To legally operate your vehicle, you must affix your temporary paper licence plate to your vehicle while waiting to receive your metal licence plate in the mail. Your metal plate will be delivered by mail within 10 to 20 business days to the primary address in your SAAQ file.
If your vehicle registration is carried out at an SAAQ service outlet or a certified dealer, your temporary paper licence plate will be issued by the service outlet agent or the dealer. If you register your vehicle online via SAAQclic, you must print your temporary licence plate on standard (8 ½ x 11-inch) white paper as the final step in the online vehicle registration process.
In either case, the temporary paper licence plate must be affixed to the vehicle’s rear window in the top left corner. For vehicles that do not have a rear window, such as motorcycles, snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles, the temporary plate must be affixed in the top left corner of the windshield or to another visible place on the vehicle.
This video (MP4, 29.8 Mo) shows how.
There are 15 categories of licence plates, grouped according to vehicle type and use.
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| Passenger vehicleA motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, a moped and a minibus. This vehicle must be owned by a natural person, carry up to 9 occupants (where such transportation does not require a permit from the Commission des transports du Québec), and be used mainly for personal purposes. such as a car, a sport utility vehicle or a minivan A motor vehicle with a net weight of 3,000 kg or less, designed to serve as permanent self-contained living quarters and owned by an individual |
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| Passenger vehicle used by members of a consular corps or a foreign delegation |
| Passenger vehicle used by members of a diplomatic corps or the International Civil Aviation Organization |
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| 2- or 3-wheel motorcyclePassenger vehicle, other than a power-assisted bicycle, having two or three wheels that has at least one characteristic different from the characteristics of a moped. A motorcycle whose model year is prior to 1981 may be registered under a restricted-area use licence plate, in which case it can only be operated on roads with a speed limit of 70 km/h or less |
| 3-wheel T-Rex or SlingshotA motorcycle-like vehicle equipped with seats that the occupants sit in instead of straddling and that has a structure that partially or completely encloses the occupants (what encloses the occupants must be more than simply the part of the vehicle in front of the driver and the seat backrest).-type vehicle |
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| MopedA 2- or 3-wheel passenger vehicle equipped with an electric motor or a gasoline-powered engine with a cylinder capacity of no more than 50 cc and an automatic transmission. – also known as a scooter – with:
|
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| All-terrain vehicle (recreational off-road vehicle, trail bike, quad bike, etc.), or snowmobileA self-propelled winter vehicle that is designed to travel primarily over snow or ice and may or may not be equipped with a ski or steering blade. with a net weight of 450 kg or less, used on a private road or property |
 | Vehicle designed for off-road use but not subject to the Act respecting off-highway vehicles, such as a Gator all-terrain utility vehicle |
| Road vehicle designed to be operated on Québec roads, but used exclusively on a private road or property (e.g. a train station, port or airport) |
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| Tractor used by a farmerA person holding a registration card for an agricultural operation issued by the Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec, or a person who is a member of an association certified under the Farm Producers Act. in the operation of a farm or for personal use A tractor must be registered under a C licence plate if it is operated on a public road, even just to cross the road |
| Farm trailerA trailer with a net weight of 2,300 kg or less owned by a farmer and used primarily to carry farm produce or the equipment required to produce it. owned by a farmer who uses it in the operation of the farm |
| Pickup truck or minivan weighing 3,000 kg or less owned by a farmer who uses it in the operation of the farm |
| Farm vehicle weighing more than 3,000 kg owned by a farmer who uses it in the operation of the farm |
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| TruckA road vehicle having a net weight of more than 3,000 kg, designed and outfitted primarily for freight transport or for carrying equipment that is permanently attached to the vehicle. However, a 2-axle road vehicle with a net weight of 4,000 kg or less is not considered to be a truck if it is not used for commercial or employment-related purposes, is owned by a natural person, is equipped with a separate enclosed cab and has (or originally had) an open truck box and tailgate. weighing more than 3,000 kg. Tractor trucks and road trains are included in this category |
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| Bus or minibus used:
|
The Act respecting remunerated passenger transportation by automobile came into force on October 10, 2020. T licence plates were taken out of circulation on March 31, 2021. Read the news bulletin Taxi : informations sur la plaque T et le « pocket » (taxi: information regarding the T licence plate and pocket number) (in French only).
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| Vehicle pulled by another registered vehicle This category includes:
|
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| Vehicle used mainly for commercial or professional purposes by a self-employed worker, a business or a natural person. This category includes:
Special use vehicles:
|
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| Vehicle that is not authorized to be operated everywhere on the road network This category includes:
|
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| Licence plate strictly reserved for veterans and given by the Royal Canadian Legion to those who submit an application. The centre of the plate features the image of a poppy. This licence plate can be issued for:
|
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| Licence plates strictly reserved for vehicles owned by the holder of a valid ham radio operator's licence (website in French only) These licence plates can be issued for:
|
All electric, rechargeable hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles must bear a green licence plate.
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| Electric passenger vehicle |
| Electric bus |
| Electric commercial vehicle with a net weight of 3,000 kg or less |
| Electric motorcycle or scooter |
| A veteran’s electric passenger vehicle, motorcycle, scooter or motor home weighing 3,000 kg or less |
| Electric amateur radio operator vehicle |
 | Electric off-road vehicle |
 | Electric commercial or special use vehicle |
 | Electric road vehicle with restricted-area use |
 | Electric truck, combination of road vehicles or farm vehicle weighing more than 3,000 kg |
 | Electric passenger vehicle used by members of a consular corps or a foreign delegation |
 | Electric passenger vehicle used by members of a diplomatic corps or the International Civil Aviation Organization |
| Type of plate | Description and use |
|---|---|
| Removable licence plate used by a dealer, a manufacturer, an auto body repair shop or a carrier that is:
A small X licence plate is used by a dealer, a manufacturer or an auto body repair shop to move road vehicles with a net weight of 500 kg or less. |
Visit the Personalized Licence Plates webpage to find out about the eligibility conditions, eligible vehicles, and rules regarding character combinations for different types of vehicles.
Last update: July 19, 2023
