Transferring a Vehicle Between Individuals

The vehicle must be categorized as a “passenger vehicle”

Vehicles categorized as passenger vehicles include:

• automobiles with a net weight of 3,000 kg or less
• motor homes with a net weight of 3,000 kg or less
• sport utility vehicles (SUVs)
• minivans
• pick-up trucks 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-type vehicles, provided:
  • they have the same configuration as road vehicles intended for use on public roads
  • they have the equipment required to be compliant for road use
  • they are equipped with tires and not tracks
  • they have undergone an inspection (PDF, 115.7 KB)⁠ (form in French only) by an engineer who is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (this inspection is not required for vehicles registered for restricted use)
  • after having received a favourable report from an engineer, they have undergone a mechanical inspection and been declared compliant.

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 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 SAAQclic⁠ ⁠. You can also use our automated telephone services by calling 1-800-361-7620 (choose option 4, then option 5, then option 4 again).

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

• donated vehicle
• inherited vehicle
• power of attorney
• mandate in case of incapacity
• vehicle won through a 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
• discarded vehicle
• seized vehicle
• vehicle licensed or sold outside Québec
• irreparable vehicle
• motorcycle, moped or 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
• the residential addresses indicated in the files of the buyer and seller are outside Québec

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 undergone 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:

• use the online service available via SAAQclic⁠ ⁠
• go to one of our service outlets

Fees apply.

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.

When acquiring a vehicle that has been in storage, the date as of which a mechanical inspection becomes required is based on the date the former owner put the vehicle into storage. 

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 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 KB)⁠ ⁠

Online

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

The seller must: 

• be the owner of the vehicle or the registrant if the vehicle is owned by more than one person
• be aged 18 or older

The buyer must:

• be aged 18 or older

The seller and buyer must:

• carry out the transfer using their respective SAAQclic accounts, and, therefore, have each created their own SAAQclic account
• have the right to sell and buy a vehicle
• enter or update their banking information in the My Financial File section of SAAQclic

The vehicle must:

• be registered in Québec
• be less than 25 years old
• be classified as a “passenger vehicle”, in other words:
  • be an automobile, sport utility vehicle or minivan
  • have a maximum capacity of 9 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. Before starting the transfer, make sure the banking information entered in SAAQclic is accurate. Any applicable reimbursement of the vehicle registration fees will be made by direct deposit within 3 to 5 business days.

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 Vehicle Between Individuals on SAAQclic (PDF, 161.8 KB)⁠.

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.

If you are under age 18

You must also present the Consent of a Person Having Parental Authority (PDF, 128.7 KB)⁠ ⁠ 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 who goes to the service outlet for you must bring the original Power of Attorney (PDF, 657.0 KB)⁠ ⁠ 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.

If the licence plate was not transferred along with the vehicle, to legally operate the vehicle, the buyer must affix their temporary paper licence plate to the vehicle while waiting to receive their metal licence plate in the mail. The metal plate will be delivered by mail within 10 to 20 business days to the primary address in the buyer’s SAAQ file.

If the vehicle transfer is carried out at an SAAQ service outlet, the temporary paper licence plate will be issued by the service outlet agent. If the transfer is carried out online via SAAQclic⁠ ⁠, the buyer must print the 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.

This video (MP4, 29.8 MB)⁠ shows how.

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, call 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:

• in cash
• 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 credit card is not accepted.

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