Registering a Vehicle

Car or Motor Home Sold Between Individuals

Change

The fastest way to transfer a passenger vehicle between individuals and to register the transferred vehicle is to use SAAQclic. Before starting, make sure the vehicle qualifies as a passenger vehicle and carefully read the four sections below about transferring and registering a vehicle. For more information, see our Fact Sheet – Transferring a Vehicle Between Individuals on SAAQclic (PDF, 119.6 ko).

Vehicles categorized as passenger vehicles include:

  • automobiles with a net weightWeight of the vehicle and the equipment permanently attached to it, excluding the weight of its load. of 3,000 kg or less
  • motor homesA motor vehicle permanently converted into living quarters.
  • sport utility vehicles (SUV)
  • minivans
  • pick-up trucksA 2-axle road vehicle with a net weight between 3,000 and 4,000 kg owned by an individual, which is not used for commercial or employment-related purposes, and is equipped with a separate enclosed cab and has (or originally had) an open truck box and tailgate. used for personal purposes that have two axles and a net weight of more than 3,000 kg but less than 4,000 kg
  • military vehicles, provided:
    • they have the same configuration as road vehicles intended for use on public roads
    • they are equipped to be compliant for road use
    • they are equipped with tires and not with tracks
    • they have undergone an inspection by an engineer belonging to the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec or another person who is legally authorized to practise this profession in Québec
    • they have undergone a valid mechanical inspection after having received a favourable report from an engineer

How to transfer and register a vehicle

1 Before transferring and registering the vehicle

The vehicle cannot be registered…

If the buyer or the seller has an unpaid fine for an offence under the Highway Safety Code or under a municipal traffic or parking bylaw.

The Bureau des infractions et amendes and the municipal courts are responsible for collecting fines. You cannot pay a fine at an SAAQ service outlet.

To check whether the vehicle can be registered, you can use our online service. 

The vehicle cannot be registered through SAAQclic in the following cases:

  • donated vehicle
  • inherited vehicle
  • power of attorney
  • buyer under age 18
  • mandate in case of incapacity
  • vehicle won through the lottery
  • vehicle purchased through a judicial sale
  • divorce judgment, dissolution of a civil union or separation of de facto spouses
  • vehicle reported stolen
  • vehicle of interest
  • •    motorcycle, moped or motorized scooter, minibus, recreational vehicle, trailer, truck
  • co-owned vehicle where no registrant has been designated. In this case, the transfer of ownership can only be carried out at a service outlet. For more information, see the paragraph “If the vehicle is sold by co-owners” below.  

To avoid unpleasant surprises

Before buying a used vehicle, check the Registre des droits personnels et réels mobiliers (register of personal and movable real rights—in French only) to make sure it is free of debt. If you buy a vehicle that has not been paid for in full, it can be seized by the creditor.

You can also request the vehicle's ownership history from the SAAQ to find out:

  • if it has been rebuilt
  • if it has passed a mechanical inspection
  • how many people have owned it
  • how it has been used in the past, e.g. if it was used as a taxi before October 10, 2020

To obtain the vehicle's ownership history, you can:

Make sure the vehicle has not been damaged by flooding.

While flood-damaged vehicles are usually declared “irreparable” and dismantled for certain parts to be recycled, some flood-damaged vehicles may slip through the cracks and end up on the market.

Be sure to verify before buying a vehicle.

For more information, refer to the Flood-Damaged Road Vehicles page.

If the Vehicle Is Prohibited From Being Put Into Operation or Has Been Stored for One Year or Longer

It cannot be put back into operation until it has undergone a mechanical inspection carried out by a road vehicle inspection agent authorized by the SAAQ and a mechanical inspection certificate has been issued confirming that the vehicle meets the applicable standards.

If the vehicle is sold by co-owners

If the vehicle is owned by more than one person (co-ownership), a registrant must be designated. The vehicle will appear in the registrant’s file, enabling the registrant to transfer the registration of the vehicle via SAAQclic. Otherwise, all sellers whose names currently appear and all buyers whose names will appear on the registration certificate must go to a service outlet to register the vehicle.

A registrant can be designated by filling out the Designating a Registrant (Co-Owned Vehicles) form or by going to a service outlet.

If the vehicle is jointly purchased

The SAAQ recommends only having one name appear on the registration certificate. However, if the buyers want to have all their names on the certificate, they must designate a registrant. For more information, see our Fact Sheet – Registering a Co-Owned Vehicle. (PDF, 137.2 ko)This file does not meet the Web accessibility standard.

1 Before transferring and registering the vehicle

2 Transferring and registering the vehicle

Online

Ownership of the vehicle can be transferred and the vehicle can be registered online through SAAQclic when the following conditions are met:

The seller must: 

  • be the owner of the vehicle or the registrant of a co-owned vehicle
  • The buyer and seller must:carry out the transfer of ownership using their respective SAAQclic accounts
  • have the right to operate the vehicle

The vehicle must:

  • be registered in Québec
  • be less than 25 years old
  • be classified as a passenger vehicle, that is:
    • be an automobile, sport utility vehicle or minivan
    • have a maximum capacity of nine occupants
    • be used for personal purposes

Selling your vehicle?

Start by identifying the vehicle and entering the identification number found on the buyer’s (registrant’s) driver’s licence. Then enter the sale price. You will also have the option to transfer your licence plate to the buyer.

Buying a vehicle?

Simply access your SAAQclic account, accept the vehicle transfer, and register the vehicle within 48 business hours following the seller’s transfer. Among other things, you will have to enter the vehicle’s odometer reading and add your banking information to your account to pay the QST and any applicable registration fees.

For more information, see our Fact Sheet – Transferring a Vehicule Between Individuals on SAAQclic (PDF, 119.6 ko).

At a service outlet

The buyer and seller must show their driver's licence or another official photo ID document.

The buyer must also supply the vehicle's odometer reading.

Before Going to an SAAQ Service Outlet

Call Revenu Québec to find out which documents are necessary for the calculation of QST in the following cases:

  • if the vehicle is more than 25 years old (more than 40 years old, in the case of a truck)
  • if the vehicle is a used luxury vehicle less than 25 years old and not listed in the reference guide used by Revenu Québec (luxury vehicles that are not listed: Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Hummer, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati and Rolls Royce)
  • if the vehicle comes from outside Canada
  • if the used vehicle is damaged or has unusual wear

If you are under age 18

You must also present the Consent of a Person Having Parental Authority (PDF, 123.4 ko) form completed by your father, mother or legal guardian.

If you do not have a driver's licence

Phone us to find out what documents you must bring with you when registering your vehicle.

If you cannot go in person

The person registering the vehicle on your behalf will need to provide the original Power of Attorney (PDF, 224.7 ko) form completed by you beforehand.

If the vehicle is from outside Québec

A vehicle from outside Québec is considered to be an imported vehicle, which means there are other documents you will have to provide so that we can verify whether the vehicle can be used in Québec. Refer to the Registering a vehicle from outside Québec section for more information.

2 Transferring and registering the vehicle

3 Costs and payment

Registration fees

To find out the cost to have a vehicle registered, visit the Rates and Fines section.

The vehicle registration fee will be higher if:

  • the vehicle is considered a luxury vehicle. This is the case when the vehicle meets all 3 of the following criteria:
    • it is worth more than $40,000
    • it has a net weight of 3,000 kg or less
    • it is less than 7 years old

      The additional registration fee equals 1% of the vehicle's value exceeding $40,000.
  • the vehicle is considered a large-cylinder capacity vehicle. This is the case when:
    • its engine has a cylinder capacity of 3.95 litres or more
    • the model year is 1995 or later
  • you live in an area where public transit is available
  • you live in the Montréal agglomeration

Payment of the QST

At the time of registration, you are required to pay the QST, even in the case of a used vehicle. The SAAQ collects the QST on the agreed selling price or the estimated value of the vehicle, whichever is greater. 

You do not have to pay the GST because the sale is between individuals.

For more information on the payment or collection of taxes, phone Revenu Québec.

Cost and payment

Online

You will have to add a bank account to your online account (using a cheque specimen) to carry out the transaction.

At a service outlet

At our service outlets, we accept payment:

  • cash
  • by Interac (debit card) – not available in some service outlets
  • by one or more pre-authorized debits (a cheque specimen must be provided)
  • by cheque or money order

Payment by credi card is not accepted.

3 Costs and payment

4 Insurance

You must have a civil liability insurance policy contracted from a private insurer providing minimum coverage of $50,000.

If you are not insured and you are pulled over by the police or involved in a traffic accident that causes more than $500 in damage to the property of another party:

  • your driver's licence or your right to obtain one could be suspended
  • all of your vehicles may be prohibited from being put into operation
  • you will be fined $325 to $2,800

The seller remains the owner and person liable for the vehicle until the vehicle is registered in the buyer's name.

This means that should the buyer commit an offence or be involved in an accident with a vehicle that is still registered in the seller's name, it is the seller who would be held responsible.

4 Insurance

Last update: May 16, 2023