Obtaining a Driver's Licence

To obtain a Class 8 licence, you must:

• have your principal residence in Québec
• be at least 16 years of age
• have the written consent of your father, mother or legal guardian, if you are under age 18
• fill out the Medical sheet - Declaration of Illness or Functional Impairment, (PDF, 93.6 ko) if this is your first licence, and meet the medical requirements

If you are not a Canadian citizen

Before starting the process and registering for a driving course, you must check whether you can obtain a Québec driver’s licence, based on your status in Canada.

You cannot obtain a Québec driver’s licence if you are in any of the following situations:

• You have the right to remain in Canada for 6 months or less
• You have visitor status (unless the exceptions below apply to you)
• You have a temporary resident permit (unless the exceptions below apply to you)

Exceptions:

You may, however, obtain a Québec driver’s licence if you are in any of the following situations:

• You are the spouse or child of a temporary foreign worker and you meet both of the following conditions:
  • You have visitor status
  • You have obtained the right to remain in Canada for more than 6 months
• You are a Ukrainian national and meet both of the following conditions:
  • You have visitor status or a temporary resident permit
  • You obtained the right to remain in Canada for more than 6 months on or after February 24, 2022
• You are not a Ukrainian national, but you are the spouse or child of a Ukrainian national and you meet both of the following conditions:
  • You have visitor status or a temporary resident permit
  • You obtained the right to remain in Canada for more than 6 months on or after February 24, 2022, as part of the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program

To prepare for the knowledge tests

We recommend that you study the following publications:

• Driver's Handbook
• Driving a Passenger Vehicle

Paper copies can also be purchased at Québec bookstores.

We also recommend:

• the Check Your Road Safety Knowledge interactive quiz
  This is only a quiz; it's not a simulation of a knowledge test.

Passing mark

The passing mark is 75%.

Contents of the test

You will take a test that covers:

• the Highway Safety Code
• road signs and traffic signals
• driving behaviours and techniques

On the day of the test

You must follow the steps below:

Step 1 – Go to the service outlet where you scheduled an appointment to take the test.

Step 2 – Prove your identity:

• If this is your first application for a driver's licence, you must present 2 official documents, including one with photo

Documents you must present in order to obtain a driver's licence for the first time

If you were born in Canada

At least one of the two documents must be:

• the original copy of the birth certificate issued by the Directeur de l’état civil du Québec after January 1, 1994, or by the government body responsible for vital statistics in another Canadian jurisdiction (note that in the case of Ontario, the accepted documents are the short form birth certificate or the original certified copy of birth registration, which includes an official number and is issued by the Office of the Registrar General of Ontario)
• a Canadian Citizenship Certificate with photo
• a Canadian passport
• an official Canadian Armed Forces identity card
• a Certificate of Indian Status

The other document may be:

• a health insurance card
• a driver’s licence issued outside Québec

If you were not born in Canada

At least one of the two documents must be:

• a Canadian Citizenship Certificate with photo
• a Canadian passport
• an official Canadian Armed Forces identity card
• other proof of known legal presence in Canada
• a Permanent Resident Card

The other document may be:

• a health insurance card
• a driver's licence issued outside Québec

Step 3 – If you are under age 18, present the Consent of a Person Having Parental Authority (PDF, 123.4 ko) form, duly completed and signed by your father, mother or legal guardian

Step 4 – Pass the knowledge test and the vision test

Step 5 – Pay the applicable fees for:

• the knowledge test
• the Class 8 licence

Payment options

At our service outlets, we accept payment:

• in cash
• by Interac (debit card)—not available in some service outlets
• by cheque or money order

Payment by credit card is not accepted.

If you fail the test

You must wait at least 28 days before you will be allowed to retake the test. You will have to reschedule another appointment.