How long you can drive on your current licence
Alberta sets different rules depending on why you are in the province. If you are living in Alberta permanently, you must exchange your licence within 90 days of becoming a resident. This covers most newcomers who move to Alberta, including many work permit holders. The 90 days keep running even if you leave Alberta for part of that time, so a trip home does not pause the deadline.
Visitors can drive the same class of vehicle in Alberta with a valid licence from their home jurisdiction for up to one year. If that licence is not in English, Alberta strongly recommends carrying an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued in your home country, and you must carry both documents together.
Alberta names a few groups that do not live in Alberta permanently and may keep their home licence: students, visitors, Canadians working temporarily from another province who keep living there more than 6 months a year, and workers in the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program. If you are not sure which rule applies to you, confirm with a registry agent before your first 90 days are over.
Licences you can exchange without testing
Alberta has reciprocal agreements with a set list of jurisdictions. If you surrender a valid licence from one of them that is equal to or higher than an Alberta Class 5 (car) or Class 6 (motorcycle), you can get your Alberta licence without a knowledge or road test. To receive a full Class 5 licence, you also need proof of at least 2 years of driving experience.
Licences from other Canadian provinces and territories are exchanged for the equivalent Alberta class (Classes 3, 4, 5 and 6) with no knowledge or road test. If you have held a Class 5 or 6 licence for less than 2 years, you may be placed in the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program. Class 1 truck licences may not be exchangeable, depending on when and where they were issued.
| Where your licence is from | What Alberta exchanges without tests |
|---|---|
| Australia, Isle of Man, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, Northern Ireland | Class 5 and Class 6 |
| Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, England, Scotland, Wales | Class 5 only |
| United States | Classes 5, 6 and 7 (other classes need full testing) |
| Ukraine | Class B or BE (other classes need full testing) |
| Other Canadian provinces and territories | Classes 3, 4, 5 and 6 for the equivalent Alberta class |
If your country has no agreement with Alberta
If your licence is from a country that is not on the list, you do not start from zero, but you do have to pass a knowledge test and a road test. Alberta's process for licences from non-reciprocal jurisdictions works like this:
- Visit a registry agent office and pass the Class 7 knowledge test.
- Surrender all your licences, valid and expired.
- Show proof of Alberta residence and proof of your legal status in Canada.
- You receive a Class 7 licence. The registry agent checks whether you can apply for the GDL Exemption Program and gives you the application.
- Your licence, application and documents go to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) for review. While you wait, you may drive under Class 7 rules, supervised by someone 18 or older with a full Class 5 licence or higher.
- After 10 business days, go back to a registry agent. If your exemption is accepted, you can book a Class 5 road test.
- When you pass the road test, you get a full Class 5 if your surrendered licences show at least 2 years of experience. Otherwise you get a Class 5-GDL probationary licence.
Proof of driving experience and the GDL Exemption Program
The GDL Exemption Program is for people with a genuine licence from outside Canada, from a jurisdiction without a reciprocal agreement. If Alberta credits your driving experience, you can take the road test without the usual Class 7 and GDL waiting periods. It does not exempt you from the road test itself.
You apply with the Application for Graduated Driver Licensing Exemption (form SIU3406), and Alberta also publishes a checklist (SIU3406A). Read the GDL Exemption User Guide first, especially its Minimum Acceptance Standards section: applicants from some listed jurisdictions must provide more proof of their driving history, and Alberta asks you not to apply until you meet the verification requirements.
- Submit original documents only, not photocopies or faxes.
- Documents must be in English, or come with a written translation from an Approved Document Translator.
- Surrender any International Driving Permit together with your foreign licence.
- Your documents and licence are not returned, and no copies are provided, so keep your own copies before you go.
Class 7 learner and Class 5-GDL: the graduated path
If you have no licence, a licence that does not qualify, or an exemption that was declined, you follow Alberta's graduated licensing path. Alberta says it takes at least 3 years to reach a full, non-GDL Class 5 this way.
Class 7 (learner): you must be 14 or older and pass a knowledge test and a vision test at a registry agent. The knowledge test has 30 multiple-choice questions and you need 25 correct answers to pass. It is offered in 25 languages, including French, Spanish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Punjabi, Hindi, Tagalog and Somali, and you can take it once per day. You pay each time you take it.
As a learner, you may drive a car only with someone over 18 who holds a full Class 5 licence or higher, sitting in the front passenger seat. You cannot drive between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., you must have a 0% blood alcohol level, you cannot carry more people than there are seat belts, and your licence is suspended at 8 demerit points.
Class 5-GDL (probationary): you must be 16 or older, have held a Class 7 for at least 12 months and pass the road test. You need 24 months of probationary driving to move to a full licence, which an approved Class 5 or 6 driver training program can shorten by up to 6 months. GDL drivers must have zero alcohol and drugs in their system, are suspended at 8 demerit points and cannot supervise a learner.
Full Class 5: you must be at least 18, finish the probationary period and be free of suspensions and demerits for the last 12 months. Since April 1, 2023, you no longer need an advanced road test to leave the GDL program.
What to bring to the registry agent
Alberta's licensing services are delivered by private registry agents, which you can find with the registry agent lookup on alberta.ca. Bring originals. Alberta requires everything to be in English or come with a written translation from an approved translator.
- Identity: acceptable photo ID such as a passport or a valid Permanent Resident card. Debit or credit cards, SIN cards and membership cards are not accepted.
- Legal status in Canada: for example a Permanent Resident card, or a Government of Canada confirmation document, permit or visa that gives you resident status for more than the next 90 days.
- Proof of Alberta residence: at least one original document, paper or electronic, with your full name and Alberta address, dated less than 90 days before your visit. Examples include a utility bill, a bank or credit card statement, a lease, or a signed and dated letter confirming employment in Alberta.
- Every driver's licence you hold, including expired ones. Alberta requires you to surrender all out-of-Alberta licences, and they are not returned.
- Proof of at least 2 years of driving experience if you want a full Class 5 instead of a GDL licence.
- Proof of any other names if your name changed or differs between documents.
Booking the road test and paying fees
Class 5 and Class 6 road tests are booked through a registry agent that offers them. You need your 9-digit Motor Vehicle Identification (MVID) number, printed near the barcode on your Alberta licence, and you must pay any outstanding fines owed to the Government of Alberta before you can book. On a Class 5 or 6 test, scoring more than 75 points means a fail, and endangering others, unsafe driving or breaking traffic laws is an automatic fail.
Fees for passenger vehicle road tests are set by each registry agent, which must publish them online, so prices differ between offices. For the knowledge test and licence charges, Alberta points to its Registry Agent Product Catalogue. After you pay, you get a temporary licence valid for 30 days or until your card arrives, which should be within 21 business days.
Common mistakes newcomers make
Rules and fees change. Check alberta.ca or ask a registry agent before your visit, and call Alberta Motor Vehicles at 780-427-7013 (310-0000 toll free in Alberta) if your case is unusual.
We don't provide legal opinions; for advice on your file, contact an RCIC-verified consultant or a lawyer.
- Letting the 90-day exchange deadline pass because they were busy settling in or travelling.
- Assuming an International Driving Permit is a licence. Alberta says it is only a translation that is valid together with your foreign licence, and no driving history is credited from it.
- Bringing photocopies or untranslated documents for the GDL exemption, which needs originals in English or with an approved translation.
- Not bringing proof of 2 years of driving experience, and getting a GDL licence they could have avoided.
- Expecting their home licence back. Once surrendered, it is kept, so check whether you will need it when you travel.