Photo: Jd.101, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
To get a driver’s licence in Saskatchewan you move through SGI’s three-stage Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program: at least 9 months as a Class 7 Learner, 6 months as a Class 5 Novice 1, and 12 incident-free months as a Novice 2. That is a minimum of 27 months before you hold an experienced Class 5 licence. This guide covers every step, from the written test to graduation, for new drivers and their parents.
Key facts
- Minimum age: 16 for a Class 7 learner licence, or 15 if you are in a high school driver education program.
- Stages: Learner (Class 7) 9 months, Novice 1 (Class 5) 6 months, Novice 2 (Class 5) 12 months.
- Driver education is mandatory before you can upgrade from Class 7.
- Zero alcohol and drugs for every GDL stage, and no cellphone use at all, not even hands-free.
- Under 18? You need a parent or guardian signature (the Signature/Guarantor Form). Once given, consent cannot be withdrawn.
Steps to a Saskatchewan driver’s licence
- Pass the Class 7 written tests (Basic and Sign) and a vision test, then buy your licence at a motor licence issuer. You get a temporary paper licence until the card arrives by mail. An SGI photo ID card is not a driver’s licence. See the SGI written test guide.
- Practise for at least nine months with a supervising driver beside you. SGI recommends logging at least 36 hours over that time in its Practice Log, available from your instructor or SGI. Learner driver signs and the supervisor booklet are free from SGI. Learner rules are in the GDL rules guide.
- Complete mandatory driver education with an SGI-certified instructor: either the high school program or a 6 hour in-class plus 6 hour in-car course. See SGI mandatory driver education.
- Pass the Class 5 road test, then upgrade your licence to Class 5 at a motor licence issuer before driving alone. See the SGI road test guide.
- Drive as Novice 1 for six months.
- Drive as Novice 2 for 12 months with no incidents: no at-fault collision, no traffic conviction, no suspension.
- Graduate to an experienced Class 5 licence.
Saskatchewan GDL stages at a glance
| Stage | Minimum time | How you get in | Main extra restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learner (Class 7) | 9 months | Pass written tests; age 16 (15 in high school program) | Supervising driver in the front passenger seat at all hours; midnight to 5 a.m. passengers (other than the supervisor) must be immediate family |
| Novice 1 (Class 5) | 6 months | Pass the Class 5 road test; age 16 | Only one passenger who is not immediate family |
| Novice 2 (Class 5) | 12 months incident-free | Complete Novice 1 | Passengers limited to seatbelts |
Rules for all three stages: passengers limited to the number of seatbelts, zero BAC and zero drugs, no hand-held or hands-free cellphone, no right-hand drive vehicles, you cannot act as a supervising driver, and you cannot get a commercial licence or school bus endorsement.
The clock does not count interruptions
Time with a suspended, refused or non-renewed licence does not count toward any stage. In Novice 2, an at-fault collision or traffic conviction restarts the 12 months from the loss date or conviction date.
Who can supervise a Saskatchewan learner?
Your supervising driver must:
- hold the equivalent of a Class 5 or higher licence from a Canadian or U.S. jurisdiction
- have held a valid licence for at least 365 days in the past three years, and not be a novice driver
- sit in the seat nearest you and the controls, and be able to take over at any time
Saskatchewan’s licence classes
| Class | What it covers | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Semi-trailer units and trucks towing more than 4,600 kg | 18, not a novice |
| 2 | Buses seating more than 24 passengers | 18, not a novice |
| 3 | Trucks with more than two axles | 18, not a novice |
| 4 | Buses up to 24 passengers, ambulances and some vehicles for hire | 18, not a novice |
| 5 | Cars, vans, two-axle trucks, motorhomes with three axles, towing up to 4,600 kg | 16 |
| 7 | Class 5 vehicles as a learner only | 16 (15 in high school program) |
Class 1 to 4 need extra knowledge tests, a medical report and a road test in that class of vehicle. A Class 7 learner cannot get a motorcycle endorsement or drive a three-wheeled vehicle. Class 5 does not cover air brakes or motorcycles without the right endorsement. A van carrying more than 12 passengers needs a driver aged 18 or older who is not a novice. Driving a taxi, limousine or ride-share vehicle on Class 5 needs an experienced driver with at least two years since GDL and a satisfactory record.
What to bring when you apply
- First Saskatchewan licence: proof of identity, proof of residency and proof of your entitlement to be in Canada, on documents from a government authority. SGI lists the approved documents at sgi.sk.ca/identity-and-residency-verification.
- Proof of full name and date of birth: birth certificate, passport or immigration documents.
