05, you may get an immediate 24-hour roadside suspension; if it is over .08, you will be arrested and your licence will be suspended for a full year. After your suspension is over, you have to start over as a learner.
2. A supervising driver. It is illegal to drive with a Learner's Licence unless a supervising driver is seated in the front seat of the vehicle. Someone counts as a supervising driver only if they have a valid regular driver's licence. They do not count if they are in the Graduated Driver Licensing program.
3. No passengers. Besides that one supervising driver in the front seat, no other people can be in the vehicle when you are driving with a Learner's Licence. There are two exceptions: when you are taking a road test, there can be more than one examiner in the vehicle; and when you are practising in a car with dual brake controls and an approved driving instructor is seated in the front seat, there can be as many as 3 students in the back seat, provided there are enough seat belts.

There are no restrictions on night driving for a regular Class 7 learner, because you always have to have a supervising driver with you in the front seat.

Nova Scotia has a demerit point system, and it applies to Learner's Licences. If you get 4 or more demerit points, your licence will be suspended for 6 months. After your suspension is over, no matter how long you already had your Learner's Licence, you have to go through the full waiting period again before you can graduate to the next level.

Stage 2: Newly Licensed Driver's Licence (Class 5N)

To get a Class 5N licence, you have to do three things: hold a Learner's Licence, pass a road test, and complete the waiting period. Before you can take the road test, you must have your Learner's Licence for at least 12 months. The exception is driver education: if you successfully complete an approved Driver Education course that includes at least 25 hours of classroom teaching and 10 hours of driving with an instructor, the minimum waiting period is reduced to 9 months. The driving school has to be certified by Service Nova Scotia.

The road test

You pay for the road test before you can make an appointment. The fee is $52.54 (tax included). You can pay online, at any Registry of Motor Vehicles service location, or by mail — you cannot pay over the phone. When you pay, you get a numbered receipt, and you have to give that number when you call to make an appointment. The only way to make an appointment is to call 902-424-5851 or 1-800-898-7668 (toll-free). You have to take the receipt with you when you go for your road test. If you forget it, the road test will be cancelled unless you buy another one.

When you come for your road test, bring a vehicle in good mechanical condition with a valid Motor Vehicle Inspection sticker, and bring four papers: your current driver's licence, the Vehicle Permit for the vehicle, the Insurance Card for that vehicle, and your numbered Driver Examination Receipt. Unless you have all four documents, and unless the first three are still valid, the appointment will be cancelled. You cannot drive to your road test by yourself — you are still a learner driver, and you still have to have a supervising driver with you. If you are late, there is a very good chance your appointment will be cancelled. If you fail a road test, you have to wait at least 14 full days before you can take another one, and you have to pay for another test.

Fees and restrictions

Once you pass the road test, there is no further waiting period: you pay the fee and receive a temporary document valid for 30 calendar days, and your new card arrives in the mail within 14 calendar days. The initial application fee for a Class 5N licence is $66.95 (not taxed). A Newly Licensed Driver's Licence is valid for 5 years and can be renewed; renewal costs $80.15. You can renew at any point during the last 6 months before it expires, but not before. A replacement licence costs $25.10, and a name change costs $25.10. A Newly Licensed Driver's Licence has a large letter "N" on it.

Four restrictions apply while you hold a Class 5N licence:

1. Zero blood alcohol. If a breathalyzer test shows any alcohol content at all, your licence will be suspended for 6 months. If your blood alcohol level is over .05, you may get an immediate 24-hour roadside suspension; if it is over .08, you will be arrested and your licence will be suspended for a full year. After your suspension is over, you have to start over as a Newly Licensed Driver.
2. One front-seat passenger. When you are driving, there can be only one other person in the front seat of the vehicle.
3. Everyone seated and belted. Every passenger must be sitting, and every passenger must have a seat belt on, front seat and back seat. There cannot be more people in the car than there are seat belts.
4. No late-night driving. You are not allowed to drive between midnight and 5 a.m. unless you meet one of two conditions: you are accompanied by a supervising driver sitting in the front seat, or you have a written exemption from the Department because of your job. Form APP33, Application for Exemption from Nighttime Driving Curfew, must be properly completed, signed, and submitted with a fee of $33.10.

