Topic drill
Checking ID and minors: practice quiz
Checking ID and minors: practice quiz
About 8 questions, answers explained as you go
Like the real test, you pass with 80%. A new random set every time, from 124 questions.
The rules in one minute
- The legal drinking age in BC is 19.
- Any doubt? Ask for two pieces of ID: one government-issued with name, birth date and photo, plus one with name and signature or photo.
- Expired or foreign ID is okay if readable and you recognize the person. A photo of ID is not.
- The combined BC Driver’s Licence and Services Card is one piece.
- Can’t produce two acceptable pieces? Refuse service.
Full guide: Checking ID in BC.
Study every question
Minors and checking ID (30)
In BC, how many pieces of ID should you ask for when there’s any doubt a customer is 19 or older?
Answer: Two
BC’s rule is two pieces of ID. Examine both carefully and act on whether they’re authentic.
A piece of primary ID must…
Answer: Be issued by a government agency and show the person’s name, date of birth and photo
Primary ID comes from a government agency (Canadian or foreign) and shows name, date of birth and picture.
Which of these is primary ID?
Answer: A passport
A passport is government-issued with name, birth date and photo. The others can only be secondary ID.
Secondary ID has to show the person’s name and…
Answer: Their signature or their photo
Secondary ID backs up the primary piece. It must show the holder’s name and either their signature or their picture.
Which of these works as a second piece of ID?
Answer: A credit card with the customer’s name and signature
A credit card with the holder’s name and signature is acceptable secondary ID.
A customer shows the combined BC Driver’s Licence and Services Card. How many pieces of ID does it count as?
Answer: One
The combined card counts as only one piece of ID. You still need a second piece.
A customer shows an expired out-of-province driver’s licence. Can it be their primary ID?
Answer: Yes, if it’s readable and you can recognize them from the photo
Expired and foreign ID can be accepted as long as it’s readable and you can recognize the person from the picture.
A visitor from Germany shows their German passport as primary ID. What’s the rule?
Answer: Foreign ID can be accepted if it’s readable and you can recognize them
Foreign government ID is acceptable if it’s readable and you can recognize the person from the photo. They still need a second piece.
A customer offers a photo of their driver’s licence on their phone. What do you do?
Answer: Don’t accept it; pictures of ID aren’t acceptable
The LCRB says pictures of ID aren’t acceptable because they’re hard to authenticate.
A customer who might be under 19 can only produce one piece of acceptable ID. You should…
Answer: Refuse service
If a person can’t produce two pieces of acceptable ID proving they’re 19 or older, you refuse service.
Under the Liquor Control and Licensing Act, you have a defence if a minor got liquor after you…
Answer: Required the prescribed ID, examined it and had reason to believe it was authentic
The Act says you don’t break the minors rule if you required prescribed ID, examined it and had reason to believe it was authentic.
What’s the right way to check an ID?
Answer: Hold it yourself, take it out of any sleeve and check both sides
Hold the ID in your hand, have it taken out of any sleeve or wallet, and check the front and the back.
Why is it worth checking the back of an ID?
Answer: Counterfeiters often work hard on the front and just photocopy the back
Fakes often have a convincing front and a photocopied back. Look for blurred lettering or poor focus.
An ID feels thick and layered, with bubbling around the photo. What might that mean?
Answer: It may have been tampered with or laminated after it was issued
Bubbling, peeling, raised spots and an unusually thick, layered feel can be signs of tampering or after-issue lamination.
When you compare a customer with their ID photo, what should you focus on?
Answer: Facial features like cheekbones and the spacing of the eyes
Hair and even eye colour are easy to change. Facial structure, such as cheekbones and eye spacing, is harder to fake.
You’ve looked at two pieces of ID and you’re still not sure they’re genuine. What now?
Answer: Ask for a third piece, and refuse if you still doubt it
You can ask for a third piece of ID. If you’re still not sure the ID is authentic, you must refuse entry and service.
You suspect an ID has been altered. Which check can help?
Answer: Ask them to sign and date a piece of paper, then compare the signature
Having the person sign and date a piece of paper lets you compare their writing with the signature on the ID.
Why ask a customer something like their middle name or postal code while checking ID?
Answer: Someone using another person’s ID may hesitate
The real cardholder answers without hesitating. Someone using borrowed or fake ID often can’t.
