NWT Bill of Sale for Vehicle Transfers

Northwest Territories Bill of Sale Requirements

Additional Forms Required

• Notice of transfer on the certificate of registration — signed by the seller and given to the buyer (Motor Vehicles Act s.23)
• Proof of valid insurance — the vehicle must be insured before it can be registered
• Previous registration — only for a vehicle last registered outside the NWT
• Authorization for Vehicle Services — only if someone else goes to the office for the owner

In the Northwest Territories, Driver and Vehicle Services, part of the GNWT Department of Infrastructure, handles vehicle transfers. A transfer must be done in person at a driver and vehicle office. It cannot be done online, although renewals can. Offices range from Yellowknife and Hay River to Inuvik, Tulita and Paulatuk. For a community with no office, contact the regional office. Small offices keep short hours: Fort Providence opens on the third Tuesday of the month and takes cash only.

People who search for a "bill of sale NWT" usually want the official form. It is the Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale, a two-page English and French form on the Driver and Vehicle Services Forms page. Blocks A and B must be filled in for it to count for registration. Our generator fills in the core items: names and addresses, the vehicle's year, make, model and VIN, the odometer, the price, the payment method, the date and signature lines. It is not an official GNWT form. The GNWT form also asks for phone numbers, the seller's ID, the plate number, colours and witnesses, so add those or use the GNWT form.

Block B is where the NWT form stands out. It records the date and the place of signing. Then it takes four signatures: the seller, the seller's witness, the buyer and the buyer's witness. No notary is needed. In Block C you can note liens, whether the vehicle is paid in full, how it is being paid for, where it was last registered and any special conditions.

The Motor Vehicles Act sets the seller's steps. Remove the licence plate as soon as the vehicle is sold. Sign the notice of transfer on the certificate of registration and give it to the buyer. Your registration ends on the day the buyer becomes the owner. You keep the plate and can move it to another vehicle you own, but you must get a new certificate within 14 days.

The buyer has 10 days from becoming the owner to submit the notice of transfer. Insure the vehicle first, because the law requires insurance before registration. Then bring photo ID, the signed registration certificate, the bill of sale and proof of insurance to an office. Unpaid fines must be cleared first, which can take 24 to 48 hours. The transfer costs $27 using an existing plate, or $58 to $126 with a new plate.

The NWT has no territorial sales tax. The CRA says GST does not generally apply when you buy from a private seller. So a private sale normally carries no sales tax at all. Buying from a dealer adds 5% GST. Alberta, Yukon and Nunavut are in the same position, so the NWT is tied for the lowest tax, not alone.

No safety inspection is needed to transfer a vehicle, even one from another province. Only a right-hand-drive vehicle must be inspected. To move an unregistered vehicle, buy a $19 in-transit permit in person where the trip starts. Some communities rely on winter roads, which open only in winter and early spring. The road to Colville Lake, for example, is open on average from December 20 to April 6. A vehicle bought for such a place may only be drivable there in that window. Before you pay, run Lien Check with the serial number.