How to Start Getting Your Driver's Licence in Manitoba
Manitoba's MPI graduated licensing path: the Learner stage of at least 9 months, the Intermediate stage of at least 15 months, then a full Class 5 licence.
How to Start Getting Your Driver's Licence in Quebec
Quebec's SAAQ path to a Class 5 licence: the mandatory 39-hour course, learner's licence, tests, and 24-month probationary licence.
Applies in: Quebec
Quebec runs its own graduated licensing system through the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), and it is distinct from every other province: the driving course is mandatory, the learner stage is tied to the course phases, and the probationary licence lasts a full 24 months. This guide follows the route exactly as the SAAQ page on obtaining a passenger vehicle (Class 5) driver's licence states it. Before you can hold a full Class 5 licence, you must obtain a learner's licence, hold it for 12 months, pass the driving course, pass the SAAQ's knowledge and road tests, and then hold a probationary licence for 24 months.
Step 1: Enrol in the mandatory driving course
Register for the driving course at a driving school recognized by the SAAQ. Only recognized schools offer the programs that are mandatory for obtaining a driver's licence. The course for a passenger vehicle has a minimum duration of 39 hours: a 24-hour theoretical component divided into 12 modules of 2 hours each, and a 15-hour practical, on-road component of 15 in-car sessions of about 1 hour each. It is possible to register for a driving course before turning 16 to complete the theoretical component.
The 12 modules are divided into 4 phases. Phase 1 lasts a minimum of 28 days and covers modules 1 to 5: the vehicle, the driver, the environment, at-risk behaviours, and the evaluation. Phase 2 lasts a minimum of 28 days, Phase 3 a minimum of 56 days, and Phase 4 a minimum of 56 days. Formative on-road evaluations are done by the instructor during in-car sessions 5, 10, and 15, and session 15 is the summary session before the SAAQ road test.
Step 2: Get your learner's licence after Phase 1
After you pass Phase 1, you may obtain your learner's licence. You must have completed the four modules of Phase 1 and passed the knowledge test given by your driving school (Module 5). Then make an appointment at an SAAQ service centre. In the booking tool, select "Driver's licence" as the service category, then "Obtaining a learner's licence" with or without Canadian citizenship, and note that the booking tool is available in French only.
If this is your first licence application, you must present two official documents, including one with a photo. If you were born in Canada, at least one must be a birth certificate, Canadian citizenship certificate, Canadian passport, official Canadian Armed Forces identity card, or Certificate of Indian Status; the other may be a Health Insurance Card or a driver's licence issued outside Quebec. If you were not born in Canada, at least one must be a Canadian citizenship certificate, Canadian passport, foreign passport or certified copy with an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada document, Armed Forces identity card, or permanent resident card.
At the appointment, present the Consent of a Person Having Parental Authority form if you are under 18, provide the original attestation confirming you completed Phase 1 and passed the driving school test, pass the vision test, fill out the Declaration of Illness or Impairment, and pay the learner's licence fee. The fee is $88.35, valid for 18 months, including the cost of the photo. Payment by credit card is not accepted at SAAQ service outlets.
Step 3: Practise as a learner and finish the course
With your learner's licence, you may drive provided you are accompanied by an instructor from a driving school recognized by the SAAQ or an accompanying driver. An accompanying driver must have held a valid Class 5 licence for at least two years. Holders of a probationary licence are not authorized to serve as an accompanying driver, and time held on a probationary licence does not count toward the two years.
Learner obligations are: always drive with a qualified accompanying driver, do not drive between midnight and 5 a.m., stay within the four-demerit-point bracket, and follow the zero-alcohol rule. Your learner's licence is valid for 18 months. If you do not obtain your probationary licence within that period, you can renew your learner's licence for another 12 months.
Step 4: Pass the SAAQ knowledge test
You must have held a learner's licence for at least 10 months on the test date. Make the appointment through SAAQclic, the SAAQ online services platform. The test costs $13.50. It is based on the Road Safety Education Program and has three parts: the Highway Safety Code, road signs, pavement markings and traffic signals, and behaviours and techniques for driving a passenger vehicle. All questions are multiple choice, with French- and English-language audio recordings available, and the test takes between 30 and 60 minutes.
To pass, you must obtain a score of 75% on each of the three sections. If you fail, you must wait at least 28 days before retaking the test, and you only retake the sections you failed. Fees apply each time you retake the test.
Step 5: Pass the road test and get your probationary licence
To take the road test you must have held a learner's licence for at least 12 months on the test date, have passed the SAAQ knowledge test, and have passed the driving course given by a school recognized by the SAAQ. Book through SAAQclic. The road test costs $33.75 and the probationary licence costs $107.96, which covers 24 months. If you cannot make your test, cancel or reschedule at least 48 hours in advance through SAAQclic or you will be charged a cancellation fee.
The SAAQ does not provide vehicles for road tests. You must arrive with a vehicle in safe, good mechanical condition, and the examiner checks the windshield and windows, lights, mirrors, wipers, brakes including the parking brake, horn, muffler, speedometer, headrests, seat belts, and tires. The road test assesses independent driving, visual checks, vehicle control, driving with confidence and courtesy, and obeying traffic rules.
Step 6: Hold the probationary licence for 24 months
The probationary licence allows you to drive an automobile unaccompanied and gives you 24 months to gain experience before getting your regular driver's licence. Its rules are strict. You have a threshold of 4 demerit points: at 4 points you lose your licence for at least 3 months, plus the fines for the offences. Zero alcohol applies regardless of your age for as long as you hold a probationary licence, and zero tolerance for drugs applies as well.