On BC Learner (L) and Novice (N) licences, what’s printed to make age checks easier?
Answer: The date the holder turns 19
L and N licences show the date the holder turns 19 prominently, so legal age is quick to verify.
You see a 25-year-old pass their drink to an 18-year-old at the same table. What do you do?
Answer: Refuse service to the whole group and remove the alcohol
Buying for a minor is against the law. If an adult gives alcohol to a minor, refuse service to the entire group and take the alcohol away.
Can minors come into a liquor primary such as a bar or pub?
Answer: Only if the licence says minors are permitted, and then only under its conditions
You must not allow minors in a liquor primary unless your licence permits them, for example under a family foodservice term until 10 p.m.
Can a 17-year-old come into a restaurant (food primary) on their own?
Answer: Yes, minors can enter restaurants on their own; they just can’t be served liquor
Minors are allowed into food primary restaurants on their own and can’t be kept out because of age. Selling or serving them liquor is still illegal.
A restaurant employs a 16-year-old server. Which of these may they do?
Answer: Carry liquor to tables under the supervision of SIR-certified adult staff
In a food primary, employees 16 or older may serve liquor but can’t open bottles, pour or mix it, and must be supervised by SIR-certified adult staff.
A pub (a liquor primary, not a stadium) that’s allowed to have minors hires a 17-year-old. What can they do?
Answer: Work only in jobs that don’t involve selling or serving liquor
In a liquor primary, minors may be employed only if they’re never selling or serving liquor. Stadiums are the one exception.
A pub books a family band whose drummer is 16. Can the band play?
Answer: Yes; minors can be employed as entertainers if adult staff supervise them at all times
Minors may be employed as entertainers, supervised by adult staff at all times, but never in adult-oriented entertainment.
At a special event, can a 17-year-old volunteer sell drink tickets?
Answer: No; minors can’t sell, serve or handle liquor or drink tickets at special events
Minors can’t work as servers, bartenders or managers at a special event, and can’t sell, serve or handle liquor, including drink tickets.
A minor is refused at a liquor store. A few minutes later an adult tries to buy the same products. What do you do?
Answer: Refuse the sale; it looks like a purchase for a minor
Watch for repeat purchases of the same product within minutes. If you suspect someone is buying for a minor, refuse the sale.
In the LCRB’s Minors as Agents Program, minors hired by the LCRB…
Answer: Try to buy liquor, supervised by inspectors, to see whether staff check age
Minor Agents try to buy liquor or cannabis while supervised by at least two inspectors. They answer questions honestly and don’t misrepresent themselves.
According to the LCRB, when should you check ID?
Answer: Whenever there’s any doubt the person is 19 or older
Check ID whenever there’s any doubt a customer is of legal age. Licensees may also set a stricter policy, such as checking everyone.
Where should ID be checked in a liquor primary?
Answer: In an area that’s well lit and protected from entertainment noise
Licensees must provide a well-lit area, protected from entertainment noise, so staff can check ID and ask questions properly.
Sources
- Liquor Primary Licence Terms and Conditions handbook, May 2026 (LCRB, PDF) · checked October 26, 2026
- Food Primary Licence Terms and Conditions handbook, May 2026 (LCRB, PDF) · checked October 26, 2026
- Preventing contraventions (Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, gov.bc.ca) · checked October 26, 2026
- Serving It Right program manual, July 2026 (Province of British Columbia, PDF) · checked October 26, 2026
Updated October 26, 2026. Not affiliated with the Government of British Columbia, the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch or the Serving It Right program.
Keep going
- Checking ID in BCBC’s ID rules for serving liquor: when to ask, the two pieces of ID you need, what counts as primary and secondary ID, expired and foreign ID, and fakes.
- Serving It Right practice testFree Serving It Right practice test for BC: 35 questions like the real exam, 80% to pass, every answer explained with the BC rule behind it.
- Intoxication and over-service: practice quizPractise the intoxication part of Serving It Right: signs to watch for, standard drinks, BAC limits, and factors like food, weight and tolerance. Answers explained.
- Liquor law and licensee duties: practice quizPractise BC liquor law for Serving It Right: hours of service, the half-hour rules, serving sizes, staff drinking, delivery, records and penalties. Free, explained.