Driving Tests

Moving to Manitoba: How to Exchange Your Driver's Licence (3 Months)

informational·how to guide·Published September 11, 2026

How long can I drive in Manitoba on my old licence after I move?

You can drive on a valid licence from another province, territory or U.S. state for the first three months after you become a Manitoba resident. To keep driving, get a Manitoba licence from Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) and hand in your old one. Tests may be waived if you surrender a valid and equivalent class licence from a reciprocal jurisdiction.

Where these rules come from

This guide uses The Drivers and Vehicles Act (sections 7 and 31), the MPI Graduated Driver Licensing guide (August 2026), the MPI Class Licences brochure (August 2026), the online MPI Driver's Handbook and the MPI guide Establishing Your Identity. It is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with Manitoba Public Insurance (mpi.mb.ca) before you drive.

Which vehicles you may drive in the first three months

The three months count from the time you become a Manitoba resident. In that time you may drive only the class of vehicle that your valid licence allows. A regulated vehicle is covered only if your licence is from a Canadian province or territory or a U.S. state. Regulated vehicles include vehicles or trailers of 4,500 kg or more and buses that carry 11 or more people, including the driver. Since February 10, 2025, a new resident with a commercial licence from outside Canada and the U.S. must get a Manitoba commercial licence before driving any regulated vehicle.

How to exchange your licence for a Manitoba licence

1
Get your identity documents ready
MPI asks for identity documents when you move to Manitoba from another jurisdiction. The ID section below shows what your documents must prove.
2
Ask which tests you must take
Tests may be waived if you surrender a valid and equivalent class licence from a reciprocal jurisdiction. Apply before your first three months as a resident end, and ask MPI which tests apply to you.
3
Hand in your old licence
Under The Drivers and Vehicles Act, you must give your valid out-of-province licence to the registrar before your Manitoba licence is issued.

Who must take tests when moving to Manitoba?

Who must take tests when moving to Manitoba?
Your situation	Tests
You surrender a valid and equivalent class licence from a reciprocal jurisdiction	Tests may be waived
Your licence is from a place outside Canada and the U.S. whose licences are not exchangeable	You must take a driver test
You have never been licensed for the class of vehicle you want to drive	You must take a driver test for that class
You held a Learner Stage licence at home	You take the knowledge and vision tests before you get a Manitoba Learner Stage licence
You had collisions or convictions, a licence suspension, or a disease or disability that may affect safe driving	MPI may ask you to take the tests again

Driving on an out-of-country licence while you test

If your licence is from outside Canada and you must take tests, you may drive on it for the shorter of three months, until it expires, or until you get a Manitoba Class 5L or 5A licence. Then you hand it in and drive under the rules of your Manitoba stage, with a supervising driver. Experienced drivers from outside Manitoba who must test to transfer are not in the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program. They get an Authorized Instruction (Class 5A) licence: see the main Class 5A restriction. The knowledge test costs CAD 12 and the Class 5 road test CAD 35.

Which Manitoba stage you get, and how much time counts

Which Manitoba stage you get, and how much time counts
Your licence at home	Your Manitoba licence
Learner Stage	Learner Stage. Your learner time at home counts toward the nine-month learning period: five months at home gives five months of credit. After more than nine months, you may take the road test immediately.
Intermediate Stage for less than 15 months	Intermediate Stage. Your time counts toward the 15-month stage: 10 months at home gives 10 months of credit.
Intermediate Stage for more than 15 months	Full Stage
Full Stage	Full Stage

Transferring a learner licence: age and supervision

To transfer a learner licence, you must be at least 16, unless you are enrolled in a high school driver education course. As a Manitoba Class 5L driver, you drive only with a supervising driver beside you. Check who can do this job in our guide to supervising driver rules.

Full licence for less than three years: zero alcohol and drugs

If you held a Full Stage licence for less than three years, the Manitoba drug and alcohol restriction applies to you. Full Stage drivers cannot have drugs or alcohol in their system for the first 36 months. You may supervise a novice driver only after you have held a Full Stage licence for more than three years.

What ID new residents must show MPI

Documents that prove five things: birth date, legal names, photograph, Manitoba residence and entitlement to be in Canada.
Two documents that prove you live in Manitoba, each dated within 90 days of your application.
Valid originals only, not photocopies.
If your legal name differs from the name on a document, one or more documents that show the link between the names.
For the list of accepted documents, use the Proving My Identity tool at mpi.mb.ca, or see our guide to the ID documents for a Manitoba licence.

Your situation: what to do next

You moved from another province last month with a valid Full Stage Class 5 licence

Drive on it for now. Apply for your Manitoba licence before your first three months end, and ask MPI if your tests can be waived.

You were a learner at home for 10 months

Pass the Manitoba knowledge and vision tests. Then you may take the road test immediately.

You held a Full Stage licence for two years

You get a Manitoba Full Stage licence. Keep zero drugs and alcohol in your system, and do not supervise a novice driver yet.

You drive trucks on a commercial licence from outside Canada and the U.S.

Get a Manitoba commercial licence before you drive any regulated vehicle in Manitoba.

Key takeaways

You may drive on a valid licence from another province, territory or U.S. state for the first three months after you become a Manitoba resident.
You hand in your old licence before your Manitoba licence is issued. Tests may be waived for a valid and equivalent licence from a reciprocal jurisdiction.
Your stage at home sets your Manitoba stage, and your learner or intermediate time can count.
Bring original documents that prove the five identity elements, and report a new address within 15 days.
Next step: if you must take the knowledge test, practise on the free Manitoba Class 5 practice test. It is in English only.

Moving to Manitoba: common questions

Do I have to give up my old licence when I get a Manitoba one?

Yes. If you apply for any class of Manitoba licence and you hold a valid licence from outside Manitoba, The Drivers and Vehicles Act says you must give it to the registrar before your Manitoba licence is issued. A driver with an out-of-country licence who must test hands it in when the Class 5L or 5A licence is issued.

Do I need to show ID if I already have a licence from another province?

Yes. MPI asks for identity documents when you move to Manitoba from another jurisdiction, not only when you apply for a first licence. Bring valid originals, not photocopies, including two proofs of your Manitoba address dated within 90 days of your application.

Can I take the road test right away if I was a learner in another province?

Yes, if you held a Learner Stage licence for more than nine months. You must first pass the Manitoba knowledge and vision tests. With less time, your learner months count toward the nine-month learning period, so five months at home leaves four months to go in Manitoba.

How soon must I tell MPI my new address?

Within 15 days. Tell your Autopac agent or Manitoba Public Insurance within 15 days of any change in your name or address. The rule applies to every later move too, including a move from one Manitoba address to another.