New measures to improve service delivery at the SAAQ

The SAAQ has introduced the following measures to reduce wait times in service outlets and avoid penalizing clients:

• Licence holders who have received a licence renewal notice requiring that they have their photo taken:

  • The validity period of driver’s licences that would normally expire between March 9 and June 1, 2023 has been extended. Licence holders will have a 90-day grace period following their birthday to have their photo taken and pay the required fees.
    
    During this period, drivers whose licences expire before they can get them renewed will remain authorized to drive in Québec.
     
  • Drivers whose licences expired between January 25 and March 9, 2023 and who have been unable to have their photo taken now have until June 8, 2023 to do so.  
    
    Until then, drivers who have not been able to renew their licences will remain authorized to drive in Québec. They will not receive a statement of offence or have their vehicle seized and impounded due to the expired licence.
    
    For more information on the above measures, refer to our FAQ page.
     
  • The above measures only apply to permanent driver’s licences (and not to probationary licences, learner’s licences or restricted licences). In addition, licence holders remain at all times subject to all other provisions of the Highway Safety Code that generally apply. Note as well that licence holders must renew their licence if they wish to drive outside Québec.
     
  • Payment of licence renewal fees must be done through the licence holder’s financial institution when no photo is required. Payment may not appear in a licence holder’s file right away. Note, however, that licences that would normally expire between March 9 and June 1, 2023 have had their validity period extended. Licence holders now have a 90-day grace period following their birthday to pay their renewal fees.
     
  • Additional information:
    • In certain situations, requests to have a lost or stolen driver’s licence replaced can be made in SAAQclic.

• Grace period for driving with a licence issued outside Québec
   
  • Holders of a valid driver’s licence issued outside Québec will have longer than the usual 6 months to exchange their current licence for a Québec licence. They now have until August 29, 2023 to do so.
  • However, holders of a licence issued outside Québec that is set to expire before August 29, 2023 must obtain their Québec licence before their current licence expires.
  • This measure applies to passenger vehicle licences only.
  • Beginning March 15, 2023, to make an appointment to exchange your licence, you must complete the online form available at saaq.gouv.qc.ca/licence-exchange This link opens your default email software..
  • If you have any questions about the licence exchange program, please call us at 514-954-7771 to speak with one of our representatives.

• Temporary registration certificates valid for longer
  Temporary registration certificates issued between March 9 and April 8, 2023 are now valid for 60 days, instead of the usual 10 days. As a result, anyone who buys a vehicle from a dealer now has more time to register their new vehicle. This measure aims to avoid penalties for the owners of such vehicles, should their vehicle be pulled over by a peace officer. Note that temporary registration certificates are only valid in Québec.

• IRP registration certificate (cab card) validity period extended
  The validity period of a heavy vehicle’s IRP registration certificate has been extended for 90 days. 
  
  This measure aims to give truckers more time to renew their IRP registration certificates.

• Taking a co-owned recreational vehicle out of storage in the case of co-owners currently outside Québec
  Co-owned recreational vehicles can now be taken out of storage more easily by co-owners who find themselves outside Québec and who are unable to carry out this operation using SAAQclic. Co-owners can request to have their vehicle taken out of storage by email This link opens your default email software.. They must enter “Taking a co-owned recreational vehicle out of storage” in the subject line. In the body of the email, they must list the names of all the co-owners appearing on the registration certificate, as well as a telephone number where they can be reached outside Québec at any time. For more information, refer to the FAQ page.

• Reuse of the photo on file when renewing a health insurance card
  ​​​​​​​As a temporary measure, the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) is allowing people to reuse the most recent photo of them it has on file when renewing their health insurance card. People who have already received their renewal notice from the RAMQ do not need to go to an SAAQ service outlet. They can simply fill out and sign their renewal notice and drop it in the mail. Please refer to the RAMQ’s press release for more information on this measure. 

Additional steps

• The SAAQ has implemented an action plan to improve client service. The plan includes the following measures:
• 150 additional employees will gradually be assigned to help out in service outlets experiencing the highest traffic.
• Service outlets will open earlier and stay open later to handle overflow, as required. In addition, certain services will be available by appointment on weekends.
• Average wait times in each service outlet will be posted on the SAAQ website.
• Self-service kiosks will be added in some service outlets.
• Beginning March 13, anyone who would like help with creating their Government Authentication Service account in order to access SAAQclic can take advantage of the simplified authentication process that will be available in 7 SAAQ service centres (Langelier, Gatineau, Laval, Longueuil, Lebourgneuf, Drummondville and Saguenay). The simplified process requires only 2 pieces of identification (instead of 4) in order to create a SAAQclic account. In addition to their health insurance card and driver’s licence or learner’s licence, people will also be asked to provide a valid email address.
• Anyone who would like help creating their SAAQclic account can speak with one of our representatives by calling 1-833-466-1322.
• Anyone having trouble creating their Government Authentication Service account can contact Services Québec at 1-877-644-4545.

For more information, please refer to the FAQ page.