Nova Scotia · Learner’s testHow do you get a driver’s licence in Nova Scotia?
| Stage | Licence | Minimum time |
|---|---|---|
| Learner | Class 7 | 12 months, or 9 with driver education |
| Newly licensed | Class 5N | 2 years |
| Restricted individual | Class 5R, condition 47 | 2 years |
Suspensions add time. As a learner, a suspension delays your move to the newly licensed stage by the full minimum practice period. As a newly licensed driver, it delays the restricted stage by 2 years from when your licence is reinstated.
Learner’s Licence (Class 7) rules
While you’re a learner:
- You drive only with a supervising driver in the front seat: someone who has held a valid driver’s licence for at least 2 years and isn’t in the GDL program
- No other passengers
- Your blood alcohol level must be zero
- 4 or more demerit points means a 6-month suspension
- Your Learner’s Licence lasts 2 years. If it expires before you pass the road test, you rewrite the knowledge test before you can renew it
Newly licensed (Class 5N) rules
After the road test, for at least 2 years:
- Your blood alcohol level must be zero
- One front-seat passenger, and back-seat passengers only up to the number of seat belts
- No driving from midnight to 5 a.m., unless a supervising driver is with you or you have an exemption for work
- No upgrade beyond a Class 5 licence
To move on, finish a 6-hour defensive driving course or a recognized driver training course of 25 hours of theory and 10 hours of driving, and give the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) a copy of the certificate. Without it, you stay in the newly licensed stage indefinitely.
What is a Class 5 licence in Nova Scotia?
It’s the licence for cars, pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans. The handbook sets the limit at a single vehicle of 14,000 kg or less, which includes vans seating 10 to 23 people, and a trailer of up to 4,500 kg.
You get it in steps: Class 5N while newly licensed, then 5R with condition 47 for 2 years. In the restricted stage, your blood alcohol level must stay at zero and you can’t be a supervising driver for anyone else. After that, it’s a full Class 5. On the RMV’s fee schedule, upgrading from Class 7 to Class 5 costs $66.95.
Nova Scotia licence classes
| Class | What it lets you drive | Min. age |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Semi-trailer and tractor-trailer combinations | 19 |
| Class 2 | Buses with more than 24 passengers | 19 |
| Class 3 | Single vehicles over 14,000 kg, like dump trucks | 18 |
| Class 4 | Buses under 24 passengers, taxis and ambulances | 18 |
| Class 5 | Cars, pickups and vans up to 14,000 kg | 16 |
| Class 6 | Motorcycles | 16 |
| Class 7 | A car, as a learner with a supervising driver | 16 |
| Class 8 | Farm tractors | 14 |
For Classes 5 to 8, a driver under 18 needs a parent’s or guardian’s approval. You can’t upgrade to Classes 1 to 4 while you’re a learner or newly licensed, but you can in the restricted stage. Those classes need an in-person knowledge test and a road test in that type of vehicle, and commercial drivers file a medical report.
Motorcycles have their own learner route, through a Learner Motorcycle Licence (Class LM), set out on the motorcycle licence page.
Renewing your Nova Scotia driver’s licence
A full licence lasts 5 years and expires on your birthday. You can renew it in the 6 months before then, and Service Nova Scotia mails a renewal notice about 2 months before your birthday. Renewing a Class 5 licence costs $80.15.
Class 5, 6 and 8 licences can be renewed online if you renewed in person last time and meet the other conditions on the province’s renewal page. The new card should take about 2 weeks to arrive by mail. Other classes, including a Class 7 Learner’s Licence, renew at Access Nova Scotia or the RMV, and Classes 1 to 4 need a satisfactory medical each time.
Sources: Government of Nova Scotia and 7 more. Checked November 2026.
- Government of Nova Scotia: Registry of Motor Vehicles, Graduated Drivers Licence System ↗
- Government of Nova Scotia: Permits Directory, Learner’s (Beginner’s) Licence ↗
- Government of Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia Driver’s Handbook (PDF) ↗
- Government of Nova Scotia: Registry of Motor Vehicles, Schedule of Fees ↗
- Government of Nova Scotia: Book a Road Test ↗
- Government of Nova Scotia: Take a driver knowledge test: Learner’s Licence (class 7) ↗
- Government of Nova Scotia: Renew your driver’s licence online (class 5, 6 and 8) ↗
- Government of Nova Scotia: Registry of Motor Vehicles, Licence Renewal ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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