You are visiting Québec from another province with a valid licence. What is the longest you may drive without a Québec licence?
SAAQ Class 5 overview
SAAQ Class 5: Licence conditions and driver obligations
Health declarations and licence conditions, documents you must carry, change of address, renewal, new residents and non-residents driving in Québec.
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- Every answer explained
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- 14 questions
- Topic drill
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Study reference: SAAQ Driver's Handbook (2nd edition), Ch. 1 The Driver — Licences to drive: health requirements, driver's obligations, persons from outside Québec, pp. 35–43
All 14 questions in this test
Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.
You are visiting Québec from another province with a valid licence. What is the longest you may drive without a Québec licence?
- Six consecutive months
- Three consecutive months
- As long as your licence is valid
- Twelve consecutive months
You move to a new apartment in another city. How long do you have to give the SAAQ your new address?
- 60 days
- 10 days
- 6 months
- 30 days
Your licence has been invalid for more than three years. What must you do before you can drive again?
- Pass a vision test only
- Redo the full driving course
- Pass the knowledge and road tests
- Pay the missed fees only
You settle in Québec from a country with no licence exchange agreement and have held your licence for two years. What must you do?
- Exchange it with no tests required
- Pass the SAAQ knowledge and road tests
- Keep driving on it with no time limit
- Start over with a learner's licence
Your doctor diagnoses a condition that could affect your driving. How soon must you tell the SAAQ?
- Within 7 days
- At your next renewal
- Within 90 days
- Within 30 days
At what age can the SAAQ require you to take a proficiency exam or undergo a health assessment because of your age?
- 75 or older
- 70 or older
- 65 or older
- 80 or older
Which licence condition letter means the holder must follow the zero-alcohol rule?
- Y
- X
- A
- Z
A police officer stops you while you drive your own car. Which vehicle documents must you have with you?
- Registration certificate and service records
- Bill of sale and proof of insurance
- Proof of insurance and inspection report
- Registration certificate and proof of insurance
Conditions I and X both require an alcohol ignition interlock. What is the difference between them?
- I applies to cars, X applies to heavy vehicles
- I follows a criminal conviction, X a medical diagnosis
- I follows a medical diagnosis, X a criminal conviction
- I lasts one year, X lasts for life
Your plastic photo licence is designed to last four years. How often must you pay the licence fee?
- Only when you get a notice
- Every two years
- Every year
- Every four years
You drive without liability insurance and cause an accident with more than $500 in property damage. What can happen?
- Two demerit points on your record
- A $100 fine with no suspension
- A warning letter and nothing more
- Licence suspension until damage is covered
A friend's licence shows condition B. What restriction does this place on him?
- He must wear glasses when driving
- He must not have any alcohol
- He may drive only in the daytime
- He must wear a hearing aid
You just moved to Québec from Ontario and hold a valid Ontario licence. How long may you drive a car on it?
- Thirty days
- Three months
- Six months
- Twelve months
Your licence carries condition A. What does it require?
- Driving only an automatic vehicle
- Wearing glasses or contacts to drive
- Using an alcohol ignition interlock
- Driving only during daylight
Licence conditions and driver obligations: key rules to remember
Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗
Health requirements
- Some conditions are incompatible with safe driving (examples listed: sight disorders, heart disease, mental illness, alcoholism, drug dependency, epilepsy, diabetes, kidney or respiratory disease).
- On application and renewal, you must declare health conditions that may affect driving using the Declaration of Illness or Impairment form.
- Any change in your health must be reported to the SAAQ within 30 days.
- Most often the SAAQ issues a licence with conditions: glasses/contacts/hearing aid, adapted equipment, limits on time, period or area, limits on vehicle types, alcohol ignition interlock only.
Licence conditions (letters)
- A: glasses or contact lenses when driving.
- B: daytime driving only.
- C: hearing aid (Classes 2, 4A, 4B, 4C).
- D/E/F/G: medical exam every 5 years / 6 months / year / 2 years (in the record, not printed on the licence).
- H: vehicle with net weight under 2,500 kg only.
- I: alcohol ignition interlock following a medical diagnosis.
- J: automatic transmission. K: power steering. L: power brakes. N: safety harness. P: hand controls. Q: manual headlight brightness control. R: accelerator on the left. S: medical restrictions shown on licence. V: controls adapted to the handicap. W: no Class 1, 2, 3, 4B vehicles in the U.S.
- X: alcohol ignition interlock following a criminal conviction.
- Y: must comply with the zero alcohol rule.
Assessments and suspensions for health
- SAAQ may require a proficiency exam or health assessment if: you are 70 or older; your licence covers heavy vehicles, buses, minibuses, emergency vehicles or taxis; no exam within the last 10 years; reasonable grounds to check health or driving; not authorized to drive for 3 years or longer.
- Tests may be required to change class; a health assessment may be required to change a licence condition.
- Licence can be suspended for a false health declaration or failing to declare, refusing a medical exam or not sending the report, refusing or failing a proficiency test, or an illness/disability that endangers road safety.
Driver's obligations
- You must hold and carry a valid, signed licence and obey its conditions.
- Driving without the proper licence class: police may seize the vehicle and impound it for 30 days.
- Vehicle documents to carry: valid signed registration certificate; valid proof of insurance or certificate of financial responsibility; lease contract (original or copy) if leased for under one year; written proof of the loan period for a dealer loan vehicle.
