You must inform the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec of your change of address within 30 days following the change. To do so, you can use the Service québécois de changement d'adresse. This service allows you not only to make the change for your driver’s licence, registration certificate and, if applicable, disabled parking permit at once, but also to your file in five other government departments and agencies.
The Société will send you a confirmation to be kept with the driver’s licence. If you have not received a confirmation from the Société within 10 days of moving to your new address, contact the Société.
If you wish to communicate your new address to the Société only, other options are also available.
Anyone who drives a vehicle must hold a valid driver's licence and meet the associated requirements.
Your driver's licence must include your photo and signature, unless you have been exempted from this requirement by the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (for instance, if you live in a municipality not connected to Québec's road network). The classes identifying the types of vehicles that you are permitted to drive and any applicable conditions are also shown on the licence.
Classes of Driver's Licences
A driver's licence may be issued for any of the following classes:
- Class 1: Heavy vehicle combinations
- Class 2: Buses
- Class 3: Trucks
- Class 4A: Emergency vehicles
- Class 4B: Small buses and minibuses
- Class 4C: Taxis
- Class 5: Automobiles
- Class 6A: Motorcycles (any kind)
- Class 6B: Motorcycles with a cylinder capacity of 400 cc or less
- Class 6C: Motorcycles with cylinder capacity of 125 cc or less
- Class 6D: Mopeds and scooters
- Class 6E: Three-wheeled motorcycles
- Class 8: Tractors
Mandatory Declaration of Illness
You must report to the SAAQ:
- any known health problems, when you obtain your first driver's licence or a new class of licence
- any changes affecting your state of health, at any time thereafter
Driving Restrictions
Driving restrictions related to your state of health or to the consumption of drugs and alcohol may be added to your licence and entered in your file. They will remain there as long as is deemed necessary, from a medical standpoint, to ensure our roads are safe. The SAAQ may also require you to submit medical reports.
These restrictions are indicated by letters and described on the back of your driver's licence.
Validity Period
To be valid, your driver's licence must not have expired or been suspended or revoked.
However, if your licence has been revoked as a result of demerit points or a conviction for alcohol-impaired driving, you may request a restricted licence. A restricted licence allows you to drive only for employment purposes or, with a judge's approval, in specified situations.
Driving Record
Every driver's licence holder has a driving record at the SAAQ. Records include information such as:
- the status of the licence
- the licence class or classes
- the conditions under which the licence holder is allowed to drive
- the licence holder's driving experience
- demerit points on the licence holder's record
- any offences committed
- any medical decisions that concern the licence holder
You can request a copy of your driving record. It can also be obtained by another person (such as a lawyer, an insurer, an employer or the owner of a fleet of vehicles), but only with your consent.
Conduct Record (Heavy Vehicles)
Everyone who holds a driver’s licence for a heavy vehicle (Classes 1, 2 or 3) has a conduct record at the SAAQ that includes his or her driving record and a document entitled Monitoring of Heavy Vehicle Driver Conduct, which provides the following information:
- accidents in which the driver was involved
- offences and out-of-service orders
- any critical event that occurred while the licence holder was working (e.g., impaired driving, speeding by 41 km/h or more, refusal to obey a peace officer, etc.)
- the total number of points accumulated by the driver in each conduct area
- the driver’s level of excellence, if he or she is a member of the Excellence Program for Heavy Vehicle Drivers
- any prohibition from driving a heavy vehicle ordered by the Commission des transports du Québec
The licence holder can request a copy of his or her conduct record.
Annual Fees
Every year, roughly 45 days before the payment deadline, the SAAQ will send you a payment notice. The amount billed includes your licence fees as well as your insurance contribution.
Annual fees are not the same things as licence renewal fees.
Licence Renewal
Your driver's licence (the plasticized document) must be renewed every 4 or 8 years, depending on the situation.
Since your driver's licence expires at the same time as your health insurance card, you can renew both at the same time using the notice of renewal sent by the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec.
If you do not wish to renew your driver's licence at that time, you must inform the SAAQ by the date shown on the notice. Your licence will then be cancelled.
Cancellation and Refund
A driver's licence can be cancelled at any time in the following circumstances:
- the driver gives up driving
- the driver's licence has been revoked or suspended
- the driver is issued a foreign driver's licence
- upon the driver's death
If a driver's licence is cancelled before it expires, a refund may be obtained for any complete months remaining before the expiry date. If the licence holder is deceased, the fees will be refunded to the liquidator of the succession.
New Driver's Licence following a Cancellation or Expiry
If your driver's licence has been cancelled or is expired, you can request a new one if your old licence has not been suspended or revoked.
However, if your licence has been cancelled or expired for 3 years or more, you must first pass the required theoretical and road tests.
Change of Address
You must notify the SAAQ of any change of address by the prescribed deadline. The SAAQ will send you a sticker to affix to the back of your licence or a document to be kept with it.
Since the clientele and requirements can vary, this information is provided under each service.
