Permis PrêtHow many demerit points can you get on a learner’s licence in Québec?
New drivers have a very low limit: one offence can be enough.
Short answer: with a learner’s licence or a probationary licence, the SAAQ revokes the licence as soon as your record shows 4 or more demerit points. No new licence is issued for at least 3 months. Points stay on your record for 2 years.
The 4-point limit
The Code de la sécurité routière (Highway Safety Code) provides for revoking a learner’s licence (for someone who has never held a driver’s licence) and a probationary licence once the points reach the number set by regulation (Code de la sécurité routière, s. 191.2). That number is 4 (Règlement sur les points d’inaptitude, the demerit points regulation, s. 5.1). For comparison, full licence holders have an age-based limit (same regulation, s. 5):
| Licence | Revoked at |
|---|---|
| Learner’s or probationary | 4 points |
| Driver’s licence, under 23 | 8 points |
| Driver’s licence, age 23 or 24 | 12 points |
| Driver’s licence, 25 or older | 15 points |
Offences that are enough on their own
Several common offences carry 4 points or more, so a single conviction can cost a learner the licence (Règlement sur les points d’inaptitude, schedule):
| Offence | Points |
|---|---|
| Driving without an accompanying driver, or between midnight and 5 a.m. (learner) | 4 |
| Driving with any alcohol in your body when the zero-alcohol rule applies to you | 4 |
| Not slowing down or moving over for a stopped vehicle with its lights on (safety corridor) | 4 |
| Using a hand-held phone or a non-permitted screen | 5 |
| Not stopping for a school bus with flashing red lights | 9 |
| Running a red light or a stop sign | 3 |
| Not wearing a seat belt | 3 |
| Speeding by 21–30 km/h / by 31–45 km/h | 2 / 3 |
Smaller offences add up too: for example, a red light (3) followed by a minor speeding ticket (1) within two years.
How long is the licence revoked?
The minimum period depends on how many points are on your record and on any similar sanction in the previous two years (Code de la sécurité routière, s. 191.2):
| Points on record | Minimum period, with no similar sanction in the past 2 years |
|---|---|
| 4 to 7 | 3 months |
| 8 to 11 | 6 months |
| 12 or more | 12 months |
If a points-based revocation or suspension was already imposed in the previous two years, the period is longer (6 or 12 months, depending on the case).
What happens next
- Learner: once the sanction ends, you go to an SAAQ service centre to get a new licence (Guide de la route, ch. 1).
- Probationary: you must first pass a reinstatement knowledge test (Guide de la route, ch. 1). If you fail it, you wait 28 days before trying again (SAAQ brochure “Les points d’inaptitude”).
- The 12 months of learning and 24 months of probation only build up while your licence is valid, so the time without a licence pushes everything back (Guide de la route, ch. 1).
How points are counted
- They are recorded after a conviction; paying the ticket counts as pleading guilty (Guide de la route, ch. 1).
- They stay on your record for the two years after the conviction (SAAQ brochure “Les points d’inaptitude”).
- When a licence is revoked, the SAAQ removes 4 points from the record; any extra points stay until they expire. Renewing a licence or getting a new one does not erase points (Guide de la route, ch. 1).
- An offence committed in Ontario, Maine or New York State is handled as if it happened in Québec (SAAQ brochure “Les points d’inaptitude”).
Key points for the test
- Learner and probationary licences: 4 points = revoked for at least 3 months.
- A phone ticket (5 points) or a school-bus offence (9 points) is enough on its own.
- Points stay on the record for 2 years.
Original questions with explanations and sources, “Highway Safety Code” section.
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See also
- Zero alcohol for new drivers
- Cell phone while driving: points and penalties
- Probationary licence rules
Official sources
- Code de la sécurité routière (Highway Safety Code, CQLR c. C-24.2), s. 191.2
- Règlement sur les points d’inaptitude (Regulation respecting demerit points, CQLR c. C-24.2, r. 37), ss. 5 and 5.1, schedule (items 1, 3, 6, 18, 20, 21, 21.2, 26.1, 27)
- SAAQ, Guide de la route (driver’s handbook, French 4th ed., 2024), ch. 1, “Les points d’inaptitude” and related sections
- SAAQ brochure “Les points d’inaptitude” (French, PDF)
General information page, current as of 2026-10-28. If in doubt, the official text prevails. Rules can change: check saaq.gouv.qc.ca and legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca.