Saskatchewan graduated licensing stages

By the end of this topic you can

• You can name the three GDL stages and the licence class for each.
• You can state the minimum time in each stage and the minimum total.
• You can list the rules that apply in all three stages.
• You can explain what restarts or extends the Novice 2 period.

What you need to know and understand

• The Learner stage uses a Class 7 licence and lasts at least nine months.
• The minimum age for a Class 7 licence is 16, or 15 if you are in a high school driver education program.
• Novice 1 (Class 5) lasts at least six months after you pass the road test.
• Novice 2 (Class 5) needs 12 months free of at-fault collisions, traffic convictions and suspensions.
• Time spent suspended, refused or not renewed does not count toward any stage.
• GDL applies to new drivers of any age, not just teenagers.
• The minimum time from learner to experienced licence is 27 months.

The road from learner to experienced driver

1. Pass the Class 7 knowledge tests (Basic and Sign) and a vision test, then buy your licence at a motor licence issuer.
2. Practise for at least nine months with a supervising driver.
3. Complete mandatory driver education with an SGI-certified instructor.
4. Pass the Class 5 road test and upgrade your licence to Class 5 at a motor licence issuer.
5. Drive as a Novice 1 driver for at least six months.
6. Drive as a Novice 2 driver for 12 months with no at-fault collision, traffic conviction or suspension.
7. Graduate to an experienced Class 5 licence.

What changes at each stage

SGI defines immediate family widely. It includes a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent and step, foster and in-law relatives.

• Learner (Class 7): a supervising driver must sit in the front passenger seat at all times. Between midnight and 5 a.m., any passengers other than the supervisor must be immediate family.
• Novice 1 (Class 5): you may drive alone, but you can carry only one passenger who is not immediate family. Any other passengers must be immediate family.
• Novice 2 (Class 5): the Novice 1 passenger limit no longer applies, but you must stay incident-free for 12 months to graduate.

Rules that follow you through every stage

Some restrictions apply from your first day as a learner until you graduate. They are designed to keep risk low while you gain experience.

• Passengers limited to the number of seatbelts.
• No cellphone use of any kind, hand-held or hands-free.
• Zero alcohol and zero drugs.
• No driving a right-hand drive vehicle.
• You cannot act as a supervising driver.
• You cannot get a commercial licence or a school bus endorsement.

When the clock restarts

If a Novice 2 driver is found at fault in a collision or is convicted of a traffic offence, the 12-month incident-free period starts again from the loss date or conviction date. Any time without a valid licence, such as a suspension, adds to the stage. Drivers in any stage who have incidents also enter SGI's GDL Improvement program. Our deeper guides on learning to drive in Saskatchewan and on Novice 1 and Novice 2 rules cover these steps in more detail.

Common mistakes

• Thinking the stages only apply to teens. Adults new to driving follow the same GDL steps.
• Driving alone straight after passing the road test without upgrading to Class 5 at a motor licence issuer.
• Using a hands-free phone as a novice. Hands-free use is banned for every GDL stage.
• Forgetting that one ticket as a Novice 2 driver resets the 12-month clock.

Test yourself: Saskatchewan graduated licensing stages

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 Saskatchewan
• Saskatchewan Novice 1 and Novice 2 Rules
• Saskatchewan Roundabout Rules, Diverging Diamonds and RCUTs