If you are 19 years of age or younger and have held your probationary licence for less than 12 months, the number of passengers aged 19 or younger you may carry between midnight and 5 a.m. is limited: 1 passenger if you have 6 months or less of probationary driving experience, and 3 passengers if you have more than 6 months. Members of your immediate family are not counted, and the limits do not apply if you are accompanied by someone who has held a driver's licence for at least 2 years and is seated in the front passenger seat. After 24 months with a clean record you move to a regular Class 5 driver's licence.
Figures the opened SAAQ pages do not state
The opened SAAQ pages state the course hours, the phase durations, the hold periods, the test fees, and the probationary rules set out above. They do not state the tuition charged by recognized driving schools for the mandatory course, so this guide states no course price. Confirm the current tuition with a recognized driving school before enrolling.
Related guides:
- How to Start Getting Your Driver's Licence in Ontario — Ontario's G1, G2, and full G system, where the driver education course is optional rather than mandatory.
- How to Start Getting Your Driver's Licence in Alberta — Alberta's Class 7 to Class 5 path, where the advanced road test was removed in 2023.
- How to Start Getting Your Driver's Licence in British Columbia — British Columbia's learner-to-Class 5 path through ICBC.
- How to Start Exchanging Your Foreign Driver's Licence in Canada — how a licence from outside Canada is handled in Quebec, including the appointment-first route and the road-test rule.
The Quebec SAAQ path to a full Class 5 licence
- Enrol in the mandatory driving courseA minimum 39-hour course at a school recognized by the SAAQ: 24 hours of theory in 12 modules and 15 hours of practical in-car sessions
- Get your learner's licence after Phase 1Complete the four modules of Phase 1 and pass the driving school knowledge test, then attend an SAAQ service centre appointment with two official documents
- Hold the learner's licence and finish the courseHold the learner's licence for at least 10 months before the SAAQ knowledge test and at least 12 months before the road test, driving only with an accompanying driver
- Pass the knowledge test and the road testThe knowledge test costs $13.50 and needs 75% on each of three sections; the road test costs $33.75 and the probationary licence $107.96 for 24 months
- Hold the probationary licence for 24 monthsDrive alone with zero alcohol, a 4-demerit-point threshold, and night passenger limits if you are 19 or younger, then move to a regular Class 5 licence
Questions people ask
Is a driving course really mandatory in Quebec?
Yes. Quebec requires first-time Class 5 drivers to complete the driving course at a school recognized by the SAAQ. The course has a minimum duration of 39 hours: a 24-hour theoretical component in 12 modules and a 15-hour practical, on-road component of 15 in-car sessions. Only schools recognized by the SAAQ offer the programs that are mandatory for obtaining a driver's licence.
How old do I have to be to start in Quebec?
You must be at least 16 years of age to obtain a Class 5 licence, and you need the consent of your father, mother, or legal guardian if you are under 18. You can register for a driving course before turning 16 to complete the theoretical component, and you must have your principal residence in Quebec and be a Canadian citizen or authorized to stay in Canada for more than six months.
When can I get my learner's licence?
After you complete the four modules of Phase 1 of the driving course and pass the knowledge test given by your driving school (Module 5). You then make an appointment at an SAAQ service centre, present two official documents including one with a photo, pass the vision test, fill out the Declaration of Illness or Impairment, and pay the learner's licence fee of $88.35, valid for 18 months including the photo cost.
What are the rules while I hold a learner's licence?
Always drive with someone who has a valid Quebec Class 5 licence and at least two years of experience as a fully licensed driver who can help and advise you. Do not drive between midnight and 5 a.m. You are subject to the four-demerit-point bracket and the zero-alcohol rule. Your learner's licence is valid for 18 months and can be renewed for another 12 months if you do not obtain your probationary licence in time.
How long must I hold the learner's licence before the tests?
You must have held a learner's licence for at least 10 months on the date of the SAAQ knowledge test, and for at least 12 months on the date of the road test. The knowledge test costs $13.50 and you must score 75% on each of its three sections; if you fail, you must wait at least 28 days to retake it. The road test costs $33.75.
What are the probationary licence restrictions?
The probationary licence lasts 24 months and lets you drive unaccompanied. Your demerit-point threshold is 4: at 4 points you lose your licence for at least 3 months. Zero alcohol applies regardless of your age, and zero tolerance for drugs applies as well. If you are 19 or younger and have held the probationary licence for less than 12 months, night passenger limits apply between midnight and 5 a.m. A probationary licence does not authorize you to act as an accompanying driver for a learner.
Sources
- Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, Obtaining a Passenger Vehicle (Class 5) Driver's Licence — eligibility, the learner's licence fee of $88.35, the appointment and document steps, learner obligations, the 10-month and 12-month hold periods, the knowledge test fee of $13.50 and 75% pass mark, the road test fee of $33.75, and the probationary licence fee of $107.96.
- Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, Automobile (Passenger Vehicle) driving course — the mandatory 39-hour course, the 24-hour theory and 15-hour practical split, the four phases and their minimum durations, and the in-car session evaluations.
- Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, First Driver's Licence — the 24-month probationary licence, the 4-demerit-point threshold, zero alcohol regardless of age, zero tolerance for drugs, and the night passenger limits for drivers 19 or younger.