Moving · Ontario → Quebec · Updated September 5, 2026
The price page is elsewhere. This one is the list: what to do, in what order, with what deadlines, and what Bill 96 really changes for a family arriving from Ontario.
Moving from Ontario to Montreal follows a precise order: register with RAMQ on arrival (waiting period of up to three months, OHIP covers in between), get a Quebec driver's licence within six months, register the vehicle within about three months, obtain a certificate of eligibility for English school if one parent did most of their elementary schooling in English in Canada, and time your lease or purchase to Quebec's July 1 calendar. Bill 96 changes an anglophone's daily experience (public services in French, signage) but not their school rights nor access to English CEGEPs (capped at 17.5 % of college enrolment). On price, Ottawa (average $688,253) and Hamilton ($741,172) are closer to Montreal than Toronto is, but Quebec remains the only market where prices are still rising in 2026.
| When | What | The detail that matters |
|---|---|---|
| 3 months before | Lease notice or listing in Ontario; mortgage pre-approval in Quebec | A pre-approval locks a rate for 90 to 120 days; selling first in an Ontario market that is falling (HPI -3.9 % year over year) secures the budget |
| 2 months before | Certificate of eligibility for English school (if applicable) | Applied for through the chosen school; the parent's school records (English elementary in Canada) and proof of citizenship |
| Arrival day | RAMQ registration (online) | Waiting period of up to 3 months; OHIP covers the transition if you notify it of your move |
| Within 3 months | Vehicle registration with the SAAQ | Mechanical inspection possible; QST depending on the case |
| Within 6 months | Quebec driver's licence | The Ontario licence stays valid for 6 consecutive months after you establish residence, then exchange without a test |
| Within the year | Quebec income tax return | Two returns (federal and provincial); your province of residence on December 31 decides the whole year |
The Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec imposes a waiting period of up to three months on anyone settling in Quebec from another province. During that period the province of origin keeps covering its former residents: notify OHIP of your move and keep your card. Register with RAMQ on arrival, online, with proof of residence (lease, deed, Hydro-Québec account). Your employer's private plan covers prescription drugs; in Quebec, the public drug plan is mandatory if you have no group plan.
An Ontario driver's licence stays valid for six consecutive months after you settle in Quebec; the SAAQ then exchanges it for a Quebec licence without a test. The vehicle must be registered in Quebec within about three months, with a mechanical inspection possible depending on its age. The change of address is done in one step for six ministries through the Service québécois de changement d'adresse. Our Quebec moving checklist covers every step with official links, and buying a home as a newcomer to Quebec covers the purchase side.
Since 2022 (the Charter of the French Language as amended by Bill 96), the Quebec state communicates in French by default. The exceptions provided, such as six months of English service for immigrants, are aimed at people arriving from another country: an Ontarian is not an "immigrant" under the Charter, and without a certificate of eligibility for English school, government services are in French. In daily life, commercial signage must give French marked predominance since June 2025, adhesion contracts (insurance, phone) must be offered in French first, and large companies must operate in French. What does not change: Montreal remains a city where you live in English in the West Island, Westmount and part of the South Shore; designated hospitals (McGill, Jewish General, Lakeshore, Charles-Le Moyne for some services) serve in English; and the English-speaking job market is real in aerospace, technology and video games.
The rule is Bill 101's: a child is eligible for English public school in Quebec if one parent, a Canadian citizen, received most of their elementary instruction in English in Canada (or if a sibling is already eligible, or if the child did most of their elementary schooling in English in Canada). Most families arriving from Ontario qualify, and the certificate of eligibility, once obtained, is valid for the whole schooling and for subsequent children. Without a certificate: French school (reverse immersion works very well for young children), or an unsubsidized private English school. At the college level, English CEGEPs (Dawson, Vanier, John Abbott, Champlain in Saint-Lambert) are capped at 17.5 % of college enrolment, with priority to certificate holders. Universities (McGill, Concordia) are not affected.
In Quebec most leases run July 1 to June 30, and close to 200,000 households move on the same day; movers are booked months ahead and cost twice as much that week. Arriving in September, as most families following the school year do, means looking for a ten-month lease, a lease transfer, or buying directly. For buying, fall 2026 is a favourable window: 28 % more listings on the South Shore than a year ago, sellers accepting conditions, and rates likely to rise in 2027. See should you buy in 2026 or wait until 2027.
| August 2026 (or July) | Ottawa (OREB, August) | Hamilton-Burlington (July) | Greater Montreal (APCIQ, August) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average price / benchmark | $688,253 (+0.3 %); HPI $637,700 (+1.0 %) | Hamilton $741,172 (-3.4 %); Burlington $1,042,388 (-5.7 %); HPI $729,800 (-4.9 %) | Single-family $650,000 (+2.8 %); South Shore $655,000 (+4 %) |
| Sales | 1,002 (-18.6 %) | n/a | 2,853 (-13 %) |
| Inventory / days on market | 4.5 months; 29 days | 42 days | 42 days; 37 on the South Shore |
For an Ottawan, Montreal is not a saving on purchase price ($688,000 vs $650,000); it is a change of city two hours away, with the same language and tax rules as anywhere in Quebec; Gatineau, across the river, remains the "Ontario without Ontario" option at Quebec's $497,501 provincial median. For a Hamiltonian the gap is real ($741,172 vs $655,000) and the dynamics are reversed: Hamilton is down 3 to 5 %, the South Shore up 4 %. Moving from Toronto to Montreal runs the full calculation of prices, taxes and income tax.
Up to three months of waiting after registration; Ontario's OHIP covers you in between if you have notified it of your move.
Yes if one parent, a Canadian citizen, did most of their elementary schooling in English in Canada (or if a sibling is already eligible). The certificate of eligibility is requested through the school and is valid for the whole schooling.
Yes, within six months of settling in Quebec; the SAAQ exchanges the Ontario licence without a test. The vehicle must be registered in Quebec within about three months.
No. It makes French mandatory in state communications, signage and adhesion contracts, but the West Island, Westmount, Nuns' Island and part of the South Shore remain English-speaking communities, with schools, hospitals and employers that operate in English.
Also available in French: version française de ce guide.
Published September 5, 2026 by the Loaa & Manseur team, the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 according to the official RE/MAX ranking. Tell us about your project.
Quebec runs on civil law, so several French terms have no direct English equivalent: hypothèque is a hypothec and not a mortgage, vices cachés are latent defects, and the taxe de bienvenue is legally transfer duties. The full list is in our Quebec real estate glossary.
Équipe no 1 de RE/MAX Platine en 2024 et en 2025, 6e au Québec, 15e au Canada et dans le top 50 mondial au classement officiel RE/MAX. Réponse en moins de 24 heures, sept jours sur sept.