You bought a new trailer! Now it's time to register and plate it!
A trailer is considered a separate vehicle from your truck. Before you can use one on any public road in Ontario, you must register it.
Every VIN must have its own plate & permit. For example, B-Trains are considered to be two separate trailers. A license plate must be on the lead and the pup.
When you register a trailer, you pay a one time fee and you will receive a license plate and vehicle permit for it. The word "trailer" appears
on the left side of the license plate and, unlike a car or truck, there is no plate sticker on it. The registration never expires.
When registering a trailer, a registrant identification number (RIN) is required. A RIN is either your driver’s license number, for an individual,
or a created 9-digit number used to identify a corporation or business within Ontario's motor vehicle registration system.
No matter the trailer type, trailers can only be registered in person
at a
ServiceOntario Center and, depending on the
trailers status prior to purchase, you will need the following documents:
New Trailer (Purchased in Canada):
- New Vehicle Information Statement (NVIS) or dealer’s Certificate of Sale/Origin
- Bill of sale issued by the manufacturer
- Government-issued identification (Drivers License, Passport)
Note: If you have an extra trailer license plate from an old trailer that was sold or discarded, it can be re-used as long as it is going onto a trailer associated with the same RIN number it was originally registered to.
This is why at Trailer Driven, we can keep all your extra Ontario license plates stored on-site. That way, we'll have them on hand to use as required and you will save the cost of having to get a new plate when we register the trailer for you.
Used Trailer (Purchased in Ontario):
- Vehicle portion of Ontario permit, signed by the seller
- Bill of sale
- Government-issued identification (Drivers License, Passport)
Used Trailer (Purchased in another Canadian province or territory):
- Original registration from the other province
- Bill of sale
- An empty weigh slip if the trailer weighs over 900kg - Proof of weight can be obtained from any government approved scale site
such as a garbage dump, cement company or you can get a letter from a motor vehicle dealer confirming the manufacturer’s specifications for the empty weight.
- Government-issued identification (Drivers License, Passport)
New Trailer (Purchased Outside of Canada):
- B3 - this is obtained by customs after the trailer has crossed the border into Canada. **
- New Vehicle Information Statement (NVIS) or dealer’s Certificate of Sale/Origin
- Bill of sale issued by the manufacturer
- Government-issued identification (Drivers License, Passport)
Note: Any outstanding defaulted fines against the registrant must be paid to be able to register the trailer.
** The B3 replaces the previously required Form1.
***This article, applicable to commercial trailers only, is just a guideline. If you are registering a trailer
yourself, for more information, please be sure to contact your local ServiceOntario or go to their website at
https://www.ontario.ca/page/serviceontario***
