Guide to buying a car in a different province

Costs and other factors to consider before traveling out-of-province to buy a vehicle.

After a long search, you’ve finally found the perfect car! There’s just one problem — it’s in a different province. While buying a car over provincial lines can be more complicated, it’s not impossible. You might be able to get a car loan to cover all of the costs involved.

Can I buy a car in another province?

You can buy a car in another province. However, it’s not as simple as buying a car closer to home and it might actually cost you more. You might have to pay extra to:

• Transport your new car home. You can choose to pick up the car yourself or have it shipped to your location, but either way, you’ll need to account for the price of getting your car when setting your budget.
• Transfer the title and registration. When you bring the car to your province, you’ll have to pay to have the title and registration transferred to you. Below is a list of the number of days each province allows buyers to have the title of their cars transferred to their name:
  

  Province	No. of Days to Register Your Vehicle After Purchase
  Alberta	14 days
  British Columbia	10 days, as long as sale meets the following conditions: – The vehicle the buyer is switching plates to is registered in B.C. – The buyer has sold or disposed of the old vehicle. – Both vehicles fall into the same category (i.e. passenger vehicles). – The plates are valid B.C. license plates. – The buyer carries the signed Transfer/Tax Form for the vehicle, the original registration, the still-valid insurance papers for the buyer’s old vehicle and proof that the buyer sold the old vehicle.
  Manitoba	7 days
  New Brunswick	(No time limit specified) The buyer cannot drive their vehicle until they present the Certificate of Registration to the New Brunswick’s license issuing office. The seller must’ve signed the back of the Certificate of Registration and the buyer’s name, address and date of birth must be on the transfer document.
  Newfoundland & Labrador	10 days
  Nova Scotia	30 days
  Ontario	6 days
  Prince Edward Island	7 days
  Quebec	(No time limit specified) Buyers and sellers are advised (but not required) to sign a contract or a bill of sale to recognize the transaction. Standard forms may be found online or from auto insurance companies in Quebec. At this point, the seller must declare any “latent defects” in the vehicle that make it unfit to use or that would’ve changed the buyer’s mind about either the purchase or the purchase price of the vehicle. Both parties are also advised (but not required) to go to a SAAQ (Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec) service outlet to show identification.
  Saskatchewan	7 days
  Northwest Territories	(No time limit specified) The buyer and seller must fill out a bill of sale (buyer does not sign the bill until all documents are presented for registration). The seller must sign the back of the Certificate of Registration and give it to the buyer along with the bill of sale. The buyer should then take these documents, along with proof of residency and valid insurance documents showing coverage of the purchased vehicle, to a provincial government office to officially register the vehicle.
  Yukon	14 days (for vehicles purchased out of the province; different requirements apply for vehicles purchased within the province.)
  Nunavut	30 days (as per the CONSOLIDATION OF MOTOR VEHICLES ACT current to April 5, 2007)

• Be covered by insurance. A new car could come with a higher premium than you were previously paying. Each province has its own minimum insurance requirement, so make sure your car is covered before transporting it.
• Follow provincial taxes. You might need to pay your provincial taxes if you don’t buy your car from a dealer. Depending on the cost of your vehicle, this may be hundreds or thousands of dollars — not usually an amount most people have on hand. When not paid at a dealership, sales tax is usually paid at the provincial office where you register the new ownership of your car.

Can I get a loan to buy a car in another province?

Although each lender will have different rules about how the loan is applied, in most cases, you’ll likely be able to use a car or personal loan to purchase a car in a different province. However, extra expenses like the cost of brining it home and extra taxes likely won’t be covered by the loan so make sure you can pay out of pocket before signing up.

Compare loans to buy a car in a different province

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LendingMate Car Loan		$2,000	$10,000	43% (British Columbia and Ontario) and 34.9% (Quebec)	None	1-5 years	N/A	LendingMate offers loans to Canadians with poor credit with no credit checks.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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5 steps to buy a car in another province

Click on the sections below to learn what an inter-provincial car purchase takes.

• Step 1. Inspect the car

  The Internet is invaluable when you’re researching cars in other provinces. While it’s not the same as kicking the tires yourself, doing some research online can help you find useful information about a car’s condition, features, service history and warranty.

  You may be tempted to buy a car sight unseen, but that can be risky. Even if you trust the seller, you won’t know for sure what the condition of the car is and whether you’re getting a fair price. You could end up paying for unexpected repairs after the sale.

