After you pass in Saskatchewan: novice restrictions and your licence

By the end of this topic you can

• You can upgrade your licence correctly after passing.
• You can follow the Novice 1 passenger limit.
• You can list the rules that stay until you graduate.
• You can avoid incidents that delay graduation.

What you need to know and understand

• Upgrade your Class 7 to Class 5 at a motor licence issuer before you drive alone.
• Novice 1 lasts at least six months, with only one passenger who is not immediate family.
• Novice 2 needs 12 months free of at-fault collisions, traffic convictions and suspensions.
• Novice drivers may not use any phone, even hands-free, while driving.
• Zero alcohol and drugs apply to novices, and zero alcohol lasts until you are 22 and out of GDL.
• Passengers are limited to the number of seatbelts.
• Novices cannot supervise a learner or get a commercial licence or school bus endorsement.

Novice 1 versus Novice 2

• Novice 1 (at least six months): drive alone, but carry only one passenger who is not immediate family. Other passengers must be immediate family.
• Novice 2 (at least 12 incident-free months): the Novice 1 passenger limit ends, but all other GDL rules remain.
• Both stages: passengers limited to seatbelts, no phone use, zero alcohol and drugs, no right-hand drive vehicles.

Staying on track to graduate

After graduating you may use a hands-free phone that is voice-activated or one-touch and mounted. Hand-held use is never allowed.

1. Keep your Novice 2 record clean. An at-fault collision or traffic conviction restarts the 12 months from that date.
2. Keep your licence valid. Time under suspension or non-renewal does not count.
3. Remember that incidents also place you in the GDL Improvement program, starting with a warning letter or education session.
4. Once your 12 incident-free months are complete, you graduate to an experienced Class 5 licence.

Building real-world skill

The first months of solo driving carry the highest risk. Build up gradually: short daytime trips first, then night driving, highways, gravel roads and winter conditions. Keep at least a three-second following distance and more in poor conditions. Your safe driving record also earns Safe Driver Recognition discounts on plate insurance. Our guide to Saskatchewan Novice 1 and Novice 2 rules covers these points in more detail.

Common mistakes

• Driving alone before upgrading to Class 5.
• Giving rides to two or more friends during Novice 1.
• Thinking graduation means alcohol is allowed if you are 21 or under.
• Getting a minor ticket late in Novice 2 and resetting the full 12 months.

Test yourself: After you pass in Saskatchewan: novice restrictions and your 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 Saskatchewan
• Saskatchewan Novice 1 and Novice 2 Rules
• Saskatchewan Roundabout Rules, Diverging Diamonds and RCUTs