Lending your car, sending someone to ServiceOntario, or letting a friend pick it up? When Ontario actually asks for an owner's authorization letter, when it must be notarized, and what the driver must carry instead.
Last updated: October 13, 2026
Vehicle Owner Authorization Letter in Ontario: When You Need One
Quick answer: To let someone drive your car in Ontario, the law asks the driver to carry their licence, the vehicle permit (or a true copy) and the insurance card, not a letter. An owner's authorization letter comes in when someone handles a ServiceOntario transaction for you (the Third Party Letter of Authorization, with original signatures), when a business gets its RIN (a notarized letter), when you cross the border, or when a dealer, pound or company asks for one. Minute Notary notarizes the owner's signature for $24.95 per seal plus HST, online or in person. We do not write the letter or advise on insurance.
People search for a "vehicle owner authorization letter" for very different jobs: lending the car to a friend, sending a family member to ServiceOntario, letting someone pick the car up from a garage, or taking it to the United States. Each has its own rules, and only some of them involve a notary.
This guide sorts them out. If you have a question about your appointment, contact us or call (613) 434-5555.
Driving to the U.S.? That is a different letter. Use our free vehicle border-crossing authorization letter template, written for a driver who is not the owner.
Key Takeaways
| Situation | What Ontario asks for | Notary needed? | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Someone drives your car | Driver's licence, vehicle permit or true copy, insurance card | No letter required by these rules | HTA s. 33(1), s. 7(5); CAIA s. 3(1) |
| Someone does a vehicle transaction at ServiceOntario for you | Third Party Letter of Authorization, original signatures, plus ID | Not listed | Ontario, vehicle registration page |
| A business gets or amends its RIN | A Proof of Business Address form or a notarized letter of authorization | Yes, for the letter option | Ontario, vehicle registration page |
| Crossing into the U.S. with someone else's car | An owner's letter is commonly carried | Optional | Our border letter template |
| A dealer, garage, pound or company asks | Whatever that organization asks for | Only if they ask | The organization |
| You lend your car | The owner can be liable for the driver's negligence | No, talk to your insurer | HTA s. 192(2) |
Lending Your Car: What the Driver Must Carry
Ontario's laws list what the person driving must have:
- A driver's licence. "Every driver of a motor vehicle … shall carry his or her licence with him or her at all times" and surrender it to a police officer on demand (Highway Traffic Act s. 33(1)).
- The vehicle permit. Every driver "shall carry … the permit for it or a true copy thereof" and surrender it on demand (HTA s. 7(5)).
- The insurance card. The operator "shall have in the motor vehicle at all times" an insurance card for the vehicle, or one showing the operator is insured (Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act s. 3(1)). Ontario's vehicle registration page adds: "When driving your own or someone else's vehicle in Ontario, you must have the pink insurance card with you at all times. If you are stopped by a police officer while driving, you must show your pink insurance card when asked. If you do not, you can be fined up to $400."
A letter from the owner is not on that list. Some people still give the driver one, so it is clear the car is not taken without permission. That is a choice, not a requirement of these rules.
Before you lend the car, think about liability. Under HTA s. 192(2), "the owner of a motor vehicle … is liable for loss or damage sustained by any person by reason of negligence in the operation of the motor vehicle … unless the motor vehicle … was without the owner's consent in the possession of some person other than the owner". For a leased car, the lessee is liable in the same way, and the lessee's consent counts as the owner's (s. 192(3), (4)). Ask your insurer who is covered to drive your car before you hand over the keys.
ServiceOntario: The Third Party Letter of Authorization
Ontario's page on registering a vehicle says: "You may have to provide a Third Party Letter of Authorization if a third party is requesting a transaction on your behalf. … All signatures on a Letter of Authorization must be original."
For an original vehicle registration, a vehicle transfer, replacing the ownership or changing vehicle data, the person going for you brings:
- an original or a photocopy of the owner's valid Ontario driver's licence or Ontario Photo Card;
- the original Letter of Authorization; and
- their own original Ontario driver's licence or Ontario Photo Card.
To replace a lost, stolen or damaged vehicle permit, "You must be the owner of the vehicle or have a Letter of Authorization from the vehicle owner."
Notary or not? For this letter, the page asks for original signatures. It does not ask for a notary. Use the Letter of Authorization form that page links to (SR-LD-433), sign it in ink, and skip the notary unless ServiceOntario tells you otherwise.
Fixing a VIN error? For a vehicle identification number that is wrong on the record, the same page lists, among other proof, a "sworn affidavit by the vehicle owner explaining the vehicle identification number error". A notary can take that affidavit; book a mobile visit if ServiceOntario wants the paper original.
