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Bill of sale: what does my province ask for?

A vehicle bill of sale to fill in or print blank, with your province's list marked where its registry publishes one. Free, no sign-up, nothing sent.

Your bill of sale

Pick a province to mark its list

The sheet below prints as it is, blank lines and all. Choose where the buyer will register the car, and the lines that province asks for get marked.

Prints two copies: one for the buyer, one for the seller.

The vehicle

Haven't bought it yet? Use the inspection checklist

What you type stays in this browser tab. It isn't sent or saved, and it's gone when you close or reload the tab.

This is a worksheet for a private sale. It isn't a government form, and it isn't legal advice.

Used car inspection checklist

Take it to the car. Answer each line yes, no or couldn't check, and anything still open collects in one list.

What powers it?

Who's selling?

Bill of Sale - Motor Vehicle

Bill of Sale - Motor Vehicle

Buyer's copy

To be registered in:

Seller

Name(s)
Address
Phone
Driver's licence or ID no.

Buyer

Name(s)
Address
Phone
Driver's licence or ID no.

Vehicle

Year
Make
Model or series
Body type or style
Colour
Power source
VIN
Licence plate
Odometer

Sale

Price
Date of sale
Price in words
Signed at
Paid by
GST/HST no. (only if the seller charged tax)

Notes

I certify that all information shown above is true to the best of my knowledge.

Seller's signature
Date
Second seller, if any
Date
Buyer's signature
Date
Second buyer, if any
Date
Witness (optional)
Witness (optional)

Not a government form. Each copy carries its own original signatures. Made with preferredmechanic.ca/tools/vehicle-bill-of-sale/

Bill of Sale - Motor Vehicle

Seller's copy

To be registered in:

Seller

Name(s)
Address
Phone
Driver's licence or ID no.

Buyer

Name(s)
Address
Phone
Driver's licence or ID no.

Vehicle

Year
Make
Model or series
Body type or style
Colour
Power source
VIN
Licence plate
Odometer

Sale

Price
Date of sale
Price in words
Signed at
Paid by
GST/HST no. (only if the seller charged tax)

Notes

I certify that all information shown above is true to the best of my knowledge.

Seller's signature
Date
Second seller, if any
Date
Buyer's signature
Date
Second buyer, if any
Date
Witness (optional)
Witness (optional)

Not a government form. Each copy carries its own original signatures. Made with preferredmechanic.ca/tools/vehicle-bill-of-sale/

Used car inspection checklist

The car: ________

Province: not chosen

Power: Gas or diesel. Seller: Private seller.

Date: ________

Outside

Paint colour or shine changes from one panel to the nextYesNoCouldn't check
Gaps between panels or doors are unevenYesNoCouldn't check
Rust or bubbling paint at the rocker panels or wheel archesYesNoCouldn't check
Rust on the frame or underside you can see without lifting the carYesNoCouldn't check
A tire worn more on one edge than the otherYesNoCouldn't check
Tread worn down to the wear bars on any tireYesNoCouldn't check
Chips or cracks in the windshieldYesNoCouldn't check
Every light works: headlights, brake lights, signalsYesNoCouldn't check
Fresh drips on the ground where the car was parkedYesNoCouldn't check

Under the hood, engine off and cool

Oil on the dipstick looks milky or grittyYesNoCouldn't check
Coolant in the see-through tank sits below the MIN mark (look only, don't open the cap)YesNoCouldn't check
White or green crust on the battery terminalsYesNoCouldn't check
Oil, fluid or wet residue under the hoodYesNoCouldn't check
Belts look cracked or frayedYesNoCouldn't check
A block heater cord is thereYesNoCouldn't check

Inside

Warning lights stay on after the car startsYesNoCouldn't check
Damp carpet or a musty smellYesNoCouldn't check
Every window, lock and mirror worksYesNoCouldn't check
Heat and defrost blow hot airYesNoCouldn't check
Air conditioning blows coldYesNoCouldn't check
Every seat belt latches and pulls back inYesNoCouldn't check
Odometer: the seller says ______ km, I read ______ km

