Vehicle registration in Quebec: renew, store, replace a plate online
Renewing a registration, storing a vehicle for the winter and replacing a lost plate are three different operations with different consequences if you pick the wrong one.
Renewing a registration, storing a vehicle for the winter and replacing a lost plate are three different operations with different consequences if you pick the wrong one.
Three words not to confuse
Renew: pay the fees to keep driving. Store: voluntarily suspend the registration of a vehicle that will not be used, and stop paying for that period — a stored vehicle may not be driven, even briefly. Scrap: remove the vehicle from circulation for good.
Renewing
Find the renewal notice and its deadline; check the address on file, the vehicle and its status; pay online, which updates the vehicle status immediately and lets you obtain or print the registration certificate; then verify in the portal that the certificate matches the right vehicle.
Storing, unstoring, scrapping
Storing suits seasonal or collector vehicles; unstore online before driving again, with fees possibly pro-rated. Scrapping is final and means the vehicle can never be registered again: do it when the vehicle goes to scrap, and not by mistake.
Plates and certificates
A lost, stolen or damaged plate is replaced online or at a service point depending on the case, and a stolen plate also requires a police report. Personalised plates are ordered and activated online. Keep the registration certificate and insurance proof in the vehicle.