Drivers Licence Alberta: The 90 Day Guide for New Residents

The drivers licence Alberta rules for new residents start with one number: 90 days. That is your deadline to exchange the licence you arrived with. Some licences swap at a registry counter with no test. Others need a knowledge test, a Class 7 licence and then a road test. This guide covers both paths, the papers to bring and where a lesson fits. Every licensing fact here comes from alberta.ca.

How long do you have to exchange your licence in Alberta?

• You must exchange your current licence for an Alberta driver's licence within 90 days of becoming a resident.
• The 90 days keep counting even if you travel outside Alberta.
• The swap happens at a registry agent office, and your old licence is not returned to you.
• Visitors can drive on a valid home licence for up to one year.

Which licences swap without a knowledge test or road test?

Other Canadian provinces and territories

From another province or territory, you need no knowledge test and no road test. You surrender the licence and show proof of Alberta residence and legal status in Canada.

Countries with a reciprocal agreement

These licences also swap with no tests. Which class of driver licence Alberta gives you depends on the agreement, most often a Class 5.

• The United States, for a Class 5, 6 or 7 licence. Other US classes need all the tests.
• Ukraine, for a Class B or BE licence.
• Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea and Taiwan.
• Europe, Austria to Greece: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany and Greece.
• Europe, Guernsey to Luxembourg: Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Kingdom of Denmark, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Luxembourg.
• Europe, Malta to United Kingdom: Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

With less than 2 years on your Class 5 or 6, you may be placed in the Graduated Driver Licensing program, or GDL. Proof of 2 or more years of driving keeps you out of it. For these drivers, the drivers licence Alberta exchange is a counter visit, not a test day.

Which licences need the knowledge test and the road test?

If your country is not on the list, you take the tests, in this order.

1. Take the Class 7 knowledge test at a registry agent office. It has 30 multiple-choice questions on Alberta's traffic laws, and 25 right answers pass. You can take it once a day, for a fee each time, in any of 25 languages.
2. Surrender every licence you hold, valid or expired, with proof of Alberta residence and legal status in Canada. You then receive a Class 7 licence.
3. Drive with a supervisor for now: someone over 18 with a full Class 5 or higher, in the front passenger seat.
4. Pass the Class 5 road test. Book it online through the Alberta Road Test Scheduler or at a registry agent. You need the 9-digit number near the barcode on your Alberta licence.

How to get Alberta driver's licence credit for your experience

Alberta calls this the GDL Exemption Program. Without it, a learner holds a Class 7 for at least 12 months, then spends 24 months on GDL. With it, your driving history can exempt you from part or all of GDL.

• Read the GDL Exemption User Guide on alberta.ca.
• Fill in the Application for Graduated Driver Licensing Exemption at a registry office, with originals only and a translation for anything not in English.
• Go back after 10 business days to confirm acceptance and book your road test.
• With proof of 2 or more years of experience, the driving licence Alberta issues after the road test is a full Class 5. With less, it is a Class 5-GDL licence, a 24 month probation with conditions such as a zero alcohol level.
• Completing a Class 5 driver training program can cut the 24 months by up to 6 months.

What to bring to the registry agent

Bring originals only. Any document not in English needs a translation from an approved translator.

• Every licence you hold, valid or expired, plus any International Driver's Permit. All are surrendered.
• Proof of identity and legal status: a Permanent Resident card, a federal permit or visa, a Refugee Protection Claimant Document, or a Canadian passport.
• Proof of your Alberta address, dated within the last 90 days and showing your full name. A utility bill, a bank statement or a lease works.
• Proof of 2 or more years of driving experience, if you want a full Class 5.

Where to go in Edmonton

Use the Find a Registry Agent tool on alberta.ca and pick Edmonton from the city list. Every drivers licence Alberta exchange happens at one of these offices, and the same offices run the knowledge test and book road tests. Each agent sets its own road test fee.

What City Driving School offers

City Driving School is an Alberta Transportation approved driving school, teaching in Edmonton since 2009. More than 6,000 students have passed with us. Whichever drivers licence Alberta path you are on, one of these fits.

• Swapped without a test, but local roads feel new? Book a Brush-Up, two hours in the car for $120 in Zones A and B, $130 in Zone C, plus GST.
• Facing the Class 5 road test? The 6 Hour on Road Training is $360 in Zones A and B, $395 in Zone C, plus GST. Bring your Class 7 licence to every lesson.
• No car for test day? Car Use for Road Test puts our car at the registry, $90 plus GST. Car Use with Training adds a practice hour with an instructor first, $150 plus GST.

Our instructors, men and women, are certified by Alberta Transportation. Pickup and drop-off are free inside our service areas.