Free Alberta Car Bill of Sale
In Alberta, the car bill of sale is how a buyer proves ownership at the registry agent. The province says one must be used to transfer a car in a private sale. The moment the car changes hands, its registration ends and the seller takes the plate. When one private person sells to another, no sales tax is charged. Below are the form, the handover and the registry visit, with Service Alberta's standard bill of sale (REG3126) as the model.
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Alberta Car Bill of Sale — What You Need to Know
Tax Details
Buying a car from a private seller costs the price and nothing more in sales tax. Alberta charges no PST, and a seller who is a private person, not a GST registrant, does not charge GST. The same car bought from a dealer comes with 5% GST.
Exemption: Nothing to claim or sign: the tax-free result is automatic for a private sale. A buyer who registers the car in another province may pay that province's tax at that point.
Inspection Requirements
Alberta lists no inspection for a sale of a car already registered here, though it suggests buyers get one on their own. A car bought outside Alberta but within Canada cannot be registered until it passes an Out of Province Vehicle Inspection. Get an Inspection Request from a registry agent before you book the station. Salvage and commercial vehicles have their own inspections.
Alberta Car Sale — Step-by-Step Checklist
- Make two copies. The REG3126 form says the buyer keeps the original and the seller keeps the copy.
- Fill in every item Alberta lists as a must: both people's full names and addresses, the VIN, the make, model or series, style, colour and year, the price, and both signatures.
- Type the body style on the model line, for example "Civic LX 4-door sedan". Style is on Alberta's must list, and our form has no separate box for it.
- Write the price in words and in numbers, as REG3126 does. Add the odometer reading too; Alberta calls it optional.
- Before anyone signs, the buyer reads the VIN on the car itself and matches it to the paperwork.
- If you fix a mistake on paper, both people initial the change.
- Seller: give the buyer Section 2 of the old Alberta registration certificate if you can, then unscrew the plate and keep it.
- Buyer: insure the car, then take the original bill of sale, the insurance slip and your ID to a registry agent. Alberta sets no day count, but asks you not to wait.
Common Pitfalls
- Leaving your plate on the car. By law the registration expires as soon as ownership passes, and the seller must take the plate off and keep it.
- Paying before the checks. A registry agent can search for liens by VIN, for a fee. The province gets no stolen-vehicle data, so search the VIN on the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) site yourself.
- Unpaid fines. Alberta will not register a vehicle for someone with outstanding fines, so a buyer should clear them before the deal.
- Following a dealer guide. The long "comprehensive" bill of sale, with fees and a licence number, is for automotive businesses. Two private people use the standard one.
- Skipping the optional lines. Odometer, payment and liens are what people argue about later, and the form says any dispute is a civil matter between buyer and seller.
Pro Tip
Before you file anything away, lay the bill of sale, the insurance slip and the new registration certificate side by side. Alberta tells buyers to check that the details match. Then keep the registration, lien history and proof of ownership together, as the province suggests. For the seller, the dated copy records the day ownership passed.