Business vehicles are different. To get a registrant identification number (RIN), or change a company's name or address on it, the page asks for a Proof of Business Address form or "a Notarized Letter of Authorization completed by someone with the authority to bind the organization". See our guide to the RIN letter for a corporate vehicle.
Other Times You May Be Asked for a Letter
- Picking up a car from a dealer, a repair shop or a storage lot for the owner: the business sets its own rules. Our free authorization letter for vehicle pickup template is a starting point.
- A company, landlord or rental agency asking for proof that you may use a car you do not own.
- Taking the car out of Canada: see the border-crossing letter.
When an organization asks for a letter, use its form or wording if it has one. Otherwise a clear letter usually names the owner and the person authorized, describes the vehicle (year, make, model, VIN and plate), says what the person may do with it and for how long, and is signed and dated by the owner. Ask whether they want it notarized before you book.
What a notary can and cannot do: A notary public checks the owner's government photo ID, watches the owner sign and notarizes the signature on the letter. A notary does not write the letter, decide what it should allow, advise on insurance or liability, or promise that a business, ServiceOntario or a border officer will accept it.
How the Signing Works with Minute Notary
- Prepare the letter, or fill in one of our free templates, and leave it unsigned.
- Book. Contact us or call (613) 434-5555. Appointments run every day, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (Ottawa time), by video or on a mobile visit.
- Show your photo ID, then sign while the notary watches.
- The notary notarizes your signature and applies the seal. On a video appointment you receive the notarized letter as a PDF.
Need an original ink signature? If the organization wants the paper original, as ServiceOntario does for its own letter, choose a mobile visit so you sign on paper.
Pricing
| Service | Fee | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Notarizing the owner's signature online (video) | $24.95 per seal | One seal per signed letter |
| Mobile visit (in person, anywhere in Ontario) | $24.95 per seal + $60 travel fee | Travel fee covers up to 30 km; beyond that, an additional travel fee applies |
| Card processing fee (online payments) | 2.9% + $0.30 | Shown as its own line before you pay |
Note: prices are before HST and cover notarizing only. We do not draft letters or give legal advice.
See every posted rate on our pricing page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a letter to let someone drive my car in Ontario?
Ontario's driving laws list what the driver must carry: their driver's licence, the vehicle permit or a true copy, and the insurance card. A letter from the owner is not on that list. A business, a border officer or another organization may still ask for one, so check with them.
What is ServiceOntario's Third Party Letter of Authorization?
It is the form a vehicle owner signs so someone else can do certain vehicle transactions for them at ServiceOntario, such as a vehicle transfer, replacing the ownership or changing vehicle data. Ontario says all signatures on it must be original.
Does the ServiceOntario letter need to be notarized?
Ontario's vehicle registration page asks for original signatures, not a notary, for the Third Party Letter of Authorization. A notarized letter of authorization is listed for a business getting or amending its registrant identification number (RIN).
Am I responsible if someone I lend my car to causes an accident?
Possibly. Under section 192 of the Highway Traffic Act, the owner is liable for loss or damage caused by negligence in operating the vehicle, unless it was in someone else's possession without the owner's consent. Talk to your insurer before you lend your car.
What about driving my car across the border to the United States?
That is a different letter. Use our free vehicle border-crossing authorization letter template, written for a driver who is not the owner, and have it notarized if you want the extra weight of a notary's seal.
Can a notary write the letter for me?
No. You bring a letter or a completed template, and the notary checks your ID, watches you sign and notarizes your signature. We do not draft the letter or advise on insurance or liability.
How much does it cost to notarize a vehicle authorization letter?
$24.95 per seal, plus HST, by video or on a mobile visit (plus a $60 travel fee for up to 30 km). Online payments also carry a card processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30.
Final Recommendation
Work out which letter you actually need. For lending your car in Ontario, make sure the driver has their licence, the permit and the insurance card, and check your insurance. For ServiceOntario, use its own form with original signatures. For a business RIN, a border crossing, or an organization that asks for a notarized letter, prepare the letter and have your signature notarized.
Book Your Appointment
Need a vehicle owner authorization letter notarized? Minute Notary notarizes your signature for $24.95 per seal plus HST.
- Contact us: Ask a question or request an appointment
- Call: (613) 434-5555
- Service page: Vehicle transfer and ServiceOntario documents
- Free templates: Border-crossing letter · Vehicle pickup letter
- Hours: Every day, Saturday and Sunday included, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (Ottawa time)
Sources
This article was written using AI.
About the author
Kai Mai
Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer, Minute Notary
Kai Mai writes and edits the Minute Notary guides, working from the published federal and Ontario guidance each article links, and from what Ottawa clients actually run into with certified copies, affidavits, statutory declarations, travel consent letters, and immigration paperwork. These guides are general information written by our editorial team — not legal advice, and not a professional opinion on your document. The receiving authority always has the final say.