1.3 Driving Test, Licence Classes, Renewal and Demerit Points

Barbados Regulation Examination Exam

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1 Chapter 1: The Regulation Examination and the Licensing Path

1.1 The Regulation Examination: Facts, Booking and Study Plan 1.2 Learner's Permit Conditions and Supervision 1.3 Driving Test, Licence Classes, Renewal and Demerit Points

2 Chapter 2: Traffic Signs

2.1 Sign Shapes, Colours and Legal Force 2.2 Warning Signs in the Ninth Schedule 2.3 Regulatory Signs: Prohibitions and Mandatory Orders 2.4 Information Signs, Temporary Signs and Construction Zones

3 Chapter 3: Light Signals, Driver Signals and Police Directions

3.1 Traffic Light Signals 3.2 Driver Signals, the Horn and Police Directions

4 Chapter 4: Road Markings and Pedestrian Crossings

4.1 Road Markings and Lane Use 4.2 Pedestrian Crossings

5 Chapter 5: Road Position, Overtaking, Junctions and Roundabouts

5.1 Keeping Left, Being Overtaken and Overtaking 5.2 Junctions, Turning and Emerging 5.3 Roundabouts

6 Chapter 6: Speed Limits and Stopping Distances

6.1 Barbados Speed Limits 6.2 Following Distance and Stopping Distance

7 Chapter 7: Stopping, Parking and Lights

7.1 Stopping, Waiting and Parking Rules 7.2 Lighting-Up Times and Use of Lights

8 Chapter 8: Vehicle Condition, Loads and Occupant Safety

8.1 Vehicle Condition, Equipment, Loads and Towing 8.2 Seat Belts and Child Safety Seats

9 Chapter 9: Alcohol, Drugs, Distraction and Fitness to Drive

9.1 Alcohol, Drugs and the Breath-Test Law 9.2 Phones, Distractions, Fatigue and Fitness to Drive

10 Chapter 10: Sharing the Road

10.1 Pedestrians, Children and Processions 10.2 Cyclists and Motorcyclists 10.3 Animals, Animal-Drawn Vehicles and Slow Traffic 10.4 Emergency Vehicles, Buses and Public Service Vehicles

11 Chapter 11: Accidents, Insurance and Traffic Offences

11.1 Duties After an Accident 11.2 Insurance, Documents and Traffic Offences

12 Chapter 12: Defensive Driving and Emergencies

12.1 Defensive Driving and Hazard Perception 12.2 Rain, Night, Breakdowns and Emergencies

1.3 Driving Test, Licence Classes, Renewal and Demerit Points

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

The driving examination costs BBD $100, the fee is payable whatever the result, and the examiner must be satisfied you know the Highway Code or the rules of the road (ss.65 and 71).

Since the 2022 amendment, licences for heavy goods vehicles, motor tractors, hired cars, self-driven cars and contract carriages need age 18, and omnibus or PSV licences need age 25.

A licence runs for 1, 3 or 5 years and is renewed in your birth month; drivers aged 70 or older need a medical certificate and renew for no more than 1 year.

You must carry your licence or a government ID; if you show only the ID, you have 24 hours to produce the licence at the police station named (s.74 as replaced in 2017).

The Licensing Authority records demerit points: 14 or more within one year means a 6-month suspension (s.79).

Last updated: October 2026

The Regulation Examination tests what you know. The driving examination tests whether you can apply it. Many theory questions also cover the licence itself: who may hold which class, how long it lasts, what you must carry, and how demerit points work.

The driving examination

Booking and fee. The BLA requires an appointment, proof of identity and a valid learner permit . The fee is BBD $100 and, under s.71(2), it is payable "irrespective of the result of the test."

What the examiner checks (s.65(5)). The test is taken on a vehicle of the class you want. The examiner must be satisfied that you are conversant with the Highway Code or the rules of the road, that you can drive "without danger to, and with due consideration for, other users of the road," and that you meet any other requirements in the regulations.

Restrictions. If you pass in a particular type of vehicle, such as an automatic or an adapted vehicle, the examiner issues a certificate of competence setting out the restrictions, and the BLA prints them on the licence (s.65(6) and (7)).

The licence. With the pass certificate you apply for the licence card. The BLA fee is BBD $50 .

Classes of licence and minimum ages

Section 68(2) groups vehicles into classes: private motor cars; motor cycles; public service vehicles; light and heavy goods vehicles; land tractors and motor tractors ; and any other class the Minister sets by order. A licence is valid only for the class or classes endorsed on it.

Licence for Minimum age Source
Private motor car (BLA services) 16 BLA service pages
Light goods vehicle, land tractor, heavy motor cycle 16 s.69(2)

Contract carriage, heavy goods vehicle, hired car, motor tractor, self-driven car 18 s.69 as amended by the Road Traffic (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2022

Motor omnibus or public service vehicle 25 s.69 as amended, 2022

Driving a class of vehicle while under the prescribed age is an offence under s.70, for the driver and for anyone who permits it.

Fitness to drive

Under s.66 the Licensing Authority must be satisfied that an applicant's vision, hearing and physical and mental fitness are adequate, and it may require a medical certificate or a further test. If your vision only meets the standard with glasses or contact lenses, wear them whenever you drive.

Duration and renewal (s.76)

A licence may be issued or renewed for 1 year, 3 years or 5 years , and it is issued or renewed in the month in which you were born .

At 70 or older , you must produce a medical certificate to renew, the licence may not be granted or renewed for more than 1 year at a time , and the Licensing Authority may require a test.

If a licence has gone 3 years without renewal , the Licensing Authority may require a new driving test.

Carrying and producing your licence

Section 74, as replaced by the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2017-26 , requires the driver of a motor vehicle on a public road to have the driving licence or a government-issued identification card in their possession, and to produce it when a police officer or a transport inspector in uniform asks. If you produce only the ID card, you must produce the licence at the police station they name within 24 hours . The penalty is a fine of BBD $1,000 or 12 months' imprisonment, or both. Section 42, as amended, sets the same 24-hour window for producing your certificate of insurance .

Demerit points (s.79 and the Sixth Schedule)

When a driver is convicted of an offence listed in the Sixth Schedule, the Licensing Authority records the points shown against it. The court does not.

Points on your record What happens
More than 10 but fewer than 14 The Licensing Authority sends you a notice of your total

14 or more but fewer than 18 You may be called to an interview to show cause why your licence should not be suspended

14 or more within one year Licence suspended for 6 months
18 or more over a period longer than one year Licence suspended for 3 months

Points are expunged after 3 years if no further points are recorded, and they are wiped when a suspension of 3 months or more has been served. You may appeal a suspension to the High Court within 10 days. Driving while suspended is punishable by a fine of BBD $1,000 or 12 months' imprisonment, plus a further 6-month suspension.

The Sixth Schedule ranks offences in groups. The most serious group is not stopping after an accident and not reporting an accident involving injury. Examples further down include failing to obey a stop sign, a light signal or a police officer's lawful direction , and overtaking improperly (4 points each). Not signalling, exceeding the limit by 20 km/h or more, causing unnecessary obstruction and parking in a restricted place carry 2 points each. In January 2026 the Government announced a reform of the fixed-penalty and demerit regimes, so check the BLA for current details.