Nova Scotia Drivers License

Steps to get your Graduated Driver’s license (Class 7 & 5) in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia has a Graduated Driver Licensing program (or “GDL” for short), which has 3 levels:

Level 1 – Class 7 -- Learner’s license

Level 2 – Class 5N -- Newly licensed driver’s license

Level 3 – Class 5 -- Driver’s license

Level 1:

Eligible to this level only when written test and the vision test passed.
Must stay in this stage for at least 3 or 6 months if no driver course is taken.
This Nova Scotia license is valid for 1 year and must rewrite after it expires. However, you will not have to wait additional 3 or 6 months before taking a road test.
A person with 2 years of driving experience who is currently not in the GDL program can teach to drive. He must be seated in front passenger seat and no other passengers can be in the vehicle.
Your blood-alcohol level must remain at 0%.
Once a Nova Scotia Class 8 license holder turns 16, that license is also valid as a learner’s license.

Level 2:

Eligible to this level only when road test is passed. You must answer 16 of 20 multiple-choice questions correctly in the knowledge test.
Must stay in this stage for at least 2 years.
After paying the road test fee make an appointment for the road test by calling Telephone Information Center at 424-5851 in Nova Scotia or toll free outside Metro 1-800-898-7668. You need your road test receipt number when making the appointment.
The applicant’s blood alcohol level must remain at 0%.
The applicant may transport only one passenger in the front seat and only as many rear seat passengers as there are seat belts.
The applicant cannot drive between midnights and 5:00 a.m. He must apply for an exemption from the nighttime driving restriction. There is a fee for this exemption. An application form can be obtained from the Registry of Motor Vehicles or Access Nova Scotia centre.
There are no restrictions to use any highway.

Level 3:

Provide a copy of your graduation certificate, in person or by mail, to any Registry of Motor Vehicles or Access Nova Scotia centre for record purposes.
If you mail in your Class 5N license you cannot drive until you receive your Class 5 license back.
Exchange your Class 5N license for your regular-class license (Class 5) (No fee is charged for this exchange.)
Spend 24 consecutive months in the program with no suspension.
Before exiting the GDL program and getting a regular driver’s license, one must take a driver training program that is approved by Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. You can take either long course or the short course. The long course involves at least 25 hours of classroom time and at least 10 hours of actual driving time. The short course is 6 hours of classroom time.

NOTE: If your driver’s license is not from Canada or the U.S.A., you cannot exchange your license for a Nova Scotia driver’s license. You have to undergo all the tests from the beginning.

What to bring to the test center in Nova Scotia:

Proof of your age: Birth certificate, Nova Scotia I.D. card, passport, Canadian Citizenship card, Immigration papers (either Record or Landing or Permanent Resident card), Military identification documents, or Certificate of Indian Status card are accepted
Two other pieces of identification that contain your name and signature. We accept official documents such as credit cards, bank cards or health cards.
If your name has changed due to marriage or a formal name change and the name on your Birth Certificate is different than the two pieces of signed ID, you must bring in supporting documentation such as your Marriage Certificate or Change of Name Certificate from Vital Statistics.
If you are 16 or 17 years old, a signed consent form with you or bring your parent, or other acceptable signee, with you to sign the consent at the time of testing.
You must come to the examination office with a vehicle that is in good mechanical condition, preferably the one which you expect to operate after you obtain your driver’s license.
It must have a valid safety inspection sticker.
You must have the valid insurance liability card in the name of the registered owner of the vehicle that you will be driving to show to the driver enhancement officer.
Prior to the road test, the vehicle will be checked by the Examiner. The road test will not be conducted if the vehicle is not in satisfactory mechanical condition.

Requirements for getting the driver’s license in Nova Scotia

Applicant must be at least 16 years of age.
You must have the written consent of a parent or guardian before applying for a Nova Scotia license if you are 16 or 17 years of age.
Before you, as a resident of Nova Scotia, may obtain a learner’s license, you must pass an examination to determine if you meet the required vision standards (20/40 best eye).
You must also have an acceptable knowledge of road signs, rules of the road and safe driving practices.