Driver Licensing > Driver Testing
Who Must Take a Driver Test
You must take a driver test for the class of vehicle you wish to drive if you:
- have never been licensed for that class of vehicle;
- have not held a Manitoba licence within the past four years; or
- hold a licence from outside Canada, the United States or other jurisdictions whose licences are not exchangeable.
You may be required to be re-tested if you:
- have been involved in traffic accidents or convictions;
- have had your licence suspended; or
- have a medical condition that may affect your ability to drive safely.
In addition to English and French we provide knowledge testing in 26 other languages:
| Amharic Arabic Bosnian Chinese |
Cree Croatian Czech Farsi |
German (High) Hindi Hungarian Italian |
Khmer/Cambodian Korean Lao Polish |
Portuguese Punjabi Romanian Russian |
Saulteaux Serbian Spanish Tagalog |
Ukrainian Vietnamese |
We also offer oral knowledge testing with and without certified interpreters for people who may require this service.
First Application for a Driver's Licence
Every new applicant must produce acceptable identification documents. Only original documents will be accepted.
Graduated Driver Licensing
Drivers applying for their first Class 5 Driver’s Licence are in the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Program and are subject to the GDL stages and restrictions.
Manitoba Class 5 Driver’s Licence Stages are:
L Learner Stage (minimum nine months)*
I Intermediate Stage (minimum 15 months)**
F Full Stage
* Supervising driver must be a fully licensed driver for at least three years and have under .05 blood alcohol content.
**A driver is only required to complete the Intermediate Stage once.
Application and Test Requirements
You must be a minimum of 16 years of age to apply for a Class 5 Learner Stage licence. If you are enrolled in a high school driver education course, you can apply for a Class 5 Learner Stage Licence when you are 15 ½. Consent of either a parent or legal guardian is required for anyone under 18 years of age.
Before you can get a Learner Stage licence, you must have your identification verified. The most convenient way to do this is to visit an Autopac agent with acceptable identification documents before you schedule your knowledge test.
i) For a Class 5 licence: Before taking the test, you must register as a Manitoba Public Insurance customer and provide proper identification documents. The most convenient way to register is through an Autopac agent as soon as possible. The test assesses your knowledge of traffic laws, safe driving practices and recognition of road signs. (It is not an open book test; cellular phones or electronic devices cannot be used during the test.) The test charge is $10 (subject to change) per test. If you are in GDL and fail the knowledge test, there is a seven-day waiting period to retake it. Only one knowledge test per class of licence is allowed per day – If you are outside of the GDL program you are eligible to repeat a knowledge test the next working day.
If you are under 18 years of age, parent or legal guardian approval is required to take the knowledge test. Driver Education students under the age of 16 must provide a completed Parental Approval form before taking the knowledge test.
ii) After passing the knowledge test and meeting the visual and medical standards, in order to drive, you will be required to purchase a licence. Your photo will be taken and your signature will be captured. The DSR Calculator can help you determine the cost.
B) Visual and Medical Requirements
Applicants who fail to meet minimum vision standards, with or without corrective lenses, cannot obtain a driver's licence. If corrective lenses are required for driving, this will be indicated on your licence. Applicants who fail to meet the minimum medical or vision standards may have their licences suspended until further information is filed. A vision and/or medical report may be required. If you have a disease or disability that may affect your ability to drive safely, you must inform Medical Records before taking the knowledge test:
Medical Compliance and Assessments
Box 6300
Winnipeg Manitoba R3C 4A4Phone (204) 985-1900 or toll-free (866) 617-6676
If a medical report is required, it must be approved by Medical Compliance and Assessments before you can take the knowledge test or enrol in a Driver Education course.
Manitoba Health will NOT pay for third party requests for a medical report including any related examinations, tests or telephone calls to the physician. Applicants are responsible for these costs.
During the Class 5 road test, you will be evaluated on your driving skills. You will be required to operate your vehicle in typical traffic situations in a safe and legal manner. The road test not only measures your ability to operate a specific class of vehicle; it also identifies areas where improvement is required.
Please ensure you check in 15 minutes before your appointment time. You must supply a vehicle in good working order and produce a Vehicle Registration Certificate confirming the vehicle is properly registered and insured.
Driver's licence applicants who have not held a full driver's licence any time will be placed in the Graduated Driver Licence program and are subject to a nine month learning period before they are eligible to take a road test. Only one test per class of licence is allowed per day. If you are outside of GDL you are eligible to repeat a road test the next working day. If you are in the GDL program and fail the road test, there is a 14-day waiting period to retake it.
If you currently hold an out of country driver's licence, you are required to surrender this licence before you can obtain the Manitoba learner's licence. Once you obtain the MB learner's licence, you are required to have a supervising driver with you when driving a motor vehicle.
Change of name or address
You are required to notify your Autopac agent or Manitoba Public Insurance within 15 days of any change in your name or address. For more information please call us at: (204) 985-7000 or toll-free at 1-800-665-2410.
Information on booking appointments for knowledge (written) or road test in Winnipeg or outside Winnipeg.
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