The Province of Ontario offers temporary permits for the sole purpose of allowing Ontarians time to safety a newly purchased vehicle. Dealership sales for the most part will include a safety with the price. So, temporary permits will mainly be used in private sales. In this blog post, we’ll discuss when temporary stickers are available, how to obtain them, and what they cost. We’ll also talk about when you need a temporary permit, and how it fits into the used car buying process.

Temporary Permits

When a vehicle is sold privately in Ontario, it’s either listed with a safety standards certificate or as is. OMVIC.ON.CA created the following disclaimer that should accompany each vehicle sold at a dealership without a safety: “This vehicle is being sold ‘as is,’ unfit, and is not represented as being in road worthy condition, mechanically sound or maintained at any guaranteed level of quality. The vehicle may not be fit for use as a means of transportation and may require substantial repairs at the purchaser’s expense. It may not be possible to register the vehicle to be driven in its current condition.”

This disclaimer is a good definition for as-is vehicles. If you buy a vehicle from another person privately and they do not provide you with a safety, your vehicle is also as-is. The process of getting an as-is vehicle on the road ready to drive is not too complicated, so let’s get started.

The Process of Getting a Temporary Plate and Sticker

Step 1: After you’ve purchased a vehicle from the seller, they’ll sign the back of the registration in the section that says “signature of seller.” They’ll also provide you with a Used Vehicle Information Package (UVIP) that can be purchased at any Service Ontario location for $20. Fill out the bill of sale portion of the UVIP, with the seller’s info, your info, the date of sale, as well as purchase price. On the front of the UVIP is a wholesale value. The tax you pay on your new vehicle is the higher amount between that and the actual price you paid for the car.

Step 2: Call your insurance company to tell them you purchased a new vehicle. After they have insurance coverage setup on the vehicle, and they have sent you proof, you can go to Service Ontario to get a temporary permit.

Step 3: Before you visit Service Ontario, decide what you will do about plates. If you currently own plates that are not attached to a vehicle, you could use those to get the temporary permit for the new vehicle. The other option is to purchase new plates at a cost of $59. At Service Ontario, you will pay the taxes on the sale of your new vehicle, you may purchase plates, and for $15 you will get a temporary licence plate sticker. This sticker is valid for the next 10 days after purchase.

Temporary Plate Sticker

So…What’s next after getting a temporary sticker? Get a licensed mechanic to safety certify the vehicle for you. Once you have the certificate of safety, you can plate your new vehicle with a proper sticker. If, for example, you can’t safety the vehicle within the 10 days, you are allowed one extension for 10 more days. However, after that the vehicle has to be permanently plated. One thing to keep in mind is an owner can obtain a temporary permit sticker once while they own the vehicle.

The Takeaway

If you would like to purchase that nice, low-mileage car from your trustworthy neighbour, but thought it was a hassle because of all the paperwork needed, we hope you see now how simple it is to purchase a temporary vehicle permit to allow you to safety your vehicle. As long as you remember that your permit only lasts 10 days, it can be purchased at any Service Ontario location.