Overview

If you have a vehicle from outside Ontario that you would like to register in the province, you can register your vehicle at a ServiceOntario centre. When you register a vehicle from out of the province, you must complete some extra steps. There are different steps depending on where you are bringing the vehicle from.

Vehicles from outside Canada

When you register a vehicle from outside of Canada you must:

Note: We now require proof of lease to register your out-of-province leased vehicle in Ontario.

This Application for Vehicle Registration form (SR-LV-006) can be completed before visiting a ServiceOntario.

If the vehicle is under a leasing agreement, you will need to provide either:

  • a lease agreement or invoice
  • a letter from leasing company with RIN and VIN
  • a letter from leasing company authorizing the vehicle to be registered in Ontario

Military personnel can use their NDI 20 and NDI 21 Department of National Defence issued military identification cards to prove their name, signature and date of birth for vehicle transactions.

You must bring the customs clearance vehicle import form 1 when you register your vehicle.

Find out where you can register a vehicle.

Vehicles from outside Ontario

When you register a vehicle from outside of Ontario you must:

If the vehicle is under a leasing agreement, you will also need to provide either:

  • a copy of the lease agreement or invoice
  • a letter from leasing company with RIN and VIN
  • a letter from leasing company authorizing the vehicle to be registered in Ontario

Military personnel can use their NDI 20 and NDI 21 Department of National Defence issued military identification cards to prove their name, signature and date of birth for vehicle transactions.

Military personnel from outside of Ontario with licence plate validation from another region can convert any remaining time on the validation onto an Ontario licence plate sticker. A letter from a military commanding officer is no longer required.

This Application for Vehicle Registration form (SR-LV-006) can be completed before visiting a ServiceOntario.

Pay retail sales tax or harmonized sales tax (HST)

Most vehicles that are purchased privately in another Canadian province will be charged retail sales tax or HST at 13% when you register in Ontario. Find out if your vehicle will be charged retail sales tax or HST.

If you are becoming an Ontario resident, you can declare an exemption when you register the vehicle instead of paying the retail sales tax. For questions about retail sales tax exemptions, contact ServiceOntario at 416-235-2999 (GTA) or toll free at 1-800-387-3445 (Canada).

Find out where you can register a vehicle

Personal vehicle that was commercial use outside of Ontario

To register a personal use vehicle (for example, pick-up truck) in Ontario that was a commercial use vehicle in another province or country, you will need:

  • all general requirements to register your vehicle in Ontario
  • proof of insurance
  • out of province ownership (title)
  • a complete bill of sale (if vehicle is not in your name)
  • proof of the empty weight of the vehicle in kilograms excluding the load (if not already on the ownership) – you can get this from any government approved scale site, such as a garbage dump, cement company, vehicle inspection station
  • a letter from a motor vehicle dealer confirming the manufacturer’s specifications for the empty weight
  • a safety standards certificate
  • an emissions test for heavy-duty diesel vehicles (vehicles with a registered gross weight of more than 4,500 kilograms, such as transport trucks, pickup trucks, delivery vans, buses, tow trucks, dump trucks and cement trucks) older than the current model year
  • a structural saftey test, if the vehicle brand is rebuilt, salvage or the equivalent (for a structural safety test, you must visit a vehicle inspection station)

This Application for Vehicle Registration form (SR-LV-006) can be completed before visiting a ServiceOntario.

Contact us

If you need more information please call us Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at: