Registering a Vehicle

Before transferring and registering the vehicle

Step 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.

Last update: May 16, 2023