Moving from Ontario to Quebec

1. 1

   Update your address and your Ontario programs

   Open this section ↓Close ↑

   Update your address with Canada Post (mail forwarding), CRA, Service Canada, Elections Canada, your bank, employer, and provincial agencies including your health card and driver's licence address.

   Full Quebec change-of-address checklist →

   Ontario programs and benefits on the way out

   • “The Ontario Drug Benefit program is for Ontario residents only and prescriptions must be filled in an Ontario pharmacy to be covered.” Get coverage for prescription drugs | ontario.ca →
   • The Ontario Drug Benefit is for Ontario residents only; Ontario publishes no end date for a mover. Ask the pharmacy or ServiceOntario before you leave. Get coverage for prescription drugs | ontario.ca →

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2. 2

   Health coverage: Ontario ends, Quebec begins

   RAMQ: Up to 3 months after registration. Private health insurance is strongly recommended during the waiting period.Open this section ↓Close ↑

   Leaving Ontario

   • “If you’re moving permanently to another province or territory in Canada, OHIP will cover you for the same services as when you are going away temporarily until the last day of the second full month after you leave Ontario.” OHIP coverage outside Ontario | ontario.ca →
   • “If you are cancelling your health card because you are moving outside Ontario, provide ServiceOntario with your new address and date of your move as soon as possible. This will ensure your OHIP coverage continues for the allowable time (generally 90 days) following your move.” Replace, cancel or change information on your health card | ontario.ca →

   Keep your old provincial health coverage active until your new coverage starts. Do not cancel it early.

   Arriving in Quebec

   RAMQ: Up to 3 months after registration. Private health insurance is strongly recommended during the waiting period.

   Apply on arrival; register promptly, as the waiting-period clock starts at registration: Online or by mail (Regie de l'assurance maladie du Quebec).

   Official source → https://www.ramq.gouv.qc.ca/en/citizens/health-insurance/registerMoving to Quebec: the full new-resident guide →↑ Close this section
3. 3

   Driver's licence: Ontario to Quebec

   Exchange deadline in Quebec: 6 months.Open this section ↓Close ↑

   Your Ontario licence

   • “You can choose to voluntarily surrender a valid driver’s licence if you’re moving or because of your age or health.” Get a refund or credit for your licence plate sticker or driver’s licence | ontario.ca →
   • “If you’ve moved out of the province or have stopped driving in Ontario, you can request a refund for each 6-month part of your driver’s licence fee (for example, 18 months remaining before expiry). If you are within 6 months of expiry, you will not be eligible for a refund.” Get a refund or credit for your licence plate sticker or driver’s licence | ontario.ca →
   • Ontario publishes no duty to tell it you have moved away; surrendering the licence is optional and earns a refund of unused six-month periods. Get a refund or credit for your licence plate sticker or driver’s licence | ontario.ca →

   Your Quebec licence

   Exchange deadline in Quebec: 6 months.

   You may drive on your existing Canadian licence for up to 6 months after becoming a Quebec resident; after that you must exchange it for a SAAQ licence.

   Testing is typically waived when exchanging a same-class Canadian licence.

   Official source → https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/drivers-licences/canadian-foreign-drivers-licence↑ Close this section
4. 4

   Your vehicle: cancel in Ontario, register in Quebec

   No official registration day-count has been published for Quebec. Contact SAAQ directly for the current deadline. (Note: the 6-month driver's licence exchange and the 30-day address-change notification are separate obligations with different deadlines.)Open this section ↓Close ↑

   Cancel in Ontario

   • Ontario publishes no plate-return or registration-cancellation step for a passenger vehicle you take to another province. Your Ontario plate stays yours; confirm anything about it with ServiceOntario. Vehicle registration | ontario.ca →

   Register in Quebec: SAAQ (call to start the process)

   Watch for: SAAQ does not accept credit cards at its service points. GST and QST apply at registration. You need both SAAQ registration AND a separate private insurance policy before driving in Quebec.

   No official registration day-count has been published for Quebec. Contact SAAQ directly for the current deadline. (Note: the 6-month driver's licence exchange and the 30-day address-change notification are separate obligations with different deadlines.)

   Inspection: Mechanical inspection at a SAAQ-accredited centre. New vehicles are exempt from the mechanical inspection requirement. Used vehicles must pass a SAAQ-accredited inspection.

   SAAQ's registration fee includes public bodily-injury insurance only. You must separately purchase private insurance for liability and property damage. SAAQ offices do not accept credit cards.

   The Quebec registration process starts with a phone call to SAAQ. SAAQ handles public auto insurance for bodily injury only. You must separately obtain private liability and property damage coverage.

   Official source: SAAQ (call to start the process) → https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/vehicle-registration/vehicle-from-outside-quebecQuebec vehicle re-registration guide, with what to bring →↑ Close this section
5. 5

   Federal updates and the December 31 rule

   CRA: update your mailing address via My Account at canada.ca or by calling 1-800-959-8281.Open this section ↓Close ↑

   • CRA: update your mailing address via My Account at canada.ca or by calling 1-800-959-8281. Direct deposit details stay the same.
   • Elections Canada: update your voter registration at elections.ca or at your nearest Elections Canada office.
   • Utilities, waste/recycling, transit passes, and school registration are set by your municipality: rules and providers vary by city. Check your city or municipal website for local services.

   Which province you were resident in for the year

   Your province or territory of residence is the province or territory where you lived or of which you were considered to be a factual resident on December 31 of the year.

   Your province or territory of residence - Canada.ca →

   If you need a replacement birth certificate, SIN confirmation letter, or passport, see the replace-documents guide for Quebec-specific steps and agencies.

