Free Ontario Vehicle Bill of Sale
Ontario wraps most private vehicle transfers — car, pickup, van or SUV — in three pieces of paper and one tax: the seller's Used Vehicle Information Package (UVIP), the ownership permit with its transfer portion signed over, and the buyer's Safety Standards Certificate (valid only 36 days) to put plates on. The 13% RST (retail sales tax) is charged on the HIGHER of the declared price or the Canadian Red Book wholesale value, so a bargain-basement figure on the bill of sale saves nothing at ServiceOntario. Plates stay with the seller.
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Ontario Vehicle Bill of Sale — What You Need to Know
Tax Details
Cars, vans and light trucks pay the same 13% RST (retail sales tax) at transfer, charged against the greater of the declared price and the Canadian Red Book wholesale figure — a low number on the paperwork doesn't move the tax.
Exemption: Family gifts and inheritances can escape the 13%: a Sworn Statement for a Family Gift filed at ServiceOntario covers a gift from a qualifying family member, and an estate beneficiary uses the will or estate documents.
Inspection Requirements
To put plates on any vehicle class the buyer needs a Safety Standards Certificate from a licensed inspection station — good for 36 days. Sellers aren't obliged to supply it; without one the permit is stamped "unfit" and the vehicle stays off public roads until certified.
Ontario Vehicle Sale — Step-by-Step Checklist
- Seller: order the Used Vehicle Information Package (UVIP) — Ontario requires you to provide it to the buyer for most private vehicle sales.
- Document the vehicle fully on the bill of sale: VIN, plate, body type, odometer, true price and date — trucks and vans under the light class transfer like cars.
- Seller: sign the transfer portion on the back of the Ownership Permit and remove your plates — they stay with you in Ontario.
- Buyer: arrange the Safety Standards Certificate from a licensed inspection station — it expires 36 days after issue, so time it near the transfer.
- Buyer: register at ServiceOntario within 6 days and pay 13% RST on the higher of the price or the Red Book wholesale value.
- Buyer: check the UVIP's lien section and run your own search if anything looks stale.
- Both keep signed copies of the bill of sale alongside the UVIP.
Common Pitfalls
- Writing a low price to shave the RST: ServiceOntario taxes the Red Book wholesale value when it exceeds the declared price — the discount is imaginary.
- Letting the Safety Standards Certificate age: at day 37 it is void and the buyer pays for a fresh inspection.
- Selling without the UVIP: it is the seller's legal obligation in most private sales, and the buyer may have to buy one at ServiceOntario at transfer.
- Handing over plates with the vehicle: Ontario plates belong to the seller — the buyer plates it after registering.
Pro Tip
The Ontario transfer runs on the seller's UVIP, the buyer's 36-day SSC, and honest pricing against the Red Book. Get the sequence right and ServiceOntario is one visit.