Licences Overview

An Ontario’s driver’s licence is your proof of your privilege to drive. You must carry it with you whenever you get behind the wheel.

About Ontario Drivers’ Licences

In Ontario, there are 12 different licence classes. Each one qualifies you to drive a different type of vehicle.

There are passenger vehicle licence types and commercial (classified) vehicle licence types. You may hold a licence in more than one class, and licence types may be combined (e.g., an ABM licence).

The class of licence you have must match the type of vehicle you are driving. To earn a driver’s licence, you must meet a set of minimum requirements and complete the required tests.

Tests for cars, vans, and small trucks must be completed at a DriveTest Centre. Tests for motorcycles and commercial vehicles may be completed at a DriveTest Centre or at certain professional or academic organizations authorized by the Ministry of Transportation.

Driver’s Licence Photo Cards

Official Ontario driver’s licence photo cards are one piece, made of plastic, and include your digitized photograph and signature. An Ontario driver’s licence includes your name, address, date of birth, gender (M, F or X), height, licence class, date of licence issue, expiry date, and codes showing which classes of vehicles you may drive and any applicable conditions.

Temporary driver’s licences are short-term documents used by licensed drivers prior to receiving an official Ontario driver’s licence card in the mail. Temporary driver’s licences are valid for up to 90 days.

As a licence holder, you must keep your licence information up-to-date and renew your driver’s licence card periodically. If your driver’s licence expires, depending on the length of time it has been expired, you may need to reapply.

A driver’s licence and an Ontario Photo Card or a driver’s licence/photo ID card from another province, state or country cannot be held at the same time. If you have an Ontario Photo Card or a photo ID card from any other province, state or country, you must turn in your existing ID and any driver’s licences when applying for an Ontario driver’s licence.

Please inform DriveTest if you have ever held an Ontario Photo Card, even if it is expired or cancelled, when you apply for a driver’s licence. Not doing so may delay getting your driver’s licence.

If you have an Ontario Photo Card and want to get a driver’s licence, you must give up your Ontario Photo Card. Your Ontario Photo Card will be cancelled upon successful completion of the required testing. If you wish to re-apply for your Ontario Photo Card, you must give up your driver’s licence.

Minimum Requirements for Drivers’ Licences

Generally, the following are the minimum requirements for obtaining a driver’s licence in Ontario:

Be at least 16 years of age to be eligible (please note that the age requirement to pursue a commercial driver’s licence varies).
Be a resident of Ontario, and not a tourist or someone visiting Ontario.
Present acceptable ID at the time of your application.
Meet medical requirements
Pay the applicable fees. (Fees are subject to change without notice.)
Pass a vision test, a knowledge test, and a road test(s)

New residents to Ontario with a valid driver’s licence from another province, state or country can use their foreign driver’s licence, but must apply for an Ontario driver’s licence within 60 days after moving and becoming a resident of Ontario.

Note to Experienced Drivers:

Ontario has licence exchange agreements with certain provinces, states, and countries. If you have previous driving experience outside of Ontario, that experience may be acknowledged through licence exchange privileges, reduced/waived testing requirements, or foreign licence experience credits. Specific conditions and requirements apply. Please see the Licence Exchange page for details.

Military DND (Department of National Defence) 404 permit holders (both active and retired members) may have driver’s licence testing requirements waived. Drivers with a DND 404 permit and a valid licence (within the last 3 years) issued by another Canadian licensing jurisdiction may be eligible, with appropriate ID and documentation, for Ontario licence classes A, C, D, F, G, and Z endorsement without testing and without surrendering their permit. Please see the Waived Testing Requirements for DND 404 Holders page for details.

Licence Types (All Classes)

There are 12 different licence classes that correspond to a variety of vehicle types.

Like many other countries and provinces, Ontario has instituted a graduated licensing program for new drivers of cars, vans, small trucks, motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds. Those in the graduated licensing program will have a class G1, G2, M1, or M2 licence. Graduated licensing does not apply to commercial licences.

