Last updated: July 25, 2026
A driver's abstract is the official record of your driving history, issued by the licensing authority of the province that holds your licence. Employers call it a driver's abstract, a driving record, a driver record or an MVR; every one of those names points at the same document. It is not a criminal record check, it does not come from the police, and no single national version exists: each province issues its own, covering its own period, through its own process.
On this page:
- What shows up on a driver's abstract
- What a clean abstract means
- Who asks for one, and why
- Abstract vs licence verification vs criminal check
- How to get a driver's abstract, province by province
- Frequently asked questions
What Shows Up on a Driver's Abstract
The core contents are similar across the country: identification details, the class of licence you hold, driving convictions within the record's window, demerit points where the province uses them, and licence suspensions. The window differs by province, and that difference matters more than most people expect. Ontario's standard record covers three years of convictions; British Columbia's abstract reaches back five. A ticket that has aged off one province's record could still be visible on another's.
Just as important is what an abstract does not show. It carries no criminal history, and a criminal record check carries no driving history: most driving offences are provincial matters that never touch the CPIC database. An employer screening drivers needs both documents, because neither substitutes for the other.
What a Clean Abstract Means
A clean abstract is one with no convictions, no demerit points and no suspensions inside the record's window. It does not mean a lifetime of perfect driving; it means the window is clear. That is why the length of the window matters when a job posting demands a clean abstract: three clear years in Ontario is a different bar than five clear years in BC. Serious convictions, such as impaired driving, also appear on a criminal record and outlast any abstract window there.
Who Asks for One, and Why
Four groups generate nearly all abstract requests. Employers hiring anyone who drives for work, from long-haul to last-mile to sales territories, screen at hiring and often annually (the transportation and logistics guide covers that sector's full screening stack). Federally and provincially regulated carriers must review their drivers' abstracts at least once a year under the National Safety Code, so for fleets the abstract is a recurring obligation rather than a one-off. Insurers pull driving records when underwriting. Staffing agencies placing drivers screen on their clients' standards. And volunteer organisations that put people behind the wheel, from community shuttles to meal delivery, increasingly ask as well.
For hiring, the abstract almost never travels alone. The standard screening package for a driving role pairs the abstract with a criminal record check, and often a broader pre-employment screen. The record-check half runs online in about 15 minutes through Instant Record Check; the abstract half comes from the provincial authority, and the sections below cover exactly where. Employers screening at volume can set this up once through a business account.
Abstract vs Licence Verification vs Criminal Check
Three different questions get mixed together under "checking a driver", and they have three different answers. A driver's licence verification confirms a licence is valid today: current status, correct class, not suspended. It is the fastest and lightest check, and for gig platforms it is often all that is required. A driver's abstract is the history: convictions, demerits and suspensions across the record window. A criminal record check covers criminal history and says nothing about driving. Fleet and staffing screening typically uses all three; knowing which one a contract actually demands saves both money and days.
How to Get a Driver's Abstract, Province by Province
Each licensing authority issues its own record. The two largest provinces are covered in detail in their own guides:
- Ontario: ServiceOntario issues the 3-year driver record for $12 uncertified, delivered as a PDF by email when ordered online. Anyone with a valid licence number can order one. Full details in our Ontario driver's abstract guide.
- British Columbia: ICBC issues a five-year abstract, ordered fastest through My ICBC and delivered by email, digitally certified. Full details in our BC driver's abstract guide.
- Alberta: ordered through Alberta registry agents.
- Saskatchewan: issued by SGI.
- Manitoba: issued by Manitoba Public Insurance.
- Quebec: issued by the SAAQ.
- Nova Scotia: ordered through Access Nova Scotia.
- New Brunswick: ordered through Service New Brunswick.
- Newfoundland and Labrador: issued by the Motor Registration Division.
- Prince Edward Island: ordered through Access PEI.
Fees, processing times and whether an employer can order on a driver's behalf differ by province, and several authorities revise them without much notice. Confirm on the authority's own site before building a screening process around any of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a driver's abstract?
It is the official record of your driving history, issued by your province's licensing authority. It shows your licence class, driving convictions, demerit points and suspensions within the province's record window, which is three years for Ontario's standard record and five for BC's.
Where do I get a driver's abstract?
From the licensing authority of the province that issued your licence: ServiceOntario in Ontario, ICBC in British Columbia, SGI in Saskatchewan, Manitoba Public Insurance in Manitoba, the SAAQ in Quebec, and registry or service centres in the other provinces. There is no national office that issues abstracts.
Does a driver's abstract show criminal history?
No. An abstract records driving matters only. Criminal history appears on a criminal record check, which is a separate search of the RCMP's CPIC database, and most driving offences never appear there because they are provincial, not criminal.
What does a clean driver's abstract mean?
No convictions, demerit points or suspensions within the record's window. Because windows differ by province, a clean three-year Ontario record and a clean five-year BC abstract are different standards.
Do employers need my consent to pull my abstract?
In most provinces yes, and reputable screening always collects it. Ontario is the notable exception: its 3-year driver record can be ordered by anyone who has the licence number, which is worth knowing before you share yours.
Instant Record Check Editorial
Writing on criminal record checks and background screening in Canada.
