Frenquently asked questions

The current foreign driver’s licence (class 5 in Quebec) is valid for the first 6 months of settling in Quebec.

It is prohibited to drive the following vehicles with a foreign licence (even if the licence allows it):

• a truck (1)
• an emergency vehicle
• a bus (2)
• a minibus (4B)
• a taxi

For these vehicles, it is not possible to exchange the licence, and you will have to retake the tests to obtain a Quebec driver’s licence of the appropriate class. To do this, you must meet the obligations specific to each class of licence and submit to the gradual access to driving process.

First, it is mandatory to obtain a class 5 driver’s licence. The foreign worker should therefore start the licence exchange process as soon as they settle in Quebec.

Quebec has concluded Reciprocity Agreements or administrative agreements with other authorities to facilitate driver’s licence exchanges:

• Germany and Austria
• Belgium, France, and Switzerland
• Great Britain: England, Wales, and Scotland
• the Isle of Man
• Northern Ireland
• Japan
• The Netherlands: Holland and the Dutch Antilles (Saint Martin, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, and Sint Eustatius)
• Republic of Korea (South Korea)
• Taiwan

LICENCE EXCHANGES

Procedure

2019 federal tax table:

2019 provincial tax table:

Other deductions are applied to a paycheque:

At the federal level:

• Employment insurance: 1.62% – for Quebec, 1.25%

At the provincial level:

• Quebec Pension Plan: rate of 5.55%
• Quebec Parental Insurance Plan: rate of 0.736%

In Quebec, driving a heavy vehicle generally requires obtaining a class 1, 2, or 3 licence. Generally speaking, these classes permit the operation of most vehicles or road vehicle combinations with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,500 kg or more, as well as buses with more than 24 passengers. In Quebec, because of the conditions for access to driving, these classes can only be obtained starting from age 19 or 20.[1]

In response to concerns from the trucking industry about their hiring, the Enriched Heavy Vehicle Driver Training Program (EHVDTP) aims to allow around 300 young drivers aged 17 and 18 to drive a class 1, 2, or 3 heavy vehicle. Candidates must participate in a suitable training program and take a supervised internship within a company promoting gradual employment integration. In short, this program allows young people to gain faster access to the road network safely while driving heavy vehicles.

CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE EHVDTP

To be eligible, the student/participant must:

1. Be aged 17 or 18 at the start of the program;
2. Hold a class 5 probationary licence;
3. Have a driving record at the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) without any demerit points or driver’s licence suspensions or revocations in the past two years at the start of the program;
4. Meet the eligibility criteria for the Truck Transport or Bus Driving vocational training programs (school board);
5. Have an internship promise from a company eligible for the EHVDTP;
6. Attend an information meeting;
7. Meet the medical requirements to drive a heavy vehicle (SAAQ);
8. Authorize the communication of personal information between the SAAQ, the company where they are doing their internship, and the school board in order to facilitate the evaluation of the EHVDTP as well as the related administrative activities.

TO LEARN MORE
Please communicate directly with the transport training centres designated by the EHVDTP:

Centre de formation en transport de Charlesbourg
René Tremblay
(418) 634-5580, ext. 3599
1-866-849-5580
Rene.tremblay.2@csdps.qc.ca

Centre de formation en transport routier de Saint-Jérôme
René Labrie
(450) 435-0167, ext. 7144
1-877-435-0167
labrier@csrdn.qc.ca

[1] Evaluation Framework: Enriched Heavy Vehicle Driver Training Program (EHVDTP), August 2016, by Véronique Bélanger and Ann Paquet