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Prince Edward Island · Permit test

PEI driver’s licence: from Stage 1 to a full Class 5

Beginner drivers in Prince Edward Island (PEI) go through the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program, which has three stages. You start on a Class 7 Instruction Permit, pass a road test for a Class 5 licence, then drive with fewer limits in each stage until you hold a standard PEI driver’s licence.

  • 3 yearsShortest time without driver education
  • 60 daysTemporary licence valid for
  • 14 business daysLongest wait for your card by mail
Read the GDL program pageFree practice test

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How do you get a PEI driver’s licence?

Through the three GDL stages. In a certified driver education program, the shortest route is two years and 275 days. The stages:

StageLicenceDecal
Stage 1Class 7 Instruction PermitYellow, with a black “L”
Stage 2Class 5Yellow, with a black “G”
Stage 3Class 5The same “G” decal

Stage 1 ends when you pass the road test, and Stages 2 and 3 last a full year each. The decal goes just above the Motor Vehicle Inspection sticker on your windshield whenever you drive. If it’s lost or damaged, get a replacement at any Access PEI office, or print a temporary one and display it on the windshield or dashboard.

Find a driving school →

Stage 1 rules with an Instruction Permit

In Stage 1:

  • Your supervisor has held a valid licence for at least four years and sits in the front seat whenever you drive
  • Your blood alcohol content (BAC) must be zero, and your supervisor’s must be under .05
  • Only your supervisor and their immediate family may ride with you
  • No more people than seatbelts. You can be fined for a passenger who isn’t wearing one
  • No hand-held phone or other device while driving; hands-free is permitted
  • If you’re under 21, no driving between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Immediate family, under the Highway Traffic Act, means your spouse or common-law partner, your parents and their partners, your children and your partner’s, your grandchildren, siblings and grandparents, your partner’s parents and their partners, and any relative you live with.

See the GDL penalties →

Stage 2 and Stage 3 limits

In Stage 2:

  • One passenger may be someone outside your immediate family; any others must be family
  • No more passengers than seatbelts, and a BAC of zero
  • No hand-held phone or device; hands-free is permitted
  • If you’re under 21, no driving between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., unless someone who has held a licence for at least four years, with a BAC under .05, is with you

You may ask for an exemption from the night-time limit, for work only. In Stage 3, you may carry as many passengers as there are seatbelts, and the hand-held device ban and the zero BAC rule apply as before.

PEI licence classes

PEI has nine classes, each for a kind of vehicle:

ClassWhat it covers
Class 1Truck tractor and trailer with fifth wheel and air brakes
Class 2Buses for more than 24 passengers, school buses included
Class 3Trucks over 14,000 kg
Class 4Taxis, ambulances, vans and buses for 24 or fewer
Class 5Cars and light trucks up to 14,000 kg
Class 6Motorcycles
Class 7The Instruction Permit, while you learn
Class 8Mopeds and motor-assisted pedal bicycles
Class 9Farm tractors

Classes 1, 2 and 4 (five years, at 21 or older, for a school bus) need at least two years with a valid licence and a medical, and Class 1 also needs entry-level training, as of August 5, 2024. Class 3 needs a year on a Class 5 licence and a medical, at 18 or older; drivers who have completed Stage 2 may apply.

For a motorcycle, Class 6, you need a Class 7 permit or a Class 5 licence, and the Novice Driver Course if you didn’t take driver education. A road test on a motorcycle under 550 cc, or on a three-wheeler, gets you a Restricted Class 6 for that kind only.

See road test fees →

Moving to PEI with a licence

If you move to PEI with a valid licence from another province, territory or country, you must transfer to a PEI licence within four months.

Highway Safety’s licence page doesn’t say which licences can be exchanged without tests, so ask Access PEI before you book anything.

Renewing, replacing or changing your licence

You can renew up to five months before your licence expires, at any Access PEI location or online.

If you lose your licence, apply for a duplicate at any Access PEI office. The handbook (Spring 2011) says to bring its number and issue date, or your birth certificate, and to report a change of name or address at any Access PEI office. A duplicate costs $20, and so does a class update.

Find Highway Safety contacts →

Your licence card

A PEI licence is a wallet-sized photo card you can use as photo ID. When you get a licence or renew one, you’re given a temporary licence to drive on, and your card comes by mail. Cards are printed in Burlington, Ontario, by Thales.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles uses facial recognition software, so eyeglasses and smiling aren’t allowed in the photo.

Sources: Government of Prince Edward Island and 5 more. Checked November 2026.

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

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