Free Quebec Vehicle Bill of Sale
Quebec routes every private vehicle sale through the SAAQ — online in SAAQclic, where the buyer must accept within 48 business hours, or at a service outlet — and the SAAQ offers no official bill of sale form, only the advice to draw up a sales contract. QST at 9.975% is charged on the higher of the declared price or the estimated value — an artificially low figure simply gets re-assessed. No safety inspection is required for an ordinary private sale of a Quebec-registered passenger vehicle (Contrôle routier handles commercial units), which leaves the bill of sale and a lien check as the buyer's real protections for any car, pickup or van.
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Quebec Vehicle Bill of Sale — What You Need to Know
Tax Details
QST at 9.975% applies to any private vehicle purchase, measured against the greater of the price and the estimated value (average wholesale price minus $500) — the estimated value is the floor an artificially low price can't get under.
Exemption: Gifts between related individuals — spouses, or people related by blood, marriage or adoption — escape QST when both sign form VD-80.1-V; vehicles passing to an heir are exempt as well.
Inspection Requirements
No safety inspection gates an ordinary private sale of a Quebec-registered light vehicle — only imports, rebuilt vehicles and ones stored over 12 months need one. A private mechanical inspection remains the smart, optional move.
Quebec Vehicle Sale — Step-by-Step Checklist
- Seller: start the transfer in SAAQclic with the buyer's licence number and the price, or meet the buyer at an SAAQ service outlet with photo ID.
- Write a full bill of sale alongside it: VIN, plate, body type, odometer, true price, date, both signatures.
- Buyer: accept the SAAQclic transfer within 48 business hours and enter the actual odometer reading.
- Buyer: budget QST at 9.975% on the higher of the price or the estimated value.
- No inspection to schedule for a private sale of a Quebec-registered passenger vehicle — but an optional pre-purchase mechanical check is money well spent.
- Buyer: run an RDPRM lien search (Quebec's personal property registry) before paying.
- Both parties keep copies of the signed bill of sale.
Common Pitfalls
- Missing the SAAQclic window: the buyer must accept within 48 business hours, and the seller stays liable until the vehicle is registered in the buyer's name.
- Declaring a token price: the SAAQ charges QST on the estimated value whenever it is higher than the declared figure.
- Skipping the written contract: the SAAQ says the registration certificate is not a title to property, so the bill of sale is the buyer's proof of the deal — but it is not the transfer itself.
- Trusting "no inspection required" as "no inspection needed": with no mandated check, the private mechanical inspection is the buyer's only technical safeguard.
Pro Tip
Quebec's transfer is a one-contract, one-deadline affair: a signed bill of sale, SAAQclic acceptance within 48 business hours (or an outlet visit), QST on the realistic value. Respect the clock and the estimated value and the process is painless.