   Quebec replace-documents guide →↑ Close this section
6. 6

   Your free ON to QC checklist

   Open this section ↓Close ↑

   Quebec deadlines at a glance

   • □Driver's licence exchange: 6 months
   • □RAMQ: apply on arrival; register promptly, as the waiting-period clock starts at registration
   • □Vehicle registration: No official registration day-count has been published for Quebec. Contact SAAQ directly for the current deadline. (Note: the 6-month driver's licence exchange and the 30-day address-change notification are separate obligations with different deadlines.)
   • □Licence address update: Quebec requires you to update your driver's licence address with SAAQ within 30 days of moving. Update at a SAAQ service outlet or through SAAQclic online.

   Leaving Ontario

   • □Health coverage: “If you’re moving permanently to another province or territory in Canada, OHIP will cover you for the same services as when you are going away temporarily until the last day of the second full month after you leave Ontario.” Source →
   • □“If you are cancelling your health card because you are moving outside Ontario, provide ServiceOntario with your new address and date of your move as soon as possible. This will ensure your OHIP coverage continues for the allowable time (generally 90 days) following your move.” Source →
   • □Driver's licence: “You can choose to voluntarily surrender a valid driver’s licence if you’re moving or because of your age or health.” Source →
   • □“If you’ve moved out of the province or have stopped driving in Ontario, you can request a refund for each 6-month part of your driver’s licence fee (for example, 18 months remaining before expiry). If you are within 6 months of expiry, you will not be eligible for a refund.” Source →
   • □Ontario publishes no duty to tell it you have moved away; surrendering the licence is optional and earns a refund of unused six-month periods. Source →
   • □Vehicle: Ontario publishes no plate-return or registration-cancellation step for a passenger vehicle you take to another province. Your Ontario plate stays yours; confirm anything about it with ServiceOntario. Source →
   • □Programs and benefits: “The Ontario Drug Benefit program is for Ontario residents only and prescriptions must be filled in an Ontario pharmacy to be covered.” Source →
   • □The Ontario Drug Benefit is for Ontario residents only; Ontario publishes no end date for a mover. Ask the pharmacy or ServiceOntario before you leave. Source →

   Arriving in Quebec

   • □Update your address: Quebec change-of-address checklist. Guide →
   • □Driver's licence: exchange within 6 months. You may drive on your existing Canadian licence for up to 6 months after becoming a Quebec resident; after that you must exchange it for a SAAQ licence. Source →
   • □Health card: apply for RAMQ on arrival; register promptly, as the waiting-period clock starts at registration. Online or by mail (Regie de l'assurance maladie du Quebec). Source →
   • □Coverage start: Up to 3 months after registration. Private health insurance is strongly recommended during the waiting period. Source →
   • □Keep your old provincial health coverage active until your new coverage starts. Do not cancel it early.
   • □Vehicle: No official registration day-count has been published for Quebec. Contact SAAQ directly for the current deadline. (Note: the 6-month driver's licence exchange and the 30-day address-change notification are separate obligations with different deadlines.) Source →
   • □Inspection: Mechanical inspection at a SAAQ-accredited centre. Guide →
   • □SAAQ's registration fee includes public bodily-injury insurance only. You must separately purchase private insurance for liability and property damage. SAAQ offices do not accept credit cards.
   • □CRA: update your mailing address via My Account at canada.ca or by calling 1-800-959-8281. Direct deposit details stay the same.
   • □Elections Canada: update your voter registration at elections.ca or at your nearest Elections Canada office.
   • □Utilities, waste/recycling, transit passes, and school registration are set by your municipality: rules and providers vary by city. Check your city or municipal website for local services.
   • □Replace or obtain documents: Quebec replace-documents guide. Guide →

   Download the ON to QC checklist as a PDF

   Printable, with every source beside its item. Free, no sign-in.

   Download this checklistPrint

   Free. General information only, not legal or regulatory advice.

   Keep it with the rest. This one files behind tab 3 of the Home File.

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7. 7

   Common questions

   When does my Ontario health coverage end after I move to Quebec?Open this section ↓Close ↑

   When does my Ontario health coverage end after I move to Quebec?

   Ontario publishes it this way. “If you’re moving permanently to another province or territory in Canada, OHIP will cover you for the same services as when you are going away temporarily until the last day of the second full month after you leave Ontario.” “If you are cancelling your health card because you are moving outside Ontario, provide ServiceOntario with your new address and date of your move as soon as possible. This will ensure your OHIP coverage continues for the allowable time (generally 90 days) following your move.” Keep your old provincial health coverage active until your new coverage starts. Do not cancel it early.

   How long do I have to exchange my Ontario licence in Quebec?

   6 months. You may drive on your existing Canadian licence for up to 6 months after becoming a Quebec resident; after that you must exchange it for a SAAQ licence.

   Do I have to hand back my Ontario plates when I register the car in Quebec?

   Ontario publishes no plate-return or registration-cancellation step for a passenger vehicle you take to another province. Your Ontario plate stays yours; confirm anything about it with ServiceOntario. In Quebec: No official registration day-count has been published for Quebec. Contact SAAQ directly for the current deadline. (Note: the 6-month driver's licence exchange and the 30-day address-change notification are separate obligations with different deadlines.)

   Is there a free checklist for moving from Ontario to Quebec?

   Yes. The checklist on this page lists what to cancel in Ontario and what to register in Quebec, each item with its official source, and you can download it as a free PDF. It helps you plan the move; it is not legal advice.

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Informational guide only. Guidepost is not a law firm. This guide explains the typical process and is not legal advice. Requirements can change. Verify current rules with the relevant government authority or a qualified professional before you act.