In Canada, driver's licences are issued by the government of the province or territory in which the driver is residing. Thus, specific regulations relating to driver's licences vary province to province, though overall they are quite similar. All provinces have provisions allowing non-residents to use licences issued by other provinces and territories, out-of-country licences, and International Driving Permits. Many provinces also allow non-residents to use regular licences issued by other nations and countries. Canadian driver's licences are also valid in many other countries due to various international agreements and treaties. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators provides a standard for the design of driving permits and identification cards issued by AAMVA member jurisdictions, which include Canadian territories and provinces. The newest card design standard released is the 2020 AAMVA DL/ID Card Design Standard (CDS). The AAMVA standard generally follows part 1 and part 2 of ISO/IEC 18013-1 (ISO compliant driving licence). The ISO standard in turn specifies requirements for a card that is aligned with the UN Conventions on Road Traffic, namely the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.

Age of eligibility

Canada's driving age is determined on a province-by-province basis. The age to begin driving varies by province, with the earliest being Alberta at 14 years of age. The provinces use a graduated driver licensing (GDL) system for a standard car and light-truck licence to ensure the proficiency of drivers. The driving age in the various Canadian provinces is as follows:

Standard data field labelling

Except for Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and DND 404 licences, each data field on the licence is labelled with a number. This is required by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators' design standard. The AAMVA standard generally follows part 1 and part 2 of ISO/IEC 18013-1 (ISO compliant driving licence). The ISO standard in turn specifies requirements for a card that is aligned with the UN Conventions on Road Traffic, namely the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Some fields are optional. For example, some provinces omit some or all of these fields: 4d, 17, 18, and 19.

Provinces

Alberta

Drivers upgrading to a Class 1, 2, 3, or 4 licence must possess a Class 5 (non-probationary) licence and be at least 18 years of age to apply.

Endorsement

British Columbia

British Columbia has been using a GDL system since August 1998. The program was last revised in October 2003, which involved large changes to the time it took to acquire a full licence (previously, a person could complete the Class 7L stage in as little as 3 months, and the Class 7N in 12, and no passenger limit was enforced above Class 7L). British Columbia requires all new resident drivers to take a driving knowledge test and a road test in order to get a BC driver's licence, except for people holding a valid driver's licence from other Canadian jurisdictions, Austria, Australia, France, Germany, Guernsey, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, or the United States.

Manitoba

New Brunswick

In 2017, all four Atlantic provinces (including New Brunswick ) updated the driver's licence design to use a numbering scheme that resembles the European driving licence.

Newfoundland and Labrador

In Newfoundland and Labrador, one can apply for a learner's licence for Class 5 vehicles (passenger car or light truck) at the age of 16 and cannot obtain their licence until turning 17 (unless one is a graduate of a government-approved driving school program), as well as Class 6 vehicles (motorcycles). Upon completion and pass of a written knowledge test and a vision test, a Class 5 Level I licence will be issued. This licence, commonly referred to as a "learner's permit" restricts holders to one passenger in the vehicle who must be a licensee of no less than 4 years, a blood alcohol level of 0% and no driving between 12am and 5am. A "novice driver" sign must also be placed on the rear windshield. Parental consent is required for applicants under the age of 19. After 12 months in Level I, or 8 months with the completion of a government-approved driving school program containing both classroom and in-car training, a road test can be taken to advance to Level II. Upon successful completion of the road test, one is advanced to Level II of the graduated licensing program. Level II lasts for 12 months and carries less restrictions than the initial stage. Passengers are permitted during the day but between 12am and 5am, the Level II driver must be accompanied by a licensed driver with 4 years driving experience and cannot have any other passengers in the vehicle. The drivers' blood alcohol content must remain at 0% in this stage. After 12 months in Level II, the driver is automatically advanced to a full Class 5 licence (unless their licence was suspended in the learner's stage). Newfoundland and Labrador uses a demerit point system. In two years, a driver can accumulate a maximum of 12 points, although in the novice stage, a maximum of 6 points can be accumulated. The classes in Newfoundland and Labrador are as follows:

Nova Scotia

The classes in Nova Scotia are as follows: For Class 7 or 8 licences, the Learner's stage of the system lasts for twelve months, which may be reduced to nine months if a recognized driver education or training program is taken.

