What must be on an Ontario car dealer bill of sale: the OMVIC requirements
A registered Ontario dealer's bill of sale is a legal contract, not a receipt. To be compliant under the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act it has to identify the vehicle and the parties, show the all-in price with every fee itemized, be signed and dated by the buyer, and carry all of the mandatory written disclosures — accident damage over $3,000, brand history, former use, odometer, and more. Miss a required disclosure and the buyer may be able to rescind the deal, and you're exposed if OMVIC inspects the file. Here's exactly what belongs on the document in 2026.
A dealer bill of sale in Ontario isn't a receipt you fill in after the handshake — it's the contract, and the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act regulation spells out what it has to contain. Get a line item or a disclosure wrong and two things can happen: the buyer may have grounds to unwind the deal, and you have a hole in your file the next time OMVIC inspects.
A compliant dealer bill of sale must identify the vehicle and the parties, show the all-in price with every fee itemized, be signed and dated, and carry every mandatory written disclosure that applies. There is no cooling-off period in Ontario, and you must keep the document for six years.
The core information every bill of sale needs
Before any disclosures, the document has to nail the basics:
- The dealer. Legal name, registered business name, and the OMVIC registration — on the dealership's letterhead.
- The buyer. Name and address of the purchaser.
- The vehicle. VIN, make, model, trim level, model year, and the odometer reading (with a note if the reading is known to be inaccurate or can't be verified).
- The price, itemized. The vehicle price, then each fee on its own line — documentation / admin fee, freight/PDI, the $22 OMVIC fee, any pre-installed products — totalling to your advertised all-in price. HST and licensing are added below that total.
- Trade-in, deposit, and balance where they apply, plus the delivery date.
- Signatures and date. Signed and dated by the buyer — the moment the contract becomes binding.
The mandatory disclosures
This is where most compliance gaps hide. The MVDA requires a long list of written disclosures, and OMVIC is explicit that a verbal disclosure does not count — it has to be clear, comprehensible, and prominent, in writing, on the contract. The ones that catch dealers out most often:
- Accident / repair damage over $3,000. If the total cost of repairing damage from any single incident exceeded $3,000, it must be disclosed in writing. (OMVIC recommends disclosing all known damage regardless of amount.)
- Brand history. Whether the vehicle has ever been branded salvage, irreparable, or rebuilt under the Highway Traffic Act.
- Former use. If it was ever a daily rental, police cruiser, emergency vehicle, taxi, or limousine.
- Structural / panel repair. If two or more adjacent body panels (bumpers aside) have been replaced, or the vehicle had structural damage.
- Out-of-province history. If it was ever registered outside Ontario (not required once it's been in Ontario seven or more years).
- Odometer / total distance — and a disclosure if the reading is not accurate or the true distance is unknown.
- Stolen and recovered, a cancelled manufacturer warranty, non-functioning anti-lock brakes or airbags, and any material difference from the vehicle's original specifications.
For the full, categorized list and the exact language OMVIC expects, see the OMVIC Disclosures Guideline. A good UVIP and a lien search are how you surface most of this before you write the deal.
Selling “as-is”
If you sell a vehicle unfit or as-is, the exact statutory statement has to appear on the contract — the one that begins “The motor vehicle sold under this contract is being sold ‘as-is’…” and makes clear the vehicle is not certified and may not be fit to drive. Paraphrasing it doesn't satisfy the requirement, and an as-is car can't be advertised at a certified price.
No cooling-off period — which is why the paperwork matters
A point worth being clear on with every buyer: Ontario has no cooling-off period for a vehicle bought from a registered dealer. Once the bill of sale is signed, it's a binding contract. The buyer's primary protection isn't a change of mind — it's the disclosures. If a mandatory disclosure was missing or wrong, that's often what lets a deal be unwound. Complete, accurate paperwork is as much your protection as theirs.
Keep it for six years
Every bill of sale is part of a deal file you must retain for six years at your approved records premises. OMVIC can ask to see any of them during an inspection, so the document has to be both complete today and retrievable years from now. A complete deal file pairs the bill of sale with the disclosures, UVIP, safety certificate, and delivery record.
Make the compliant version the easy version
The reason bills of sale go wrong is rarely bad intent — it's a busy desk and a document rebuilt by hand on every deal. That's what Lot Jacket removes. It generates a compliant bill of sale with the all-in price itemized and the mandatory disclosures prompted, ready to e-sign, and files it into a deal jacket that stays audit-ready for the full six years.
Want to pressure-test one of your own bills of sale against the list above? Book a free 15-minute demo and bring a real deal file.
Sources
- Mandatory Disclosures — OMVIC
- Disclosures Guideline — OMVIC
- O. Reg. 333/08: GENERAL (Motor Vehicle Dealers Act, 2002) — Government of Ontario
- Buying a new or used vehicle: your rights — Government of Ontario
- All-in Price Advertising — OMVIC
Frequently asked questions
What must be on an Ontario car dealer bill of sale?
A dealer bill of sale must identify the dealer (legal and registered name) and the buyer, describe the vehicle (VIN, make, model, trim, year, odometer reading), show the all-in price with each fee itemized, add HST and licensing, and be signed and dated. It must also contain every mandatory MVDA disclosure that applies to the vehicle — including accident repairs over $3,000, any salvage/rebuilt branding, and former use as a rental, taxi, or emergency vehicle.
Is a handwritten bill of sale legal in Ontario?
Yes. A bill of sale can be handwritten or on a pre-printed form, but it must be an original document, contain all the required information and disclosures, and — if it's from a dealer — be on the dealership's letterhead with the OMVIC registration. What matters is the content, not whether it was typed. Most dealers use software or a standard form precisely so nothing mandatory gets left off.
What disclosures are mandatory on a dealer bill of sale?
Key mandatory written disclosures include: total distance / odometer accuracy, accident repair costs exceeding $3,000, whether the vehicle is branded salvage, irreparable, or rebuilt, prior use as a daily rental, police, emergency, taxi, or limousine vehicle, out-of-province registration history, whether it was stolen and recovered, structural or two-plus adjacent panel repairs, non-functioning anti-lock brakes or airbags, and any cancelled manufacturer warranty. If the car is sold 'as-is', the exact statutory as-is statement must appear.
Is there a cooling-off period for buying a car in Ontario?
No. There is no statutory cooling-off period for a vehicle purchase from a registered dealer in Ontario. Once the bill of sale is signed, the contract is generally binding. That's exactly why the mandatory disclosures matter so much — a buyer's main remedy is showing that a required disclosure was missing or wrong, which can let them rescind.
How long does a dealer have to keep a bill of sale?
Registered dealers must keep their books and records — including bills of sale and deal files — for six years, at a records location approved by the Registrar. OMVIC can ask to see any of these during an inspection, so the document you sign today needs to still be retrievable in 2032.
Go deeper
This guide is general information for Ontario used-car dealers, not legal or compliance advice. OMVIC requirements can change — always confirm the current rules with OMVIC or a qualified advisor.