Getting your Prince Edward Island learner licence

By the end of this topic you can

• You can list who may apply and the documents you need.
• You can explain the parental consent rule for applicants under 18.
• You can describe what the vision test checks.
• You can say how long the permit lasts and what happens if it expires.

What you need to know and understand

• You must be 16 or older and not under a driving suspension.
• You need a birth certificate, passport or immigration papers, plus two documents showing your name and current PEI address.
• If you are under 18, a parent or legal guardian must sign the consent form found in the Co-pilot brochure.
• A parent can withdraw consent in writing to the Registrar, and the permit is then cancelled.
• The permit is valid for two years from the date it is issued.
• Fees change, so check the current permit and test fees with Access PEI before you go.

Steps to your Instruction Permit

1. Study the PEI Driver's Handbook. The written test is based on it.
2. Contact an Access PEI location to book your written and sign-recognition test, and pay the fee.
3. Bring your identity document, two proofs of PEI address and, if you are under 18, the signed consent form with your birth certificate.
4. Pass the written test, then the vision test, which must be done at Access PEI before the permit is issued.
5. Pay the permit fee and receive your permit and the yellow L decal.

Proof of address and newcomer documents

The handbook accepts items such as a utility bill, a lease, a pay stub or employer letter, government mail, a bank or credit card statement or mortgage papers. Each must show your name and current PEI address. If your previous address was outside Canada, you must also show your Canadian immigration record of entry. Driver education students write the permit tests at their driving school and then go to Access PEI for the vision test.

What the vision test checks

Highway Safety staff check that you meet the vision standard. You also have a colour vision test, a distance judgment test and a field of vision test. If you need glasses or contact lenses to meet the standard, your permit and licence will carry a condition that you wear them when driving. If results are unclear you may be sent to an eye specialist, and if you cannot meet the minimum even with glasses, you will be refused.

If your permit expires

• Expired less than one year: it can be reissued for two years with no new waiting period.
• Expired one to three years: you must pass the written and vision tests again, with no waiting period.
• Expired more than three years: written and vision tests again, plus the 365-day wait.

Common mistakes

• Bringing a single bill as proof of address. You need two different documents with your name and PEI address.
• Arriving under 18 without the signed parental consent form.
• Forgetting your glasses or contact lenses on test day if you normally wear them.
• Letting the permit run out while you wait for a road test. It lasts two years, so plan ahead.

Test yourself: Getting your Prince Edward Island learner licence

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• How to Get a Driver’s Licence in PEI
• PEI Knowledge Test, Vision Test and Novice Driver Course