Ontario

Graduated Licensing System for Passenger Vehicles

Graduated Licensing System for Motorcycles

Additional Licensing Types for Ontario

Licensing restrictions/endorsements

All licences in Ontario can carry any of the following restrictions/endorsements excluding some which are vehicle class specific. Some are related to health or to law enforcement penalty. Ontario has used a graduated licensing system since 1994. A driver can take as little as 20 months to get a full licence; however, a driver must have a full (G) licence within five years of obtaining a learner's permit (G1). In 2006, Ontario passed legislation that would allow a court to suspend the licence of high school dropout until they turn 18. The act did not receive royal assent until December 2009, but is now in effect. Traffic violation convictions usually come with demerit points against a person's licence. While the demerit points have no official impact on insurance rates, most insurance providers will increase the rate charged to a driver in response to demerit points. The demerit points are used by the Ministry of Transportation to determine licence suspensions due to repeated traffic violations (effects on Ontario insurance rates and eligibility are typically measured by the number of tickets received in recent years, rather than the associated points). Drivers from out of province must obtain an Ontario driver's licence if staying more than 90 days. New residents of Ontario may only apply after residing in the province for 60 days. Starting June 2009, Ontario began issuing enhanced drivers licences (EDLs) as an option to residents upon request. These licences were visually almost identical to regular drivers licences, but had a machine readable code printed on the back of the card (visually similar to the same coding on a Canadian passport) and an embedded RFID microchip. These changes were made in response to the heightened security precautions at US land border crossings. The changes allowed for quicker procedures at a border crossing as well as a cheaper alternative to a passport ($40 vs. $100). The enhanced driver's licence program has been discontinued.

Prince Edward Island

If a person is 16 years or older, they may apply for an Instruction Permit. A instruction permit allows a person to drive under supervision to receive instruction. This type of licence is valid for two years. Testing Requirements for a Driver's Licence are a written or oral exam, road sign, driving, vision test and Novice Driving or Driver Education Course is required for first-time drivers.The classes of licence that can be obtained with appropriate training and required testing are as follows: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/transportation-infrastructure-and-energy/graduated-driver-licensing-program https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/transportation-infrastructure-and-energy/classes-driver-licenses

Quebec

During the learning period the applicant must have held a Class 3 learner's licence for three months or for one month if the applicant is aged 25 or over; or has 60 months' cumulative experience as a holder of a Class 5 licence. During the Learning period the applicant must have held a Class 2 learner's licence for three months or for one month if aged 25 or over; or has 60 months' cumulative experience as a holder of a Class 5 licence. An applicant who meets one of these three requirements, the one-month period may be substituted by a training program that includes at least 20 driving hours on public roadways with a vehicle covered by a Class 2 licence. An additional 'certificate of competence' is required in the case of a school bus, and there are endorsements for air brake system (F endorsement) and manual transmission (M endorsement) During the learning period the applicant must have held a class 1 learner's licence for three months or for one month if the applicant is aged 25 or over; or has 60 months' cumulative experience as a holder of a class 5 licence; or is registered in the truck driving training program which leads to the Diploma of Vocational Studies issued by the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport and has successfully completed all mandatory sections of the program required to drive on the road without an accompanying rider; or already has a class 2 or 3 driver's licence.

Saskatchewan

Classes

Endorsements

Class 5 – Novice 1 (6 months)

Class 5 – Novice 2 (12 months)

6 Endorsement – Motorcycle learner

Class 7 – Learner (9 months)

Department of National Defence

The Department of National Defence issues a special driving licence known as DND 404 to Canadian Forces military personnel driving CF vehicles or vehicles rented by DND, and the issue is contingent on possession of a provincial driving licence and passing of a DND Safe Driving Course (SDC). Between 2011 and 2012, all DND 404 permits were replaced with modern photo ID cards. Provincial law enforcement agencies do enforce highway traffic laws against such permit holders, and DND 404 permits can be accordingly suspended.

Specimen Images

Licence suspensions and revocations

Although licence suspensions and revocations are generally a matter for the territorial and provincial government departments of motor vehicles, some driving offences (e.g. dangerous driving and impaired driving) are criminal offences, set down in Canada's Criminal Code. Prison sentences are often given to repeat offenders and to drivers convicted of causing death or grievous bodily harm via Criminal Code driving offences.