Driver Licensing > Overview
You are able to renew your licence and have your photo taken at any Autopac agent.
If you are applying for your first driver’s licence, are moving to Manitoba or renewing, your Autopac agent will be happy to help you.
If you have held a driver’s licence in another country, we require certain information so we can determine the Class and Stage of licence you should hold in Manitoba.
To obtain your first driver's licence, you must be at least 16 years old, or 15½ if enrolled in the High School Driver Education program. If you are not in Driver Education you should:
- Visit an Autopac agent with your identity documents and register as a Manitoba Public Insurance customer. You must meet identity requirements.
- Once you have done that, the agent will take your photograph and capture your signature.
- The agent will provide you with a document – it’s called a Change Particulars – that you will need to take the knowledge test you must pass before you get a Learner’s permit.
Later, you will also have to pass a road test. If you are successful in both, you will be on your way to earning full driving privileges.
Your driver’s licence is made up of two costs:
- a $20 fixed fee, and
- $45 insurance
If you keep driving safely, the insurance on your licence will cost less over time. You can save up to $30.
All new drivers should consider taking lessons from an approved and accredited driving instructor.
Under Manitoba’s Graduated Driver Licensing program, you will be given a Learner's Permit after you pass the knowledge test, for a minimum of nine months. This is followed by an Intermediate licence, issued for a minimum of 15 months, and after that comes a Full licence.
Each stage puts specific restrictions on the new driver to encourage good, safe driving. The GDL program does not discriminate by age, gender or geographic location.
A key part of your licence is your photograph. So, before you get your first licence, you need to get your picture taken at any Autopac agent, or at one of our service locations.
Your driver’s licence also shows what class of licence you have, and what stage of GDL you’re in.
A number from 1 to 6 shows the class of licence you have.
One or more of the following letters shows the stage of GDL you’re in:
- L – Learner
- I –Intermediate
- F–Full
- A – Authorized Instruction
- M–Motorcycle Training Course only
The other card many drivers carry with their licence is the Donor Card. By signing a donor card, you can indicate your wish to donate organs or tissue for transplant, research or education.
Donor cards are available wherever you renew your driver’s licence or Autopac policy. You can also download a donor card from www.transplantmanitoba.ca.
You are required to notify Manitoba Public Insurance or your Autopac agent within 15 days of any change in your name or address.
For more information, visit or call an Autopac agent or call Manitoba Public Insurance at (204) 985-7000 in the Winnipeg calling area or toll-free 1 (800) 665-2410.
Illegal Use of Driver’s Licence
You may be fined and your driver’s licence suspended if you misuse a driver’s licence. Examples of misuse include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- allowing someone else to use your driver’s licence;
- misrepresenting yourself when applying for a driver’s licence;
- using an outdated or otherwise invalid licence;
- altering, in any way, a registration card, a licence, a motor vehicle liability insurance
card or a certificate of insurance; - providing false identification when applying for a driver’s licence or permit, or
- holding, at any time, more than one valid driver’s licence
