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Newfoundland and Labrador · Learner’s test

Getting a Newfoundland driver’s licence, level by level

Anyone getting a first licence in Newfoundland and Labrador goes through the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program, at any age, though Motor Registration notes that some exceptions may apply. In Class 5, you start as a Level I learner, pass a road test to become a Level II novice, and a year later get a full Newfoundland driver’s licence. Motorcycles, Class 6, follow the same two levels.

  • 6Points in a year that suspend a novice
  • $125Class 5 licence fee, for 5 years
  • 10 daysTime to report a move or name change
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Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How do you get a Newfoundland driver’s licence?

LevelLicenceTo move on
Level I, learnerClass 5IPass the road test
Level II, noviceClass 5II12 months at Level II
Full licenceClass 5Renew before it expires

Both GDL levels count as novice driving, so the novice penalties further down apply to each.

Learner (Class 5I) rules

As a Level I learner, you must:

  • Drive with an accompanying driver who has at least 4 years’ experience as a Class 5 driver, sitting in the front seat beside you
  • Keep your blood alcohol content at zero, and so must your accompanying driver
  • Carry no other passengers. During an approved driver education program, a parent or guardian may ride along while a licensed instructor is with you
  • Stay off the road from midnight to 5 a.m.
  • Show a novice driver sign on the back of the vehicle
  • Pass a road test to leave Level I

Your learner’s licence can be renewed at a Motor Registration office. If it’s been expired for more than 12 months, you take the written test again first.

When you can take the road test →Find a driving school →

The novice driver sign

The sign has the words novice driver in black letters at least 5 centimetres high, on a white background. Put it up only while a learner is driving. The handbook says any of these spots is fine:

  • The lower left corner of the rear window, behind the driver. The handbook recommends it because it blocks the least of your view
  • Somewhere on the trunk
  • On the rear bumper

You need the sign on the vehicle for your road test too.

Novice (Class 5II) rules

For your 12 months at Level II, without a suspension, you must:

  • Keep your blood alcohol content at zero
  • Carry no more passengers than there are seatbelts
  • Drive from midnight to 5 a.m. only with an accompanying driver who has 4 years’ Class 5 experience and a blood alcohol content of zero, unless you’re driving for work. Then you carry your work schedule, signed by your employer, to show police
  • Stay out of the commercial classes

After those 12 months, you get a full Class 5 licence.

Penalties for novice drivers

These apply at Level I and Level II:

  • Any alcohol in your blood: police suspend your licence at the roadside, and you complete an Alcohol Education Program before you get it back
  • Demerit points: Motor Registration writes to you after 3 points, and reaching the novice limit within one year brings a suspension
  • A suspension for demerit points: you complete a Responsible Drivers Workshop before you’re reinstated
  • Points but no suspension yet: a points reduction course can remove up to 4 points, once every 5 years

After any suspension, you apply to the Registrar to be reinstated, and you start the level you hold again from the beginning.

How long a suspension lasts →

Newfoundland and Labrador licence classes

ClassWhat it lets you drive
Class 1Semi-trailer trucks, plus classes shown by endorsement
Class 2Buses with more than 24 passengers
Class 3Trucks with three or more axles
Class 4Taxis, ambulances and buses up to 24 passengers
Class 5Vehicles with up to two axles, trailers up to 4,500 kg
Class 6Motorcycles
Class 8Traction engines only
Class 9 or 9AAir brakes, or air brakes with adjustment

Class 5 also covers buses, taxis and ambulances carrying no passengers, motor homes, farm tractors, forklifts and backhoes. A Class 5 weight alteration road test can raise the trailer limit, up to what your truck can tow.

For Classes 1 to 4, you need a year as a Class 5 driver, not counting your time at Levels I and II, plus a medical, a written test and a vision test, and an air brake endorsement for vehicles with air brakes. Class 1 also needs Entry Level Training. You then get a permit to learn with a licensed commercial driver before your road test.

Class 8 needs you to be 16 or older, a letter from your employer saying you’re trained on traction engines, and a written exam you study for with the handbook. A heavy equipment operator certificate from a registered training institution takes the place of the letter and the exam.

Motorcycle licence →Air brake endorsement →

Driving in Newfoundland on a licence from elsewhere

Visiting? You don’t need a provincial licence if your own licence covers the same class of vehicle. Moving here is different. The handbook makes you a resident after 90 days in the province, and new residents from elsewhere in Canada can use their old licence for those first 90 days, then switch at a Motor Registration office. A Class 5 from another Canadian jurisdiction is accepted without testing.

A licence from the United States can be exchanged without tests if you’re 17, you bring the required ID, and your licence isn’t suspended, cancelled or revoked, or expired by more than 5 years. Licences from countries with an agreement can be exchanged too: Class 5 only from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea, Ukraine and Denmark, and Class 5 and 6 from France, the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Japan, Taiwan and Belgium.

Find a Motor Registration office →

Renewing or updating your licence

A full licence expires on your birthday. Motor Registration emails a reminder through MyGovNL, and you can renew online there, where the fee drops to $115. Seniors pay $65. Any fines on your record have to be paid first, and Class 5, 6 and 8 drivers send in a medical form when they turn 75.

If it has expired, the time matters. Under 5 years, you renew without tests. Between 5 and 10 years, you take the written, vision and road tests, though the Registrar may give you credit for your past driving if you ask in writing. Over 10 years, you go through graduated licensing again.

The handbook says your licence photo is retaken every 10 years. On September 25, 2026, the province launched photo renewal on MyGovNL, using a phone, tablet or computer camera, with a reminder 90 days before your photo is due. If you move or change your name, tell Motor Registration. An address change can be done on MyGovNL, and a name change is done in person.

Renew your licence ↗
Sources: Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and 8 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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