Manitoba Bill of Sale for MPI Registration

Manitoba Bill of Sale Requirements

Additional Forms Required

• Transfer of Ownership Document (TOD) — the signed part of the registration card
• Certificate of Inspection (COI) — valid for one year for a transfer

In Manitoba, you register a vehicle and buy its Autopac insurance at the same time, from any insurance agent that shows the Autopac sign. Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) runs both. That is why people search for an "MPI bill of sale": it is one of the papers the Autopac agent asks for when a buyer registers a vehicle bought privately.

MPI lists what the bill of sale must state: the date of purchase, the vehicle's model year, make, model and serial number (VIN), the purchase price, the buyer's and seller's names, and both signatures. MPI has its own sample template, and it also says you can write your own. It suggests two copies, each signed by both people, so the buyer and the seller each keep an original. Our generator fills in every item on MPI's list and adds the odometer reading. It is not an official MPI form.

The bill of sale works together with the Transfer of Ownership Document (TOD), the part of the registration card the seller fills in. The seller writes the date and the odometer reading and signs; the buyer signs too. The seller keeps the left side of the card and hands the TOD to the buyer. The TOD also shows the vehicle's status under MPI's Stolen and Wrecked Vehicle Monitoring Program, so read it before you pay.

A Certificate of Inspection (COI) is needed when the registered owner changes, and it stays valid for one year for a transfer. The seller can hand over a valid COI or tell the buyer to get one. Without it, the buyer can tow the vehicle, or get a permit from an Autopac agent to drive straight to an inspection station. Each station sets its own price. A Manitoba-registered vehicle going to a spouse or common-law partner, a child or stepchild, a parent, or an estate beneficiary is exempt.

Retail sales tax (RST) is 7%. MPI or the Autopac agent collects it when the buyer registers. It is charged on the higher of two amounts: the price paid, or the vehicle's average wholesale value for Manitoba in the Canadian Black Book. Motorcycles, ATVs and snowmobiles use the Canadian Blue Book. So a low price on the bill of sale will not lower the tax. Is the vehicle badly damaged or very worn? A report from an authorized appraiser can set a lower value. If the report comes after you register, you can claim a refund within 60 days.

Gifts between close family can be tax-free if the giver paid the tax. Manitoba Finance's list is parents, children, spouses and common-law partners, grandparents, grandchildren, parents- and children-in-law, and step-parents and stepchildren. A gift from a brother, sister, aunt, uncle or cousin is taxed. And if you sold a vehicle in the six months before you register the one you bought, the agent can reduce the tax.

Sellers keep the licence plates. After the sale, cancel the registration and Autopac coverage in writing (the simplest way is to bring the plates to an Autopac agent), unless you move them to a replacement vehicle within seven days. Only the legal owner, shown on the right side of the registration card, can sell the vehicle. Before paying, buyers can search the Personal Property Registry, run by Teranet Manitoba, to see whether a lender still has a claim on the vehicle.