Test drive

Starts easily from cold (ask the seller not to warm it up first)YesNoCouldn't check
Smoke from the exhaust after it startsYesNoCouldn't check
Pulls to one side on a straight, level roadYesNoCouldn't check
Vibration or squeal when you brakeYesNoCouldn't check
Gear changes feel harsh, slip or come lateYesNoCouldn't check
Clunks or knocks over bumpsYesNoCouldn't check
Steering wheel sits off-centre when driving straightYesNoCouldn't check

Paperwork

Registration or ownership documentI saw itNot availableNot checked
Seller's photo ID matches the name on the registrationI saw itNot availableNot checked
VIN on the car matches the registrationI saw itNot availableNot checked
Vehicle history report, and who supplied itI saw itNot availableNot checked
Lien search resultI saw itNot availableNot checked
Safety or inspection certificateI saw itNot availableNot checked
Service recordsI saw itNot availableNot checked
Recall check (Transport Canada)I saw itNot availableNot checked
Stolen-vehicle search (CPIC)I saw itNot availableNot checked

Questions for the seller

How long have you owned it?
Why are you selling it?
Has it had any collision repairs?
Is there any money owing on it?
Where has it been serviced?
How many keys come with it?
Are winter tires included?
Has it been registered outside this province?

This sheet records what you saw and what the seller told you. It does not tell you whether to buy.

Recalls: tc.canada.ca. Stolen-vehicle search: cpic-cipc.ca.

From preferredmechanic.ca/tools/vehicle-bill-of-sale/

How the vehicle bill of sale works

You've agreed on a price, and now there's paper to sign. Your province decides which transfer papers you need, and each words its rules a little differently.

Pick the province where the buyer will register the car. If its registry publishes a list for a bill of sale, those lines get marked on the sheet and counted as you type. Ontario's list has seven, plus both signatures. Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador publish their own.

Alberta publishes a standard form too. Its webpage and form disagree about optional fields, so check with the registry before leaving them blank. Where the registry runs the sale through its own transfer paper instead, as ICBC and Nova Scotia's Registry do, the card tells you that first and the sheet becomes your receipt.

Each card names the province's official document first, then how long the buyer has to register and how the tax works there. All of it comes from the registry's own pages. The sheet adds no clause a registry didn't ask for.

The VIN gets the check-digit test Canada's motor vehicle safety regulations define, so a mistyped character usually shows up before anyone signs.

Print it and you get two copies. Sign both in ink, and keep one each.

Who this is for

You're selling a car privately or buying one, anywhere from Victoria to St. John's, and the paperwork is the part you haven't done in years.

The sheet is for private sales of cars, vans and light trucks. Dealers write their own bill of sale (in Ontario it goes on the dealer's letterhead), and boats, trailers and the territories aren't covered here.

Questions about a bill of sale in Ontario and other provinces

Do I need a bill of sale to register a car in Ontario?

Yes. ServiceOntario lists a bill of sale among the papers you bring to register a used car, and you can use the section at the bottom of the UVIP for it. It has to show the VIN, the make, year and power source, the body type, colour and model, the price, both names and addresses, and the sale date. Both of you sign and date it.

Can a bill of sale be handwritten in Ontario?

Yes. Ontario says a bill of sale must be an original document, but it can be handwritten. What it won't usually take is a photocopy or a fax: those count only in the few cases its page lists, such as an original copied at a ServiceOntario centre. A printed sheet signed in ink is an original, so print yours, sign it and bring that one.

What does a bill of sale need to include?

It depends on where the buyer registers. Ontario lists seven things plus both signatures. Manitoba asks for the date, year, make, model, VIN, price, both names and both signatures. Newfoundland and Labrador adds the buyer's driver's licence number and the plate number. Alberta's own form also wants phone numbers, ID numbers, the odometer reading and the price in words. The sheet above has a line for all of it.

Does a bill of sale need to be signed by both parties?

