How to Sell a Car Privately in Alberta

Seller checklist (Alberta)

• Complete the standard Alberta bill of sale. Include full names and addresses of buyer and seller, VIN, make/model/year/colour, the sale price, the odometer reading at the time of sale, and signatures from both parties. Alberta.ca's standard bill of sale lists optional fields (phone numbers, witness signatures, lien and payment terms) that are worth filling in for your own records.
• Remove your licence plates before the buyer drives away. In Alberta, plates stay with the seller, not the vehicle. Take them off before the buyer leaves. The buyer gets new plates from the registry when they register the vehicle in their name.
• Cancel or transfer your insurance. Once you've signed over the vehicle and removed your plates, contact your insurer to cancel the policy or move coverage to another vehicle. Don't leave the policy running on a vehicle you no longer own.
• Give the buyer a signed bill of sale plus any supporting documents. The buyer needs the signed bill of sale to register the vehicle at a registry agent. Keep a signed copy for yourself — print two copies so both parties have one.

Buyer steps after the sale

• Arrange insurance before driving the vehicle — Alberta registry agents require proof of insurance at the transfer.
• Bring the signed bill of sale, government-issued ID, and proof of insurance to any registry agent to transfer the registration and get plates.
• Alberta registry agents run a lien search (PPSA) as part of the transfer — if a lien turns up, the transfer can't complete until it's discharged.
• No provincial sales tax applies to private vehicle sales in Alberta. GST does not apply on private-to-private sales either.

Additional notes

• Alberta doesn't require a safety inspection for most private transfers, but buyers often request an independent pre-purchase inspection — especially for out-of-province vehicles, which may need an out-of-province inspection before registering.
• Alberta has no provincial sales tax on private vehicle sales, but keep the price on the bill of sale accurate — it's the primary record if there's a dispute, an insurance claim, or a later lien question.
• Alberta.ca lists optional bill-of-sale details (phone numbers, witness signatures, lien information, payment terms) that are worth filling in when money is staged or the buyer is taking delivery later.

Official sources

• Alberta.ca — Standard bill of sale
• Alberta.ca — Buying a vehicle from a private seller
• Alberta.ca — Transfer a vehicle registration