FAQ

This info is provided here as a public service. Ontplates.com no longer sells plates for YOM registration purposes.

The simplest thing to do is put these items in a package:

– Your plates
– Your ORIGINAL green vehicle ownership (not a copy)
– A cheque or money order for the $251.65 authentication fee, payable to the Minister of Finance
– If your plates are terminated, enclose a second cheque for the $32 transfer fee (if unsure, enclose it anyway– they will return this second cheque it if it doesn’t apply)
– A brief note to say you’re applying to get YOM licence plates to your vehicle. Provide your email address in case you need to sign a transfer declaration. More on that in a minute.

If using Canada Post, send the package to:

ServiceOntario
Kingston Production & Verification Services
Products and Services Office
P.O. Box 9700
Kingston, Ontario
K7L 5N2

If using a courier that requires a physical street address, send the package to:

ServiceOntario
Kingston Production & Verification Services
Products and Services Office
1355 John Counter Blvd
Kingston ON K7L 5A3

– If your plates are terminated and the second $32 cheque has been cashed, a transfer of the plate number from the previous user is necessary. If you provided your email address, ServiceOntario may be able to email you the declaration to save time. By signing it, you’re simply agreeing that you will pay any traffic fines incurred with these plates, and not the previous user. (If the plates are not terminated, then no $32 cheque is cashed, no transfer is necessary, and no declaration applies.)

ServiceOntario describes the procedure at this link in on their site. The $251.65 fee reserves the number of the plates under your name in the MTO database. The Kingston step normally has a turnaround of 2-4 weeks. They often get backlogged in the summer. The best time to do this is during the winter.

The plates will be returned to you by courier. An ownership document will be enclosed, to show that the number has been issued to you.

Bring the approved plates, plus all ownership papers for plates and vehicle, to your local ServiceOntario counter. Ask to have the plates attached to the vehicle.

This info is provided here as a public service. Ontplates.com no longer sells plates for YOM registration purposes.

If the YOM plates are legally attached to the vehicle, they can be transferred with the vehicle if it is sold. This the preferred way for YOM plates to be transferred to a new owner. Some things you should know first:

– YOM licence plates are the only type of plate in Ontario that can be transferred directly to a new owner.

– Transfer must be done at the same time as car is sold.

– YOM plates can only be transferred to the buyer of the car to which the plates are attached (e.g. you can’t sell the car to Mike Smith and transfer the plates separately to Steve Jones).

This is not a process that is often done at the ServiceOntario counter, so you must be clear with the clerk that YOM plates can be transferred. Here is what must be done:

1. The seller of the YOM-plated car must write a letter authorizing the transfer of the plates to the buyer of the vehicle along with the sale. Use full names, quote the plate number, and quote the vehicle VIN.
2. The seller of the car should provide the buyer with both halves of the original green ownership slip (the vehicle portion, as well as the plate portion).
3. The buyer should go to their local ServiceOntario counter to have the change in ownership processed, and the buyer must be very clear that the vehicle is plated with YOM plates, and the plates are also to be transferred to the new owner. It is a good idea to mention that YOM plates are the only type of plate where this is allowed.
4. If the desk agent is uncertain as to how to proceed (remember, it’s an uncommon transaction), have them call their Internal Support Hotline for assistance.

If the plates are not transferred with the vehicle, and you just want to re-sell them, this is not as easily done. The owner would have to visit a local ServiceOntario office to have the plates properly cancelled (terminated) and the unused portion of the annual fees are refunded. Ordinarily, doing this requires that the owner surrender the plates, but the YOM office in Kingston says the YOM plates can be retained by the owner for eventual transfer once they are terminated. Plates must remain in a terminated state for two years before they can be reissued to another person. If they are re-sold to someone else after that time, the plates would have to be re-authenticated (meaning, they would have to be sent for approval and the $251.65 fee paid, all over again).