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The Alcohol Ignition Interlock Program is another tool in our fight against drinking and driving. The ignition interlock is a proven technology that is helping to reduce drinking and driving in other parts of Canada and around the world.

Our goal is to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on the roads. We are confident that this Program will help us achieve it.

For more information on the Program and how it applies to you, please see our online handbook.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Phone: 902-424-5851 (Metro)
1-800-898-7668 (Toll Free)

E-mail: askus@gov.ns.ca

Alcohol Ignition Interlock Program Enrollment Form

Interlock Program User Handbook

Initial Application Fee

Released April 1, 2015

New Licence Reinstatement Process for
Permanently Revoked Drivers

As of April 1, 2015, there is the possibility for licence reinstatement through the Alcohol Ignition Interlock Program (AIIP) for permanently revoked drivers.  There is a multi-step application process to determine if permanently revoked drivers can apply for AIIP. If a permanently revoked driver does not apply for reinstatement, they remain permanently revoked.

Am I eligible?

In the 10 years before submitting an application for prescreening, you must have no history of operating a motor vehicle in any jurisdiction.

1st example: Your licence was permanently revoked on April 1, 2005. Your earliest possible pre-screening application date is April 1, 2015 but only if you have no history of driving during that 10 year period. 

2nd example: Your licence was permanently revoked on April 1, 2005. Your earliest possible pre-screening application date is April 1, 2015.  However, you continued to drive illegally and your record shows a conviction on April 1, 2010. You will have to wait at least another 10 years before you can apply for the prescreening.  If you have no history of driving during that 10 year period, you will be eligible to apply on April 1, 2020.

*If you do not know the date of your last conviction, you can call 902-424-5587 or the toll free Contact Centre at 1-800-898-7668 and ask for Record Assessment.

3rd example: Your licence was permanently revoked on April 1, 2005. Your earliest possible pre-screening application date is April 1 2015.  However, you incurred a speeding conviction while working in another Canadian province on April 1, 2010. You will have to wait at least another 10 years before you can apply for the prescreening.  If you have no history of driving during that 10 year period, you will be eligible to apply on April 1, 2020.

In other words, you need 10 incident-free years on your record before you can apply for the prescreening process.

What is the reinstatement process?

As a permanently revoked driver, you are subject to a multi-step application process in order to determine eligibility for AIIP.

Step 1: Pre-Screening

Before you can submit the prescreening application, you MUST:

• Have no history of operating a motor vehicle during the previous 10 years in any jurisdiction.
• Have no current Criminal Code driving prohibitions.
• Have no outstanding motor vehicle fines and fees.

Step 2 – Application Process

Complete the “Prescreening for Permanently Revoked Drivers” application form. The following documents must be included with the application form:

• A criminal record check less than 1 year old from the date of your application.
• A driving abstract, less than 1 year old from the date of your application, from anywhere you lived or worked in the past 10 years, except Nova Scotia.
• A medical fitness report from a qualified medical practitioner.
• At least 2 reference letters commenting on your consumption of alcohol (employer, family member, counsellor, etc.).

Mail the application package to:

Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal
Registry of Motor Vehicles
PO Box 561
Halifax Central,
Halifax, NS B3J 2R7

Your application will be reviewed along with a thorough search of your driving records including other jurisdictions. If the records show you have been incident free for 10 years and you have no other revocations, the prescreening application form will be reviewed.  Allow 30 days to receive a notice.

If your application is approved, you can proceed to enroll in the Driving While Impaired (DWI) Program offered by Addiction Services. The notice will contain instructions on how to pay for the program and contact Addiction Services.

Your application will be denied if there is any driving activity on your record in the past 10 years.  It may also be denied if there are concerns related to the safe operation of a motor vehicle in your criminal record check, medical fitness report or reference letters. You can re-apply after you have 10 years incident-free but you must wait at least one year from the date of your original application.

Step 3 - The Driving While Impaired (DWI) Program

The DWI fee must be paid at Access Nova Scotia or a Registry of Motor Vehicles office before contacting Addiction Services.  The program includes education and a substance use assessment to determine your level of risk of having or developing a substance abuse problem. This process can take several weeks or more. Once you have completed the program, Addiction Services will send the outcome of your assessment to the Registrar for review. Only those with an assessment of “low-risk” will receive approval to apply for AIIP. Allow 30 days to receive the notice. It will contain information on the application process for AIIP.

If your assessment is medium or high-risk, you will receive a notice within 30 days advising that you are not eligible to apply.  If after one year your risk rating changes, you can re-apply starting at step 1.

For more information on the DWI program, go to http://www.cdha.nshealth.ca/addictions-program/programs-services/driving-while-impaired-program or call 902-424-1118 or toll free: 1-866-340-6700.

Step 4 - The Alcohol Ignition Interlock Program (AIIP) 

The application for AIIP includes completing the form and paying the application fee. If your AIIP application is approved, you have a maximum of 6 months to get the device installed in your vehicle and get your interlock licence.  If you delay more than 6 months, the service provider will not install the device and you will have to start the process again.

Once you are in the AIIP program, the rules are the same for all participants. 

The minimum time you must participate in the program is 5 years. After you exit the program, you will have a zero BAC condition on your licence for a minimum of 5 years.

For more information on the program, please see the link to the Interlock Program User Handbook above.

Frequently Asked Questions

My licence is permanently revoked. Can I get my licence back without going through this program?

• No.  If you choose not to apply for the program, your licence remains permanently revoked.

I don’t remember the date of my last conviction.  How can I find out?

• If you do not know the date of your last conviction, you can call 902-424-5587 or the toll free Contact Centre at 1-800-898-7668 and ask for Record Assessment.

My licence was permanently revoked on March 31, 2015.  When can I submit an application for prescreening?

• Your earliest possible pre-screening application date is March 31, 2025.  However, if you have any history of driving during that 10 year period, you cannot apply on that date. You need 10 incident-free years on your record before you can apply for the prescreening process.

I have a seatbelt conviction as a passenger in the past 10 years.  Can I apply for the prescreening?

• Yes, because you were not operating a motor vehicle.

Can I join the DWI program before I find out if my prescreening application has been approved?

• You may become involved in the DWI program at any time.  However, you will not be able to move forward with the reinstatement process unless you first receive approval on your prescreening application.

What happens if my prescreening application is denied?

• You have to wait a minimum of one year from the date of your original application in order to reapply.

Is there any financial help for the AIIP?

• AIIP is a user pay program with all fees being paid to the service provider.  All costs are the responsibility of the participant.

Pre-screening for Permanently Revoked Drivers Application Form

Driver’s Medical Examination Report