Nova Scotia's demerit point system applies to Newly Licensed Drivers. If you get 6 or more points, your licence will be suspended for 6 months. After your suspension is over, no matter how long you already had your Newly Licensed Driver's Licence, you have to go through the full waiting period again — 2 full years from the time your suspension is over — before you can graduate to a regular driver's licence.

Stage 3: Restricted Individual

After your Newly Licensed Driver's Licence, the next level is the Restricted Individual stage. There are two things you have to do before you can graduate to it: wait at least 2 full years, and successfully complete an approved Driver Improvement Program (sometimes called the defensive driving course). There are two kinds of Driver Improvement Programs — a full course and a short course — explained in the Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook. You must give the Department a copy of the certificate you get when you pass the course; it is kept in the Department's records. All new drivers have to graduate from all three stages before they can get a regular driver's licence.

How long the Restricted Individual stage lasts. You stay a Restricted Individual for 2 full years. The licence is Class 5R with Condition 47. Two conditions apply while you hold it: zero blood alcohol, and you cannot act as a supervising driver for another driver. After the 2-year driving period, all Graduated Driver Licensing restrictions are removed and you are a fully experienced driver with a regular Class 5 licence.

A Nova Scotia driver's licence is valid for 5 years and expires on your birthday. You can renew it at any point during the last 6 months before it expires, but not before. You can renew online or go to an office in person. If your licence was suspended or revoked since you last renewed it, or if there have been changes to your health that might have changed your ability to drive safely, tell the customer service representative when you renew: if you do not, your driving privileges may be cancelled.

Visitors and new residents

The Registry's page states that new residents need to get a Nova Scotia driver's licence within 90 days of becoming a resident. Its graduated-licensing summary separately says that visitors or newcomers who hold a valid driver's licence from another part of Canada or another country can drive in Nova Scotia for up to 180 days without getting a Nova Scotia licence. If you hold a licence from elsewhere, confirm which period applies to your situation with the Registry, and read our How to Start Exchanging Your Foreign Driver's Licence in Canada guide for the exchange route.

What the opened pages do not state

The pages do not state the cost of an approved Driver Education course or a Driver Improvement Program course, because those are set by the schools, not the Registry. No fee for a Class 5 regular licence is stated beyond the $80.15 renewal figure on the driver's licence page, because the opened pages list that figure as the renewal price for Class 5. Confirm any fee with Access Nova Scotia before you rely on a figure from another source.

Related guides:

• How to Start Getting Your Driver's Licence in Ontario — Ontario's graduated licensing system, which uses different stage names and rules.
• How to Start Getting Your Driver's Licence in British Columbia — British Columbia's graduated licensing system.
• How to Start Getting Your Driver's Licence in Quebec — Quebec's graduated licensing system.
• How to Start Getting Your Driver's Licence in Alberta — Alberta's graduated licensing system.
• How to Start Getting Your Driver's Licence in Saskatchewan — Saskatchewan's graduated licensing system.
• How to Start Exchanging Your Foreign Driver's Licence in Canada — the exchange route for drivers who already hold a licence from elsewhere.

Sources

• Service Nova Scotia, Registry of Motor Vehicles — Driver's Licence — the three graduated stages, the classes of licence, the 5-year validity and birthday expiry, the renewal window, the licence fees, the 90-day rule for new residents, and the Registry contact numbers.
• Service Nova Scotia, Registry of Motor Vehicles — Learner's (Beginner's) Licence — the age-16 rule, parental consent under 18, the vision and knowledge tests, the $15.03 knowledge test receipt, the $25.10 learner's fee, the 2-year validity, the 12-month and 9-month waiting periods, and the learner restrictions.
• Service Nova Scotia, Registry of Motor Vehicles — Newly Licensed Driver's Licence — the road test booking and documents, the $52.54 road test receipt, the $66.95 initial fee and $80.15 renewal, the four Class 5N restrictions, the midnight-to-5-a.m. curfew and the $33.10 Form APP33 exemption, the 6-point suspension rule, and graduation after 2 years plus a Driver Improvement Program.
• Service Nova Scotia, Registry of Motor Vehicles — Graduated Driver Licence System — the Restricted Individual stage lasts 2 years with zero blood alcohol and no supervising, after which all graduated-licensing restrictions are removed.