How long you can drive on your foreign licence
As a new resident, you can drive a car, motorcycle or moped for up to 6 consecutive months if your licence is valid and covers that vehicle. After 6 months, you must hold a Québec licence. You can apply as soon as you settle, and the SAAQ recommends filling in its appointment form when you arrive.
Even during those 6 months, an out-of-province or foreign licence does not let you drive a truck, emergency vehicle, bus, minibus or taxi, even if it allows it at home. For those vehicles you first need a Québec Class 5 licence, then the right class.
Students and trainees whose principal residence is outside Quebec are treated as non-residents for the length of their studies or traineeship. They can drive on their valid licence during that time but cannot get a Québec licence unless they take up residence in Quebec. The SAAQ recommends an International Driving Permit if their licence is not in French or English.
Exchange without tests: provinces, the US and agreement countries
The SAAQ exchanges some licences without skills tests. For an agreement country, your licence should be valid: if it has expired, the SAAQ says that in most cases you must pass the applicable proficiency tests. For a US licence, the no-test exchange also applies if it expired less than 3 years ago; if it expired 3 or more years ago, you must take a driving course and follow the graduated licensing process.
| Where your licence is from | What is exchanged without tests |
|---|---|
| Another Canadian province or territory | The equivalent class. For a professional class (1 to 4B), a medical report may be required. |
| United States | Car (Class 5) and moped (Class 6D). Motorcycles, trucks, buses, minibuses and emergency vehicles need the tests. |
| Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Isle of Man, Japan, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan | Car (Class 5). Motorcycles (Classes 6A, 6B, 6C) need the tests. |
| All other countries | No direct exchange: knowledge and road tests for Class 5. |
If your country has no agreement with Quebec
If you held a car licence for at least one year before settling in Quebec, you can get Class 5 by passing the knowledge test and the road test. With less than one year, you must take a driving course and follow the graduated licensing process. For motorcycles, the course and graduated process are always required.
Be careful with the road test. If you fail, your foreign licence no longer lets you drive in Quebec and you receive a learner's licence, which you pay for. You can retake the road test after at least 28 days, with a new appointment. The SAAQ suggests coming to the road test with a licensed driver who can drive you home if you fail. Learner conditions are:
- Drive only with a holder of a valid Québec Class 5 licence who has at least 2 years of experience.
- No driving between midnight and 5 a.m.
- Zero alcohol.
- Fewer than 4 demerit points on your record.
Recognized experience, probationary licence and graduated licensing
The SAAQ works out your driving experience from your licence. If it recognizes less than 24 months of car experience, you get a probationary licence until you reach 24 months. Zero alcohol and the 4-demerit-point limit apply during probation.
If you must follow the graduated process, the SAAQ's Class 5 (car) licence page sets out a mandatory driving course at an SAAQ-recognized school, a learner's licence held for 12 months (at least 10 months before the knowledge test and 12 months at the time of the road test), and then a probationary licence for 24 months. Zero alcohol and fewer than 4 demerit points apply.
Step by step with the SAAQ
You start online, but the exchange itself happens in person at an SAAQ service outlet.
- Check that you are eligible: 16 or older, a valid licence that covers cars, your principal residence in Quebec, and Canadian citizenship or the right to stay in Canada for more than 6 months.
- Fill in the appointment form to have your driving experience from outside Quebec recognized. You give your status in Canada, how long you are staying, how long you have held your licence, up to three service outlets and your availability.
- Wait for the SAAQ to contact you by email or phone, within 20 business days, with the next steps.
- Go to your appointment with original documents. The knowledge test can sometimes be taken the same day.
- If a road test is required, book it in SAAQclic or by phone at 1-800-361-7620.
- Pay the licence fees, which depend on the class.
Documents to bring and translations
The exact list depends on your status (permanent resident, temporary foreign worker, student, asylum claimant, recognized refugee and others), and the SAAQ's Documents to bring page builds it from a few questions. Bring originals. In general, the SAAQ asks for:
- Your Canadian or foreign driver's licence.
- Proof of Canadian citizenship or of your right to stay in Canada.
- Proof of residence in Quebec.
- Proof of residence in the country that issued your licence, if you got it less than 3 years ago.
- Your driving record (recommended).
- A translation of any document not in French or English, by a member of OTTIAQ, ATIJ or a CTTIC member association. An International Driving Permit is not a translation.
Fees and payment
Under the SAAQ's 2026 rates, the knowledge test costs $13.50 (one or more tests at the same appointment) and the road test for a passenger vehicle costs $33.75. These amounts are not refundable. The licence fee itself depends on the class and is published on the SAAQ website.
The SAAQ accepts cash, debit (not at every outlet), pre-authorized debits, and cheques or money orders. Credit cards are not accepted, so plan another way to pay.
Common mistakes
Rules and fees can change. Check saaq.gouv.qc.ca before your appointment or call the SAAQ at 1-800-361-7620.
We don't provide legal opinions; for advice on your file, contact an RCIC-verified consultant or a lawyer.
- Waiting until the end of the 6 months to request an appointment, when the SAAQ can take up to 20 business days to contact you.
- Thinking an International Driving Permit counts as a translation. It does not replace a translation by a recognized translator.
- Going to the road test alone. If you fail, you can no longer drive on your foreign licence.
- Forgetting proof of residence in your home country when your licence is less than 3 years old.
- Planning to pay by credit card.
- Driving a taxi, truck or minibus on a foreign licence during the first 6 months.