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Alberta guide

Plates, Registration & Notice of Disposition in Alberta

In Alberta the plate stays with you, not the vehicle. Here is how to cancel or transfer it, and how to release your liability when you sell.

In Alberta, your licence plates stay with you, not the vehicle. Remove your plate before the car is handed over, then cancel it or transfer it to another vehicle you own at any registry agent, and file a Notice of Disposition to release your liability from the sale date.

Your plate belongs to you

Alberta plates are issued to the person, not the car. That means when you sell or scrap a vehicle you take the plate with you — it does not go with the car, and it cannot be transferred to another person who is not the registered owner. You can keep the plate to put on another vehicle you own, or cancel it.

Cancelling or transferring your plate

To cancel, bring your plate and government photo ID to any registry agent and complete a plate/registration cancellation. The fee is about $10 plus GST, normally deducted from any refund. If registration time is left, you may receive a prorated refund for the unused portion, mailed by cheque in roughly four to six weeks. Alberta has more than 200 registry agent locations, so you can do this close to home. Fees change — confirm the current amount with your registry.

The Notice of Disposition

A Notice of Disposition records that you have disposed of the vehicle and helps release your liability from the date of sale. Without it, charges tied to the vehicle after you sold it — photo-radar, tickets, tolls — can still come back to you. Filing it is the step that cleanly separates you from the car. When we buy your vehicle, we explain this step as part of a fully documented sale.

A note on the 14-day grace period

You may have heard about a 14-day window. That applies to a buyer moving their own existing plate onto a newly acquired vehicle — not to a seller. It does not let you keep driving a car you have sold, and it does not extend an expired registration.

General information only, not legal advice. Fees and procedures change — confirm current details with an Alberta registry agent or Alberta.ca.

Good questions

Plates & Notice of Disposition — FAQ

No. In Alberta the plate belongs to the owner, not the vehicle. When you sell or scrap a car, remove the plate first. You can then transfer it to another vehicle you own or cancel it at any registry agent. A standard plate cannot be handed to another person who is not the registered owner.

Take your plate and photo ID to any registry agent and complete a plate/registration cancellation. The fee is about $10 plus GST, usually deducted from any refund. You may receive a prorated refund for the unused portion of your registration, mailed by cheque in roughly four to six weeks. Confirm current fees with the registry.

A Notice of Disposition is filed at a registry agent to record that you have disposed of the vehicle. It helps release your liability from the date of sale, so the new owner’s tickets, photo-radar, or toll charges are not billed to you. Filing it is strongly recommended whenever you sell or scrap a car.

No — that grace period is for buyers, not sellers. In Alberta an owner may move their existing plate onto another vehicle they own and drive it for up to 14 days while arranging the transfer, carrying proof of ownership and insurance. It does not apply to a seller and does not extend an expired registration.

Keep insurance until the vehicle is gone and your plate is removed, then contact your insurer to cancel the policy or move coverage to another vehicle. Cancelling registration and insurance after the car leaves avoids a gap while the vehicle is still in your name.
Less paperwork for you

Sell your car — we handle the paperwork

We complete the bill of sale, take the plates off, and explain the Notice of Disposition — running or not, free towing, paid at pickup.

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