# How to get your Smart Serve certificate

> How to get your Smart Serve certificate in Ontario: $44.95 online course, 80% on the test, valid 5 years. Plus renewal, lost certificates and free options.

Canonical: https://smartservepracticetest.ca/smart-serve-certificate
Last updated: 2026-10-26

In Ontario, anyone who sells, serves, samples or delivers alcohol, or takes alcohol orders, needs a valid certificate from an AGCO-approved course. For bars, restaurants and most jobs, that’s **Smart Serve**. It costs **$44.95** online, takes about four hours, and lasts **five years**.

## Quick facts

*From smartserve.ca, checked October 26, 2026.*
| Item | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Course | Smart Serve Full Course, online, self-paced |
| Cost | $44.95 (non-refundable, non-transferable) |
| Time | About 4 hours; finish within 30 days of buying |
| Final test | 33 questions, 80% to pass, 2 attempts |
| Certificate | eCertificate in your online account |
| Valid for | 5 years from the date of issue |
| Renewal before expiry | $29.95 |
| Renewal after expiry | $44.95 (full price) |

## Who needs it

The AGCO’s standard says every licensee must make sure these people hold a valid certificate from a Board-approved course:

- Everyone involved in the **sale, service, sampling or delivery** of liquor, or in **taking orders** for liquor.
- **Security staff** the licensee employs (or, at a stadium, uses).
- At golf courses, staff selling from **motorized carts** and **course marshals**.
- **Large quadricycle** chauffeurs.

You must be at least **18** to sell or serve alcohol for a licensee in Ontario. Smart Serve doesn’t publish a minimum age to take the course itself.

## How to get certified

1. **Create an account.** Register for an individual account on smartserve.ca. Use your full legal name and date of birth as they appear on your photo ID.
2. **Buy the Full Course.** $44.95. Your employer may instead give you a token from an organizational account; each token covers one course and test.
3. **Complete the training.** About four hours of videos, reading, games and quizzes. You can stop and start, but finish within 30 days.
4. **Pass the final test.** 33 questions, 80% to pass, proctored by webcam. [What the test is like](https://smartservepracticetest.ca/smart-serve-test).
5. **Download your eCertificate.** After the integrity review, open “My Results” in your account to view, save or print it.

## Full Course or Retail Course?

|  | Full Course | Retail Course |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $44.95 | $24.95 |
| Length | About 4 hours | 1.5 to 2 hours |
| Final test | 33 questions | 20 questions |
| Covers | All licensed establishments: bars, restaurants, events, delivery, retail | Retail stores only: convenience, grocery and wine stores |

The AGCO is clear that a retail-only certificate does **not** let you sell, serve, deliver or take orders outside a retail store. If you might ever work in a bar, restaurant or at events, get the Full Course.

## Does Smart Serve expire?

Yes. Since the AGCO brought in a five-year term, every Smart Serve certificate is valid for **five years from the date of issue**, and the expiry date is printed on it. Renew before it expires and you pay the reduced **$29.95**. Let it lapse and you pay the full **$44.95** and do the full course again. Either way, you complete the training and a proctored final test.

## Lost your certificate?

Smart Serve no longer prints or mails cards. Log in to your online account and open **“My Results”** to download your valid eCertificate **free of charge**. If you can’t remember your login details, Smart Serve asks you to email info@smartserve.ca or call 416-695-8737.

## Is there a free Smart Serve certificate?

There’s no free version of the course on Smart Serve’s site: the Full Course is $44.95 and the Retail Course $24.95. What is free is your **eCertificate** once you’ve passed. Some employers and organizations buy course tokens for their staff or volunteers, so ask before you pay. Our [practice test](https://smartservepracticetest.ca/smart-serve-practice-test) is free, but it doesn’t give you a certificate.

## Questions people ask

### How much does Smart Serve cost?

The Full Course is $44.95 and the Retail Course is $24.95 on smartserve.ca. Renewing before your certificate expires costs $29.95.

### How long does a Smart Serve certificate last?

Five years from the date of issue. The expiry date is on your eCertificate.

### How long does it take to get Smart Serve?

Smart Serve says the Full Course takes about four hours, and you have 30 days from purchase to finish the training and test.

### Can I get Smart Serve for free?

Not from Smart Serve directly. Some employers buy tokens for staff. Your eCertificate is free to download once you pass.

### I lost my Smart Serve card. How do I get a new one?

Log in to your Smart Serve account and download your eCertificate from “My Results”. It’s free. Cards are no longer mailed.

### What happens if my Smart Serve expires?

You can’t work in a role that needs certification until you recertify. After expiry, you buy and retake the full course and test at the full price.

### Do I need Smart Serve to work at a bar in Ontario?

If you sell, serve or take orders for alcohol, or work security, yes: you need a valid certificate from an AGCO-approved course, and Smart Serve is the one approved for bars and restaurants.

## Sources

- [Smart Serve Ontario: home page (courses and prices)](https://smartserve.ca/) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [Smart Serve Ontario: Smart Serve Full Course](https://smartserve.ca/full-course/) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [Smart Serve Ontario: Smart Serve Retail Course](https://smartserve.ca/retail/) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [Smart Serve Ontario: Recertification Overview](https://smartserve.ca/recertification/) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [Smart Serve Ontario: Certificate Overview](https://smartserve.ca/certificate-overview/) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [Smart Serve Ontario: Certificate FAQs](https://smartserve.ca/certificate-faqs/) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [Smart Serve Ontario: Online Staff Training (group tokens)](https://smartserve.ca/online-staff-training/) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [AGCO: Responsible liquor sale, service and delivery training](https://www.agco.ca/en/alcohol/responsible-liquor-sale-service-and-delivery-training) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [AGCO: Registrar’s Interim Standards and Requirements for Liquor](https://www.agco.ca/en/alcohol/registrars-interim-standards-and-requirements-liquor) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [AGCO: Information Bulletin, mandatory Smart Serve recertification](https://www.agco.ca/en/news/information-bulletin-mandatory-smart-server-recertification-will-begin-july-1-2022) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [O. Reg. 746/21: Licensing (e-Laws)](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r21746) (checked 2026-10-26)

Not affiliated with Smart Serve Ontario or the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

## Related

- [The Smart Serve test: what to expect](https://smartservepracticetest.ca/smart-serve-test)
- [Smart Serve practice test](https://smartservepracticetest.ca/smart-serve-practice-test)
- [Smart Serve online vs in-class](https://smartservepracticetest.ca/vs/smart-serve-online-vs-in-class)
- [Smart Serve for servers](https://smartservepracticetest.ca/for/servers)
- [Smart Serve for bartenders](https://smartservepracticetest.ca/for/bartenders)