Endorsements and conditions provide extra information to the police and regulators about the type of vehicle you are legally allowed to drive (e.g., Z endorsement for air brakes, L for limited-speed motorcycle) or describe the circumstances under which you are allowed to drive (e.g., only with prescribed glasses).

Class of Licence	Types of Vehicles Allowed	May Also Drive a Vehicle in Class

A	Any tractor-trailer (or combination of a motor vehicle and towed vehicles), where the towed vehicles exceed a total gross weight of 4,600 kilograms.	D, G, and A with condition R
A with condition R	Restricts Class A licence drivers from pulling double trailers or a trailer with air brakes.	D and G
B	Any school-purposes bus with designed seating capacity for more than 24 passengers.	C, D, E, F, and G
C	Any regular bus with a designed seating capacity for more than 24 passengers.	D, F, and G
D	Any truck or motor vehicle combination exceeding 11,000 kg, provided the towed vehicle is not over 4,600 kg.	G
E	Any school-purpose bus with a designed maximum seating capacity of 24 passengers.	F, and G
F	Any regular bus with a maximum 24-passenger capacity (and ambulances).	G
G	Any car, van, or small truck (or combination of vehicle and towed vehicle up to 11,000 kg, provided the towed vehicle is not over 4,600 kg), but that is not a motorcycle or motor-assisted bicycle, a bus carrying passengers, or an ambulance in the course of providing ambulance service (as defined in the Ambulance Act).	A recreational vehicle towed by a pick-up truck may exceed 4,600 kg.
G1	Level 1 of graduated licensing. (Replaces the former Class L learner’s permit.) G1 holders may drive Class G vehicles when accompanied by a fully licensed driver with at least four years of driving experience. Additional conditions apply. (See the Driver’s Handbook for more information.)
G2	Level 2 of graduated licensing. Holders may drive Class G vehicles without an accompanying driver but are subject to certain conditions. For example, the number of young passengers that teen G2 drivers can carry is limited from midnight to 5 a.m. (See the Driver’s Handbook for more information.)
M	Motorcycles, including limited-speed motorcycles (motor scooters) and motor-assisted bicycles (mopeds). Class M holders may also drive a Class G vehicle under the conditions that apply to a Class G1 licence holder.	M with condition L (motor scooters and mopeds)
M1	Level 1 of graduated licensing for motorcycles, including limited-speed motorcycles (motor scooters) and motor-assisted bicycles (mopeds). M1 holders may drive a motorcycle under certain conditions.	M with condition L (motor scooters and mopeds)
M2	Level 2 of graduated licensing for motorcycles, including limited-speed motorcycles (motor scooters) and motor-assisted bicycles (mopeds). M2 holders may drive a motorcycle but only with a zero-blood-alcohol level. Holders may also drive a Class G vehicle under the conditions that apply to a Class G1 licence holder.	M with condition L (motor scooters and mopeds)
M (or M1, M2) with condition L (LSM/moped)	Limited-speed motorcycles (LSM) or mopeds only. Limited-speed motorcycles are motorcycles with a maximum speed of 70 km/hr. If manufactured after 1988, they are identified by a label on the vehicle that indicates it to be an “LSM/MVL.” For a full description, visit https://www.ontario.ca/faq/how-can-i-tell-i-have-limited-speed-motorcycle.
M (or M1, M2) with condition 1 (motor tricycle)	Motor tricycles (three-wheeled motorcycles) only. These vehicles travel on three wheels, have straddled seating, use a handlebar for steering, carry no more than 4 passengers, and have a gross vehicle weight of 1,000 kg or less. Some vehicles with three wheels, because of the close spacing of their front wheels, are considered to be two-wheeled open motorcycles by Transport Canada. If you take a road test with one of these vehicles, you can get a full, rather than limited, Class M driver’s licence.