Photo: Ycleymans, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Novice drivers in Newfoundland and Labrador (Class 5I and 5II) get a warning letter at 3 demerit points and a licence suspension at 6 points within one year, half the 12-point limit for fully licensed drivers. A suspension also sends you back to the start of your GDL level. This explainer covers the limits, the point values for common offences, and how a points reduction course can remove up to 4 points.
Key facts
- Novice limit: 6 points within one year. Warning letter at 3.
- Full licence limit: 12 points within two years (warnings at 6 and 9).
- Points come off your record automatically two years after the conviction date.
- Points reduction course: removes up to 4 points, once every five years, if you have not yet hit the suspension level.
- Points from offences anywhere in Canada are added to your Newfoundland and Labrador record.
Novice vs full licence demerit limits
| Novice (Class 5I, 5II, 6I, 6II) | Full licence | |
|---|---|---|
| Warning letter | 3 points | 6 points, then 9 points |
| Suspension | 6 points within 1 year | 12 points within 2 years |
| After suspension | Restart your GDL level | Reinstatement |
How many points for common offences in Newfoundland and Labrador?
Point values are set in the Schedule of the Highway Traffic Demerit Point System Regulations. A selection:
| Offence | Points |
|---|---|
| Speeding 11 to 20 km/h over | 2 |
| Speeding 21 to 30 km/h over | 3 |
| Speeding 31 to 50 km/h over | 4 |
| Speeding 51 km/h or more over | 6 (plus a 7-day licence suspension) |
| Holding or using a hand-held phone or device | 4 |
| Driving without due care and attention | 4 |
| Passing a stopped school bus | 6 |
| Racing | 6 (plus a 7-day licence suspension) |
| Stunting | 6 (plus a 7-day licence suspension) |
| Contravening a novice or accompanying driver restriction | 3 |
| Not displaying the novice driver sign | 3 |
| Not leaving the required 1 m or 1.5 m when passing a cyclist or pedestrian (handbook) | 2 |
| Failure to stop at a stop sign | 2 |
| Following too closely | 2 |
| Driver not wearing a seatbelt | 2 |
Check the full, current Schedule on the House of Assembly legislation site before relying on any single value.
Worked example
A Level II driver is caught using a hand-held phone (4 points), then three months later is ticketed for 15 km/h over (2 points). That is 6 points within a year: licence suspended, and the driver must restart Level II. One ticket for passing a school bus or going 51 km/h over reaches 6 on its own.
Suspension lengths for novice drivers
The Motor Registration GDL page lists novice suspensions for demerit points as:
| Suspension | Length |
|---|---|
| 1st | 2 months |
| 2nd | 4 months |
| 3rd | 6 months |
The general demerit page and the regulations give 2 months for a first suspension and 4 months for later ones, with the regulations setting these as minimum periods. Confirm the period that applies to you with the Driver Records Section.
Driving while suspended adds a further 4 months the first time and 9 months for later offences within five years.
Getting your licence back after a novice suspension
- Serve the full suspension. Motor Registration cannot return a licence early under any circumstances.
- Complete a Responsible Drivers Workshop (the suspended driver’s course). You can do it during the suspension or just before reinstatement.
- Apply to the Registrar for reinstatement and pay the reinstatement fee ($200 under the fees policy dated 21 December 2023).
- Restart the level of licence you held. Time already served at that level does not count: the Driver Regulations say the reinstated licence is reissued as if you were starting that level for the first time, so your new end date runs from the reissue date.
The Registrar may set additional requirements. If you already passed a test or an approved course, the Registrar can choose not to make you repeat it before reinstatement, but that is a discretion, not a right.
Points reduction course
- Who: a novice driver with some points but fewer than 6 (or a full licence holder under 12).
- When: take it when you receive your warning letter.
- Effect: up to 4 points removed.
- Limit: once every five years.
- Where: some approved driving schools are certified to deliver it. Contact the school directly.
- Cost: paid by the driver.
Check your points
You can check your accumulated demerit points online through MyGovNL. Convictions and suspensions stay on your driving record for 10 years and appear on your driver’s abstract, even after the points themselves expire.
Common questions
How many demerit points can a novice driver have in Newfoundland?
Six within one year triggers a suspension. You get a warning letter at 3.
Do points from another province count?
Yes. Convictions in any other Canadian jurisdiction add the appropriate points to your record.
Can I get a ticket without being stopped?
Yes. Motor Registration notes you can get a ticket, and points, without being stopped by a police officer.
Do my novice points carry over to my full licence?
Yes. The regulations carry points earned as a novice forward onto your record as a non-novice driver.
Does impaired driving give demerit points?
Novice drivers over 0% BAC face an immediate roadside suspension instead. See novice rules and impaired driving in Canada.
Back to learning to drive in Newfoundland and Labrador. Related: school bus stopping rules across Canada.
Sources
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Motor Registration Division, “Graduated Driver Licencing Program” (gov.nl.ca)
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Motor Registration Division, “Demerit Point System” (gov.nl.ca)
- House of Assembly Newfoundland and Labrador, “Highway Traffic Demerit Point System Regulations”, CNLR 753/96 (assembly.nl.ca)
- House of Assembly Newfoundland and Labrador, “Highway Traffic Driver Regulations, 1999”, NLR 110/98 (assembly.nl.ca)
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, “Driver’s Handbook” (gov.nl.ca)
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Motor Registration Division, “Approved Driving Schools” (gov.nl.ca)
- Department of Digital Government and Service NL, Motor Registration fees policy, 21 December 2023 (gov.nl.ca)