All the steps for obtaining a licence

Where do you start the process of obtaining a licence? Below you will find all the steps you need to follow to apply for a licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ).

Click on any of the steps below to scroll down to the information you want.

1. Determine whether you actually require a licence
2. Select your company's legal form of organization
3. Register your company
4. Determine which licence subclasses you need
5. Check the criminal history of your officers and lenders
6. Offering financial guarantees
7. Get qualified!
8. Complete and submit your application form

Determine whether you actually require a licence

In Québec, anyone who carries out construction work, or has construction work carried out, must hold a licence, unless they are exempted from doing so.

To determine whether you require a licence, consult the Guide to determining the type of licence required [Fr]. To see what exemptions may apply, go to Work and situations not requiring a licence. If you are in doubt, contact us.

Electrical, plumbing, heating, and oil or natural gas burners

Contractors specializing in electrical work (subclass 16) must contact the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec, which is responsible for evaluating its members' qualifications for obtaining a licence.

Contractors specializing in plumbing, heating, oil burners or natural gas burners (subclasses 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4 and 15.5) must contact the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec [Fr], which is responsible for evaluating its members' qualifications for obtaining a licence.

A competency certificate is not the same thing as a licence

The competency certificate is issued to construction workers. Competency certificates are mandatory for workers who carry out, generally on behalf of an employer, work that falls within the occupations regulated by the Commission de la construction du Québec. Emploi-Québec also issues competency certificates for occupations that are considered "outside of construction".

The Régie du bâtiment du Québec licence is issued to persons who manage a construction company. It concerns the company's right to carry out construction work or have construction work carried out, and thus manage it.

Select your company's legal form of organization

You must specify your company's legal form of organization (natural person, legal person, or partnership). Contact the Registraire des entreprises du Québec to determine which form is best suited to your situation. A lawyer, notary or accountant can also help you determine the legal form of organization that is best suited to your needs and objectives.

Under certain provisions of Act R-20, administered by the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ), a particular legal form may also subject the company to certain obligations or restrictions. It is therefore recommended that you also contact the CCQ before making this decision.

Register your company

Registraire des entreprises du Québec (REQ)

Determine which licence subclasses you need

Your licence must indicate the subclass(es) corresponding to the work you plan to carry out. For help determining the appropriate subclass(es), see:

• Determining which licence subclasses you need
• Guide to determining the type of licence required [Fr]

Check the criminal history of your officers and lenders

Offering financial guarantees

Contractors must comply with a number of obligations, one of which is to have licence security or to be accredited under the Guarantee Plan for New Residential Buildings. Licence security or Guarantee Plan? See the table below to determine which one applies to you.

Security

For general contractors (Schedule I subclasses), the required licence security is $40,000, and for specialized contractors (Schedules II and III subclasses), the amount is $20,000.

The RBQ requires this security, but does not issue it. Licence security is provided by a number of insurance companies, associations, credit unions and banking institutions. Go to Licence security to see which types of security are acceptable.

General contractors for new residential buildings: certificate of accreditation

As indicated in the table above, contractors who hold a general contractor's subclass for new residential buildings (subclasses 1.1.1 and 1.1.2) must be accredited under the mandatory plan and obtain a certificate of accreditation from the authorized plan manager, La Garantie de construction résidentielle (GCR). To learn how to be accredited to the Guarantee Plan, consult the Plan’s accreditation page [Fr].

Unlike licence security, the certificate of accreditation under the Guarantee Plan does not need to be presented with your licence application. After you submit your application, you will receive a notice informing you of the deadline for providing proof of accreditation under a guarantee plan.

Get qualified!

• Taking the RBQ examinations: go to Examinations to see how many examinations you will need to write, and to find the information you need to help you prepare properly.
• Successfully completing a training program recognized by the RBQ: you must provide your certificates of successful completion of the recognized training programs along with your licence application.
• Acquiring sufficient education and professional experience in the following fields of qualification:
  • Administration
  • Construction site safety management
  • Project and site management
  • Carrying out of construction work

  In this case, you may obtain an equivalence by presenting a professional file.

Skills already recognized?

• served as guarantor for a construction company in the field of qualification relevant to the examination
• had their skills evaluated and recognized by the RBQ in the requested field of qualification or in the selected subclass pertaining to the examination.

Companies located in Ontario, New Brunswick or Newfoundland and Labrador

Complete and submit your application form

Complete the appropriate form for your company and forward it to the RBQ, along with all the required documents and the necessary fees. Go to Fee structure and fines to see the fees required for licence applications and qualification examinations.

Go to Licence application forms to find the form you need.

Requesting priority processing

You may pay an additional fee to have your application handled before anyone else’s.

You are eligible for priority processing if you meet the following two conditions:

• you have the required qualifications for the fields or subclasses for which you are applying, either from acquired experience as a guarantor within the past five years, or from the successful completion of a training program recognized by the RBQ
• your licence application is complete and includes the duly completed application form, the full payment amount, the licence security, etc.

You are not eligible for priority processing in either of the following situations:

• Your competency needs to be assessed, either through examinations or the presentation of a professional file.
• Your application is covered by an interprovincial agreement.

Additional fees

See Fee structure and fines to find out the additional fees required for priority processing of a licence application.