  Test driving a car you want to buy is ideal, if you can make that arrangement. Sometimes you can tell if there are any issues with the body or interior that were left out of it’s description.

  Anytime you buy a used car it’s a good idea to get an inspection from a licensed mechanic to determine if there are any issues under the hood.

• Step 2: Vehicle background checks

  When you buy a used car from a seller outside of your province, conduct a full check of the vehicle’s history just as you would when buying from someone just down the road. This allows you to determine:

  • Whether the car has been damaged.
  • Whether the car is listed as stolen.
  • Whether the car is leased or has a loan taken out on it.
  • If the VIN number and registration is legit.
  • The sales history.
  • The accuracy of the odometer.

  Always run a VIN check to get information like this as well as other details you may not have been told, like whether there are any existing liens on the car’s ownership. There are specialist companies like CARFAX that conduct full auto history checks. You can also verify whether the car has been reported as flood-damaged and non-repairable through the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s free VIN Verify service.

• Step 3: Purchasing the car

  Once you’re sure that the car you’re buying is what you need, you’re ready to apply for financing or go down to the dealer to buy the car. You can finance the car directly through the dealership, a bank, a credit union or an online lender. Online lenders might be a better choice in this situation, since some might be able to cover more than just the vehicle’s cost. You can also get a personal loan to pay for your car, which fortunately allows you to use the money for anything, whether it’s vehicle-related or not.

• Step 4: Registration

  Your car’s registration and title transfer depends on where you buy the car. Dealers will issue temporary registration papers until you visit your provincial licensing office. A private seller, however, won’t do this. You’ll need to transfer the bill of sale to your name before you can register your car. You could even apply for temporary registration before you pick the car up to drive away legally.[/fin_hide

  Laws are different across provinces, so check out your province’s rules about registration and buying used cars before bringing your car home. Some provinces may require that your car pass an emissions test in order to be driven.

  Click here to see vehicle registration time limits by province

• Step 5: Get your new car home

  You have a few different options when it comes to bringing your car from one province to another:

  • Drive it back yourself. If you don’t mind a road trip, you can drive or fly to pick the car up and then drive it home. Just remember to factor the costs of traveling into your budget.
  • Have someone else drive it back. Don’t have the time to pick the car up yourself? You may want to ask a friend or relative to do the job for you. They may be willing, but it’s only fair to cover their expenses.
  • Have it shipped. There are numerous carriers that specialize in shipping cars across Canada. Look around for a reputable company by checking online reviews and asking friends and family for recommendations. Compare quotes from multiple companies before choosing one.
  • Ask the seller to drop it off. In some cases, it may be possible to negotiate for the seller to deliver the car to your door. You’ll need to cover the cost of fuel, the seller’s transportation home and compensate them for their time. However, you may get lucky if the seller is swinging by your area anyway for personal reasons and is willing to bring the car along for little or no compensation as part of the trip!

Bottom line

When you find the perfect car, the fact that it’s in a different province doesn’t have to stop you from sealing the deal. There are plenty of ways for you to bring your car home, and you can easily sift through your options to find one that suits your needs so you can finally get the car you really want.

Frequently asked questions about buying a car out-of-province

• Will I need to pay sales tax on an out-of-province car purchase?

  Yes. You’ll need to pay the sales tax (GST or HST) for your home province since this is where you’ll be registering the car. If you’re going through a dealership, they may charge and remit sales tax for you. Keep records of the tax information to show to your provincial government upon registration. If you’re buying from a private seller, you’ll need to calculate your own sales tax and pay the appropriate provincial office before you can finalize your car’s registration.

• Can I use a loan to pay for sales tax?

  It depends. You may be able to have your lender factor the sales tax into the total amount of your loan. If you’re paying for your car outright rather than financing it, you may be able to use a personal loan to cover the sales tax, but this will depend on your lender.

• How else can I make sure I’m buying a good-quality vehicle?

  Make sure to ask the previous owner for a copy of the car’s service records. This will help you determine whether the vehicle has been properly looked after and what sort of maintenance you might expect when you own it. Click here for more tips on vehicle background checks.

• Do all provinces require emissions tests?

  No. Each province has its own emissions requirements. Some cars may pass in one province but fail to pass in another, so do your research before completing the purchase.

• Where can I find out more information about registering my car?

  Before buying your car, you should contact the office or department in charge of vehicle licensing/registration in the province in which you live.

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