In Québec, all drivers must satisfy requirements concerning their state of health and vision. They are also required to notify the SAAQ of any change that could hinder their ability to drive.
Regardless of the vehicle you drive or your age, driving requires sound physical and mental health, along with good eyesight.
In addition to the mandatory medical assessments – for which we will send you a letter – you must notify us of any change in your state of health that could hinder your ability to drive within 30 days of that change.
The frequency of the medical assessments or vision tests varies according to:
If you hold a Class 5 licence (automobile), a Class 6A, 6B, 6C or 6E licence (motorcycle), a Class 6D licence (scooter) or a Class 8 licence (farm tractor), you are required to undergo a medical examination and vision test:
If you hold a Class 1, 2, or 3 licence (road tractor, bus, straight-body truck), a Class 4A or 4B licence (emergency vehicle or minibus), you are required to undergo a medical examination:
To drive a vehicle that requires a licence bearing class 1, 2, 3 or 4B in the United States, assessments are required:
Even if you are in good health and have many years of driving experience, certain health or vision problems may appear with age.
This is why every driver your age must undergo a medical examination by a physician and a vision test carried out by an optometrist or an ophthalmologist 6 months before their 75th birthday, and:
Contrary to what you may think, very few people who undergo a medical examination or vision test lose their licence.
However, several drivers subsequently have conditions to respect, e.g. avoiding driving at night, having to wear eyeglasses to drive, etc.
When a medical examination reveals problems that could hinder a person's ability to drive, we sometimes have the person undergo a road test in order to render an informed decision about the licence.
You have to schedule an appointment with the physician of your choice.
On the day of the appointment, bring the forms we enclosed with your letter for the physician to fill out and sign.
We cannot help you find a physician, nor can we help you schedule an appointment more quickly. If you do not have a family physician, consult the government’s health and wellness portal to find a resource near your home that offers medical consultations without an appointment.
It is important that you send us the Medical Examination Report (PDF, 298 KB) before the deadline indicated in your letter to avoid the suspension of your driver’s licence or your right to obtain one.
You have to schedule an appointment with an optometrist who is a member of the Ordre des optométristes du Québec or with an ophthalmologist (Web sites in French only).
On the day of the test, bring the forms we enclosed with your letter for the optometrist or ophthalmologist to fill out and sign.
We cannot help you find an optometrist or an ophthalmologist, nor can we help you schedule an appointment more quickly. We suggest you go to the Web site of the Ordre des optométristes du Québec or the Association des médecins ophtalmologistes du Québec (Web sites in French only) to find one in your region.
It is important that you send us the medical report before the deadline indicated in your letter to avoid the suspension of your driver’s licence or your right to obtain one.
Once your examination reports have been completed and signed by the physician and the optometrist or ophthalmologist, you must mail them to us at the address below:
Service de l’évaluation médicale et du suivi du comportement
Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec
Case postale 19500, succursale Terminus
Québec (Québec) G1K 8J5
It is important that you send us the medical report before the deadline indicated in your letter to avoid the suspension of your driver’s licence or your right to obtain one.
After we have analyzed your medical examination and vision test reports, we will render one of the following decisions:
You can apply for a review of the decision with our review office.
If you still disagree with the decision, you can contest it before the Administrative Tribunal of Québec.
You may also contest our decision directly before the Administrative Tribunal of Québec without first filing an application for review with our review office.
Rest assured!
You should know that very few people have their driver's licence withdrawn after a medical examination or vision test. However, some people have to respect certain conditions to be allowed to continue to drive. For example:
All holders of a Class 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B or 4C licence must undergo a medical examination:
If you drive a vehicle that requires a Classe 1, 2, 3 or 4B licence in the United States, the assessments are required:
You have to schedule an appointment with the physician of your choice.
On the day of the appointment, bring the forms we enclosed with your letter for the physician to fill out and sign.
We cannot help you find a physician, nor can we help you schedule an appointment more quickly. If you do not have a family physician, consult the government’s health and wellness portal to find a resource near your home that offers medical consultations without an appointment.
It is important that you send us the Medical Examination Report (PDF, 298 KB) before the deadline indicated in your letter to avoid the suspension of your driver’s licence or your right to obtain one.
Once your medical report has been completed and signed by the physician, you must mail it to us at:
Service de l’évaluation médicale et du suivi du comportement
Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec
Case postale 19500, succursale Terminus
Québec (Québec) G1K 8J5
It is important that you send us the medical report before the deadline indicated in your letter to avoid the suspension of your driver’s licence or your right to obtain one.
We will analyze the examination report and render one of the following decisions:
You can apply for a review of the decision with our review office.
If you still disagree with the decision, you can contest it before the Administrative Tribunal of Québec.
You may also contest our decision directly before the Administrative Tribunal of Québec without first filing an application for review with our review office.
You are required to report any health problem that could hinder your ability to drive safely, regarless of your age or the class of licence you hold.
If your state of health has changed, you must notify us of that fact:
To notify us of a change in your state of health, you can:
We will study your declaration and send you a letter informing you of our assessment of the situation.
After studying your declaration, we will render one of the following decisions:
You can apply for a review of the decision with our review office.
If you still disagree with the decision, you can contest it before the Administrative Tribunal of Québec.
You may also contest our decision directly before the Administrative Tribunal of Québec without first filing an application for review with our review office.
From the answers you have provided, you do not appear to have any obligations to fulfill to keep your licence.
Last update: May 12, 2016
Québec area: 418-643-7620
Montréal area: 514-873-7620
Elsewhere (Québec, Canada, United States): 1-800-361-7620
I want to go a step further and not just provide basic answers but give people all the information they need. It feels great to get off the phone with someone who seems satisfied.
Aimée Dornéval
Call Centre Agent
When people know what the law says, we can ask them to work with us to help make our roads safer.
Benoît Tessier
Carrier Enforcement Officer (facility audits)
When supporting people throughout their rehabilitation process, we must be compassionate, understanding, thorough and honest.
Marie-Pier Jalbert
Accident Victim Counsellor