In Ontario, yes: the bill of sale must be signed and dated by both the buyer and the seller. Alberta and Manitoba list both signatures as well. Newfoundland and Labrador's list names the seller's signature, and it wants every owner on the registration to agree to the sale and sign. Sign both printed copies in ink, so each of you keeps one with original signatures.

Who keeps the bill of sale, the seller or the buyer?

Both of you should have one. Alberta's standard form says to fill in two copies: the buyer keeps the original and the seller keeps the copy. The buyer needs it to register the car, and the seller gets a dated record of the day the car changed hands. That's why the sheet prints twice, marked buyer's copy and seller's copy.

How many days do you have to register a car in Ontario?

Six. Ontario says you must register your name as the new owner within 6 days of the purchase, at a ServiceOntario centre. Elsewhere the clock differs: 10 days in British Columbia and in Newfoundland and Labrador, 30 days in Nova Scotia. Alberta says as soon as possible, and Manitoba expects the car registered and insured before you drive it, in most cases.

Who pays the tax on a private car sale in Ontario?

The buyer pays at ServiceOntario when registering, not to the seller. Usually it's 13% retail sales tax on the higher of the price and wholesale value. Different valuation rules cover older cars, low-value vehicles and purchases outside Ontario. A damaged or heavily used car may qualify for an appraisal. Check the Ministry of Finance's specified-vehicle rules before transferring it.

Does the UVIP have a bill of sale?

Yes. The Used Vehicle Information Package has a bill of sale section, and ServiceOntario says you can use the bottom of the UVIP for it. In most private car, van or light-truck sales, the seller must provide a UVIP. Check Ontario's exemption list if the vehicle was previously bought or sold outside Ontario. It costs $20 and also shows the vehicle's Ontario history and its lien information.

Does ICBC have a bill of sale form?

Not as such. ICBC's buying pages don't mention a bill of sale at all. What it asks for is its Transfer/Tax Form (APV9T), completed and signed in full by both of you with original signatures, plus the seller's signed Vehicle Registration (APV250), taken to an Autoplan broker within 10 days. We'd still print a bill of sale as a receipt for both of you.

Does a bill of sale need a witness in Alberta?

Alberta's webpage says witness signatures are optional. Its standard form has two witness lines and asks for sections 1 and 2 to be completed. Those instructions don't settle the same way. Check with the registry before skipping a witness or leaving out the phone numbers, ID numbers or odometer reading.

Should a bill of sale say "as is"?

None of the provincial pages and forms we read asks for "as is" wording, so the sheet doesn't print it. Whether those words change anything between a buyer and a seller is a legal question, not a registry rule. If it matters to your sale, ask a lawyer before you sign; the Notes line takes whatever you both agree to write.

What should I check when buying a used car from a private seller?

The car, the papers and the person. Look for rust and uneven tire wear, watch for warning lights, and drive it from cold. Check that the seller's name matches the registration and the VIN on the car matches the papers, and run the free stolen-vehicle search and recall check. The checklist above keeps every line you couldn't check in one list for your mechanic.

Bill of sale in Ontario: what ServiceOntario wants to see

A bill of sale in Ontario is short, but ServiceOntario is specific about it. It wants the VIN; the make, year and power source; the body type, colour and model; the price; the seller's name, address and signature; the buyer's name and address; and the date.

Both of you sign and date it. It has to be an original: handwritten is fine, a photocopy usually isn't.

Most private sales need the seller to provide the Used Vehicle Information Package. Check Ontario's exemptions first. The UVIP has its own bill of sale section at the bottom and shows the lien information on the car.

Within 6 days of the purchase, bring the bill of sale, the UVIP, the vehicle portion of the owner's permit with the transfer filled in on the back, your licence, proof of insurance and, if the car needs one, a Safety Standards Certificate.

Sources and last checked

Every line marked on the sheet comes from the registry that applies it, read on the date shown.

Dataset version: 7 October 2026.

More free tools

Bookmark this page for the day of the sale. It saves nothing you type, so print the sheet once it is filled in.

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