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 disease or disability that may affect your ability to drive safely.
In addition to English and French we provide knowledge (written) testing in 27 other languages:
| Arabic Bosnian Cambodian Chinese |
Cree Croatian Czech Farsi |
Filipino German (High) Hindi Hungarian |
Italian Korean Kurdish Lao |
Persian Polish Portuguese Punjabi |
Romanian Saulteaux Serbian Serbo-Croatian |
Spanish 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 identity documents. Only original documents will be accepted.
Graduated Driver Licensing
Drivers who apply 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 9 months)*
I Intermediate Stage (minimum 15 months)**
F Full Stage
* Supervising driver must be fully licensed driver for at least 3 years and have under .05 blood alcohol content.
**A driver is only required to complete the Intermediate Stage once. Therefore, time served in the Intermediate Stage in Class 6 will be applied to the Intermediate Stage in Class 5.
Application and Test Requirements
An applicant for a Class 5 Learner Stage licence must be a minimum of 16 years of age. At age 15 1/2, an applicant may apply for a Class 5 Learner Stage Licence if enrolled in a high school driver education course. Consent of either a parent or legal guardian is required if the applicant is 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 identity documents before you schedule your knowledge test. The agent can pre-register you as a customer, provide you with a document called "Change Particulars" that will tell testers you have met the identity requirements and expedite your permanent Learner Stage licence once you have passed the 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 an applicant is 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 driver education form before taking the knowledge test for a driver’s licence.
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 licence suspended until further information is filed. A vision and/or medical report may be required. Before taking a knowledge test, an applicant for a driver’s licence who has a disease or disability that may affect their ability to drive safely must inform:
Medical Records
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 Records 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.
The Class 5 road test not only measures your ability to operate a specific class of vehicle; it also identifies errors that need to be corrected. You will be required to operate your vehicle in typical traffic situations in a safe and legal manner. You will be judged on your driving skills. Only authorized Manitoba Public Insurance employees may ride with you during the test.
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. The vehicle must have adequate seating for the driver examiner. Failure to do so will result in the cancellation of the road test. Road tests will not be conducted in heavy or agricultural equipment.
Applicants for a driver’s licence who have not held a driver’s licence any time prior to April 1, 2002, from any jurisdiction, 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. An applicant who demonstrates dangerous driving during their road test may have to obtain permission from the Registrar before attempting another road test. 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 or currently hold a Manitoba driver's licence higher than a Class 5L/5A or 6L/6A, and are taking a road test, a test failure will result in declassifying your driver's licence to a Learner or Authorized Stage. This will require you 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 rural Manitoba.
