Both you and the vehicle vendor must be present to transfer the vehicle’s ownership and registration. To do so, you must go to a Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) service centre, or a licensing agent.

You can also proceed with a proxy, which allows the vendor or the purchaser to avoid travelling. However, the Office de la protection du consommateur recommends that you both go on site to proceed with the ownership's transfer.

The registration of a vehicle is not a topic that is covered by laws monitored by the Office. You can get further information about the topic on the SAAQ Web site.

Paying the taxes

The purchaser must pay the Quebec sales tax (QST).

The QST is calculated on the declared selling price for vehicles that are 10 years old and over.

Did you purchase a vehicle that is less than 10 years old for a lower price than the one listed in the Guide d'évaluation des automobiles (car evaluation guide)? You will still need to pay the QST on the price indicated in the guide, from which $500 will be subtracted.

You can get further information on the payment of the sales tax from Revenu Québec.

Declaring a selling price lower than the actual price paid

Making a false declaration on the price that was actually paid for the vehicle to lower the amount of taxes needing to be paid can have negative consequences. You could lose your case should you need to go to court to cancel the sale, for example. Why? The judge could withhold the amount indicated in the contract even if you say the price you paid was higher.

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