- Driving/owning a vehicle without liability insurance and being in an accident with more than $500 property damage: licence (any type) suspended and vehicles in your name may not be operated until the SAAQ gets a payment guarantee or proof of settlement.
- Some documents are also required on private roads open to the public, logging roads and shopping centre parking lots. Documents must be shown to a peace officer on demand.
One document only / address / replacement
- Offence to hold more than one valid licence (from the SAAQ or another Canadian or U.S. authority), to lend your licence, or to give false or misleading information to get one.
- Licence address must be your principal residence; report a change of address within 30 days (web, mail, in person, phone). Keep the SAAQ confirmation with your licence.
- An illegible, damaged, lost, destroyed or stolen licence, or one with invalid information, must be replaced: fee plus two valid pieces of ID.
Renewing a licence
- The plastic photo licence is meant to last four years, but the right to drive is valid for one year; the licence fee is due every year, even without a notice.
- The insurance contribution part of the fee depends on your demerit points.
- Not paying means you cannot drive; offence with a minimum fine of $300, among other penalties.
- Licence invalid for 3 years or more: must pass a knowledge test and a road test again.
New residents
- New Québec residents with a valid licence may drive a passenger vehicle for six months without a Québec licence; after that a Québec licence is required.
- Class 5–equivalent licence from a Canadian province or territory, the U.S., or a country with an exchange agreement: may be exchanged for a Class 5 licence without a proficiency exam.
- Other jurisdictions: licence held at least one year on arrival → must pass a knowledge exam and road test; held less than one year → not recognized, same requirements as a first licence.
- Any vehicle other than a passenger vehicle requires a valid Québec licence for everyone from outside Québec.
Non-residents
- Non-residents may drive in Québec for no more than six consecutive months without an SAAQ licence, if their licence is valid and issued by a jurisdiction that gives Québec residents the same right; drive only vehicles covered by it and respect its conditions.
- Students, cooperants or trainees enrolled in a Québec institution: no Québec licence needed for a passenger vehicle for the length of studies/internship (same reciprocity condition).
- International driver's permit: may drive vehicles allowed by your licence during the permit's validity; the permit must always be accompanied by the original, valid licence.
Study the Licence conditions and driver obligations rules as flashcards →
Other topics
- Traffic lights and signal lightsRed, yellow and green lights, arrows, flashing lights, dark signals, pedestrian countdown lights, cyclist lights, lane-use lights, railway signals, work-site lights and bus priority lights.
- Pavement markingsYellow and white lines, broken, solid, double and combined lines, reversible and two-way left-turn lanes, reserved lanes, stop lines, crosswalks, parking markings and pavement symbols.
- Regulatory signsSign colours and shapes, stop, all-way stop and yield signs, speed limits, one-way and lane direction signs, green-circle and red-circle signs, no passing, parking, stopping and reserved-lane signs.
- Warning signsYellow diamond signs for stops and lights ahead, curves, intersections, lane endings, narrowing roads, steep grades, school zones, crossings, slippery or icy surfaces, hazard markers and chevrons.
- Road work, information and cyclist signsOrange work-site signs, flagperson signals, work-zone speed limits, detours and lane merges, green and blue guide and service signs, exit signs, and signs for cyclists.
- Getting your Class 5 licenceMinimum age, the mandatory driving course, the learner's licence and its rules, when you can take the knowledge and road tests, the probationary licence and passenger limits for young drivers.
- Demerit points and licence revocationDemerit point brackets by licence and age, revocation periods, how long points stay on your record, restricted licences, and the points for common offences.
- Alcohol, drugs and impaired drivingBlood alcohol limits, the zero-alcohol rule for new and young drivers, drug limits, care or control of a vehicle, roadside suspensions, vehicle impoundment and the cost of a first offence.
- Vision, fatigue, distraction and attitudeHow vision, physical problems, fatigue and emotions affect driving, the ban on hand-held electronic devices and its penalties, observation, and keeping your judgment in traffic.
- Your vehicle: registration, equipment and winter tiresVehicle registration and insurance, required lights, brakes, mirrors and windows, studded and winter tire dates, clearing snow, mechanical inspection and doing your own checks.
- Seat belts, lane use and speed limitsSeat belts and child car seats, air bags and headrests, which lane to use, centre left-turn lanes, Québec's default speed limits and safe following distance.
- Passing, turning and traffic circlesWhen passing is allowed or banned, passing cyclists and pedestrians, right and left turns, right turns on red and the Montréal exception, traffic circles, signals and headlight use.
- Right of way, emergency vehicles and school busesYielding to pedestrians and cyclists, stop signs and all-way stops, entering highways and driveways, emergency vehicles, the Move-Over law, city buses, school buses, level crossings and heavy vehicles.
- Work zones, stopping, parking and unlawful practicesDriving near work sites, parking and stopping distances, disabled parking permits, driving on the shoulder, passengers and seat belts, car surfing and street racing.
- Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclesRules for pedestrians, cyclists and power-assisted bicycles, foot scooters, motorcycles, mopeds and scooters, and what drivers must do around them.
- Accidents, insurance and finesQuébec's public no-fault insurance, mandatory liability insurance, what to do at the scene of an accident, and fines for common offences, speeding and work-zone speeding.