Driver's Licence by Province and Territory in Canada

Key facts, checked 5 October 2026

We opened the official pages for eight jurisdictions: Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Northwest Territories.
For Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Yukon and Nunavut, the official sites blocked our automated access. The agency names there come from the governments' own search listings and are marked below.
ICBC is on a .com address. Not every genuine provincial agency uses a .ca or .gc.ca domain, so judge a site by where you typed it from, not by the ending alone.
A province can change its web address at any time. If a link here fails, search for the agency by name rather than following an advert.

The agency in each jurisdiction

Province or territory	Who issues the licence	Official page	Status of our check
Ontario	Ministry of Transportation; applications at DriveTest Centres, renewals and replacements through ServiceOntario	ontario.ca/page/serviceontario	Opened
British Columbia	ICBC, with RoadSafetyBC handling medical re-exams	icbc.com/driver-licensing	Opened
Alberta	Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, delivered through authorized registry agents	alberta.ca/registry-services	Opened
Saskatchewan	SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance)	sgi.sk.ca/new-drivers	Opened
Manitoba	Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), under “Licensing & ID”	mpi.mb.ca	Opened
Quebec	SAAQ (Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec)	saaq.gouv.qc.ca	Not opened: site blocked us
New Brunswick	Service New Brunswick centres; Motor Vehicle Branch of the Department of Justice and Public Safety	gnb.ca driver's licences	Not opened: site blocked us
Nova Scotia	Registry of Motor Vehicles, at Access Nova Scotia and RMV offices	novascotia.ca/driving-and-road-safety	Opened
Prince Edward Island	Agency not confirmed by us	princeedwardisland.ca drivers licences	Not opened: security wall
Newfoundland and Labrador	Department of Government Services, Motor Registration Division	gov.nl.ca/motorregistration	Opened
Yukon	Motor Vehicles offices, Government of Yukon	yukon.ca driver licensing	Not opened: site blocked us
Northwest Territories	Department of Infrastructure, Driver and Vehicle Services	inf.gov.nt.ca drivers-licences	Opened
Nunavut	Department of Economic Development and Transportation, Motor Vehicles	gov.nu.ca how to get a driver's licence	Not opened: site blocked us

What we saw on the pages we opened

These are small facts that show how different the provinces are, and why a seller's promise of one national process makes no sense.

Ontario: you must be at least 16. A new resident has 60 days to apply for an Ontario licence while using an existing one, and a visitor staying over three months needs an international driving permit. The step-by-step is on getting an Ontario licence.
British Columbia: the graduated programme runs from an L to an N to a full-privilege licence, and ICBC says you have 90 days to switch your licence after moving to the province.
Alberta: services are delivered through authorized registry agents rather than a single government counter.
Saskatchewan: new drivers go through graduated licensing starting with a Class 7 learner's licence.
Manitoba: MPI lists driver testing and a “Proving My Identity” tool under its tools menu.
Nova Scotia: a learner's (beginner's) licence comes first, then testing and training stages before full licensing.
Newfoundland and Labrador: the learner's licence needs an 85% pass on the written test at age 16; the road test follows after 12 months at that level, or 8 months with an approved driving school.
Northwest Territories: the Department of Infrastructure runs driver and vehicle services.

Three habits that protect you

Type the agency name yourself. Do not follow an advert, a text or a message. ICBC, North Bay police and the OPP have each warned about texts that link to fake payment pages; see the text scams.
Pay only through the agency. Renewal, replacement and test fees are paid to the province. A site that adds its own “service fee” is a third party, not the province.
Treat a promise of a licence with no test as the red flag it is. Read why it cannot work.

If you are moving or just arrived

Every province treats a licence from another Canadian province differently from one issued abroad, and the time you may keep driving on the old licence differs. We checked only Ontario (60 days) and British Columbia (90 days). For the rest, read the agency page above before the move. A fast “conversion” offered by a stranger is not an agency service.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a national driver's licence in Canada?

No. Driver licensing is provincial and territorial. The Government of Canada issues passports and immigration documents, not driver's licences.

Who issues driver's licences in Ontario?

The Ministry of Transportation. Applications are made at DriveTest Centres and renewals and replacements go through ServiceOntario, according to the Ontario handbook and the ServiceOntario page we opened.

Who issues driver's licences in British Columbia?

ICBC, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, runs driver licensing, including the L, N and full-privilege licences.

Can I use my out-of-province licence after moving?

For a time, yes. Ontario gives a new resident 60 days and British Columbia gives 90 days to switch. Other provinces set their own periods; check the agency before you move.

Why is ICBC on a .com address?

ICBC publishes its official driver-licensing pages at icbc.com. That is why you should reach any agency from a link you typed or bookmarked, not from a text or advert.

Sources and official links

About the author
Written by Mark Dent from the Criminal Code of Canada, provincial and federal government pages, regulator notices and court reporting. We do not sell, issue or arrange any licence, certificate or other document, and we are not a government body. Read the editorial policy, or report a mistake.