- A signature document, such as a Saskatchewan Health card, passport or Canadian driver’s licence.
- If you are 15 to 18: the completed Signature/Guarantor Form, available from SGI Driver Development, motor licence issuers and SGI-certified instructors.
- Name change documents, if your name has changed.
- Originals only. Photocopies are not accepted.
Carrying and using your licence
- Show your licence when a peace officer asks. If you don’t have it with you, the officer may give you up to 48 hours to produce it.
- Obey any restriction printed on it. Code A, for example, means you must wear your prescribed glasses or contact lenses. Others you may meet on a Class 5: B no night driving, C or D driving only within 40 or 80 km of your address, E driving only outside city limits (in a city as a learner), F two outside rear-view mirrors, T no passengers for hire. Endorsements add permissions: A air brakes, M motorcycle, S school bus, 6 motorcycle as a learner. All driving authority is subject to medical approval.
- Use only your own licence or photo ID. Altering one, or using or lending ID for fraud, can mean a licence suspension of at least three months, a fine of at least $125 and a possible Criminal Code fraud conviction.
Keeping your licence valid
- Moved or changed your name? Tell SGI within 15 days, in writing, at a motor licence issuer, or online through MySGI for address and contact details. A change of name or date of birth needs a supporting legal document.
- Report any medical condition that may affect your driving when you apply or renew, on a supplementary medical application from any licence issuer. Not reporting it could cost you your insurance coverage.
- You must take a driver’s examination if you have never been licensed, have not held a Saskatchewan licence or that class or endorsement in the past five years, want to change class or add an endorsement, or are a new resident whose licence is not recognized here. See exchanging a foreign or out of province licence.
- Visitors and temporary foreign workers keep the privileges of their home licence, except Class 1 semis, and cannot apply for a Saskatchewan licence. A non-resident may drive here indefinitely while their licence stays valid.
Booking tests in Saskatchewan
Book Class 5 road tests and all written appointments online with MySGI, or call or visit a motor licence issuer. Written tests are offered without an appointment in Regina and Saskatoon from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday. Missing an appointment without cancelling means you pay for the rescheduled one. Driver examination offices open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and on Saturday in Regina and Saskatoon. SGI’s fee schedule from 1 January 2017 set a written examination at $25, a Class 5 road test at $55 and a licence class change at $15. Fees can change, so confirm the current amounts with SGI before you go.
What to study
The written test and road test both come from the Saskatchewan Driver’s Handbook. These guides cover the parts learners find hardest:
- IPDE and the 12-second eye lead
- Roundabouts, diverging diamonds and RCUT intersections
- Grid roads, gravel, farm equipment and wildlife
- Zero tolerance and roadside suspensions
- GDL Improvement program and Safe Driver Recognition
Canada-wide topics that apply in Saskatchewan too: winter driving, wildlife collisions, school bus stops, slowing for emergency vehicles and impaired driving law. To compare provinces, see learning to drive in Canada and Canadian graduated licensing compared. Moving from elsewhere? Read exchanging a foreign or out of province licence.
Common questions
How long does it take to get a full licence in Saskatchewan?
At least 27 months: 9 as a learner, 6 as Novice 1 and 12 incident-free months as Novice 2. Suspensions and incidents add time.
Can I get my learner’s at 15 in Saskatchewan?
Yes, but only if you are in (or on the waiting list for) a certified high school driver education program. Otherwise the minimum age is 16.
Do adults have to go through GDL in Saskatchewan?
Yes. SGI says GDL applies to new drivers regardless of age.
Can I drive alone after passing the road test?
Only after you upgrade your Class 7 to a Class 5 at a motor licence issuer. Road test results are valid for 12 months.
I am a student from another province. Do I need a Saskatchewan licence?
Full-time students at approved institutions, and their immediate families, can keep using their home licence while studying here. New residents can drive on their current licence and plates for 90 days.
When does a Saskatchewan licence expire?
On the last day of your birth month, or the last day of the month your immigration documents expire.
Sources
- SGI, “Saskatchewan Driver’s Handbook: A guide to safe driving 2026-27” (sgi.sk.ca)
- SGI, “Graduated Driver Licensing program” (sgi.sk.ca)
- SGI, “Graduated Driver’s Licencing program” restrictions chart (sgi.sk.ca)
- SGI, “Your test” (sgi.sk.ca)
- SGI, “A guide to supervising new drivers: The co-pilot’s manual” (sgi.sk.ca)
- SGI, “Auto Fund Administrative Fee Changes” backgrounder, December 2016 (sgi.sk.ca)