Photo: Samuell, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
To get a driver’s licence in Yukon, you start at 15 with a learner’s licence. You need ID, proof of Yukon residency, a written test and a vision test. After at least 6 months and 50 logged hours, and once you are 16, you take a road test and move to the novice stage. You stay a novice for at least 18 months before applying for a full licence. This guide walks through each stage of Yukon’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program.
Key facts (Yukon, as of November 2026)
- Minimum age for a learner’s licence: 15.
- Written test fee: $20, and $20 again for each retest. Pass mark: 80%.
- Learner stage: at least 6 months, driving only between 5 a.m. and midnight, always with a co-driver.
- Road test: from 16, after 6 months as a learner and 50 hours of driving. Fee $20.
- Novice stage: at least 18 months in a row (540 days) without breaking the rules. Earliest age for a full Class 5: 17.5.
- Zero alcohol and drugs, for you and your co-driver, in both stages.
Yukon GDL stages at a glance
| Learner | Novice | |
|---|---|---|
| How you get it | Written test and vision test, from age 15 | Pass the road test (age 16+, 6 months as a learner, 50 hours) |
| Minimum time | 6 months | 18 months |
| Co-driver | At all times | Midnight to 5 a.m. only |
| Driving hours | 5 a.m. to midnight only | Any time (with a co-driver after midnight) |
| Passengers | 2 including co-driver, more if immediate family | No more than the vehicle’s seatbelts; nobody in a truck box |
| Phones and devices | No hand-held or hands-free | No hand-held or hands-free |
| Towing | No | No |
| Vehicle limit | Up to 4,000 kg gross weight and 7 seats, including you | Passenger vehicle up to 4,000 kg gross weight and 9 seats, including you |
| Alcohol and drugs | Zero (you and co-driver) | Zero (you and co-driver) |
Step 1: Get your Yukon learner’s licence
- Study the Yukon Driver’s Basic Handbook (cars and light trucks).
- Go to a Motor Vehicles office with government-issued ID (showing your photo, signature, date of birth and full legal name) and two documents proving Yukon residency. If you are under 18, a legal guardian must come with you to sign the application and show their own ID and proof of residency. Newcomers to Canada also bring proof of citizenship, record of landing, or a passport with a work, study or visitor permit.
- Pass the vision test. If you don’t, you’ll be referred for further testing by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
- Pass the written test ($20). It is multiple choice, with a pass mark of 80%. If you fail, you can retake it as early as the next day for another $20.
Full details: Yukon written knowledge test and learner licence rules.
Step 2: Drive as a learner for at least 6 months
Your co-driver must have held a valid full-privilege licence for at least the 2 years immediately before teaching you, and must have no alcohol or drugs in their system. They must be with you every time you drive. Hours logged with someone who does not qualify do not count, but you can use more than one qualifying co-driver. Practise in a mix of conditions: highway, town, night and winter. Break any learner condition and you restart the learner stage. Log every practice drive on the Government of Yukon’s “GDL Driver record and declaration” form. Your parent, guardian or co-driver signs it to confirm you reached at least 50 hours.
Step 3: Pass the Yukon road test
First drop off your log book at a Motor Vehicles office for inspection: the handbook says you can only book after that. Then book by visiting or phoning your nearest office (Whitehorse: 867-667-5315), or schedule online. Pay the $20 fee when you book. Bring a safe vehicle with valid insurance and registration. The test takes about 30 minutes, with only you and the examiner in the car. It includes hill parking and starting, angle, parallel and stall parking, and pulling over. Use the Government of Yukon’s Tuning Up for Drivers workbook to prepare: Yukon road test guide.
Step 4: Complete the novice stage
As a novice you can drive alone, except between midnight and 5 a.m., when a co-driver must be with you. A midnight work exemption may be available through Motor Vehicles. After at least 18 months in a row without breaking your conditions you can apply for a full licence at any Motor Vehicles office. A condition breach, a demerit suspension or an alcohol or drug violation resets your GDL clock to zero and you start the stage again. See Yukon novice drivers.
Driving conditions in Yukon
Long highways, gravel, permafrost damage, wildlife and months of winter make Yukon different from driving in a southern city. Read driving the Alaska Highway and Yukon winter roads before your first long trip.
Common questions
Can you get your learner’s in Yukon at 15?
Yes. You need ID, proof of residency, a parent or guardian if under 18, and to pass the written and vision tests.
How long does it take to get a full licence in Yukon?
At least 2 years: 6 months as a learner plus 18 months as a novice. You also must be 16 before you can take the road test, so 17.5 is the earliest age for a full Class 5.
Has Yukon changed the GDL stage lengths?
A 2019 public engagement on a new Motor Vehicles Act asked about longer learner and novice stages. The Government of Yukon’s current licensing page still lists 6 months and 18 months. Check with Motor Vehicles before you plan around these dates.
I have a licence from another province. Do I need to do GDL again?
Usually you transfer it. You can drive on a valid outside licence for your first 120 days as a Yukon resident, but within that time you must apply for a Yukon licence and surrender the old one. A Canadian licence is accepted at the same class without testing, apart from a vision screening. Experience from elsewhere may count if you bring proof. See exchanging a foreign or out-of-province licence in Canada and the Government of Yukon’s page on transferring your licence.
Do I need a licence for a snowmobile or ATV?
On, beside or across a roadway or publicly accessible trail, yes: a valid learner’s licence with a co-driver, or a Class 5. The machine must also be registered and insured. Check municipal bylaws too.
How long does a Yukon licence last?
Up to five years, and renewing on time is your job. You must retest if it has been expired for more than two years in a row. Carry it whenever you drive, never lend or alter it, and report a stolen one to the RCMP. Tell a Motor Vehicles office if you change your name or address, and report any medical condition that may affect your driving. Class 5, 6 and 7 holders need a medical report at 70, 75 and 80, then every two years. Unpaid fines for moving violations can block a renewal or bring a suspension. Your licence can carry restrictions such as vision correction or daylight driving, and a parent or guardian can ask the Registrar to add restrictions while you are under 18.
Is Yukon’s GDL stricter than other provinces?
Compare the rules at graduated licence rules by province.
More on Canada: how to get a driver’s licence in Canada.
Sources
- Government of Yukon, “Get a driver’s licence” (yukon.ca)
- Government of Yukon, “Book a road test” (yukon.ca)
- Government of Yukon, “GDL Driver record and declaration” (yukon.ca)
- Government of Yukon, “Getting you ready for your road test: Tuning up for drivers” (yukon.ca)
- Government of Yukon, “Yukon Driver’s Basic Handbook: Cars and light trucks” (yukon.ca)
- Government of Yukon, “Motor Vehicles Act Public Engagement Fall 2019: What we heard” (yukon.ca)
- Government of Yukon, “Transfer your driver’s licence and registration from outside the Yukon” (yukon.ca)