Interprovincial agreements

If your enterprise is domiciled in Ontario, New Brunswick or Newfoundland and Labrador, you may qualify for an exemption from writing the examinations required to obtain your licence. Such exemptions are granted under the agreements signed between your province's government and the government of Québec with respect to labour mobility and the recognition of qualifications, skills and work experience in the construction industry. 

Click on the agreement that applies to you to see the process for obtaining your licence:

• Québec – Ontario interprovincial agreement
• Québec – Nouveau-Brunswick interprovincial agreement
• Québec – Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador interprovincial agreement

Québec–Ontario interprovincial agreement

The Québec–Ontario interprovincial agreement provides that contractors domiciled in Ontario are exempt from writing the knowledge examinations in the areas of construction project management, construction site safety management, and administration in order to obtain a licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ), as long as they meet one of the conditions below:

• Prove to the RBQ, with supporting documents, that they have been registered with the Tarion Warranty Corporation (formerly known as the Ontario New Home Warranty Program) for at least three years.
• Show that they have been registered as a building contractor for at least five years with the Companies and Personal Property Security Branch of the Ministry of Government Services (MGS) of Ontario, as a legal person.
• Show that the name of the construction enterprise (formed as a general partnership, limited partnership, or sole proprietorship) has been registered with the MGS of Ontario for at least five years.

Moreover, the contractor must provide a copy of a contract or invoice for each of the past five years, in every subclass applied for.

If your enterprise meets the requirements for exemption under the agreement

Complete the form that corresponds to the legal status of your enterprise:

• Application for a Contractor's Licence – Business enterprise located in Ontario and exempted from the professional qualifications evaluation process – Natural Person – PDF (379 KB)
• Application for a Contractor's Licence – Business enterprise located in Ontario and exempted from the professional qualifications evaluation process – Legal person – PDF (654 KB)
• Application for a Contractor's Licence – Business enterprise located in Ontario and exempted from the professional qualifications evaluation process – Partnership – PDF (501 KB)

If your licence application is complete and meets all the requirements, the RBQ will process it within 1 day of when it is received. The processing of an application involves several steps, including a verification that all relevant documents have been submitted with the form and that the information provided is accurate.

If your enterprise does not meet the exemption criteria under the agreement

A contractor who does not meet the exemption criteria set out in the agreement must undergo the usual process to obtain a licence, since all contractors must hold a building contractor’s licence issued by the RBQ in order to carry out construction work, or have this work carried out, in Québec. 

N.B.: For contractors who are specialized in plumbing, heating or electrical, licences are issued by the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec and the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec respectively.

Québec–New-Brunswick interprovincial agreement

The Québec–New-Brunswick interprovincial agreement provides that contractors domiciled in New Brunswick are exempt from writing the knowledge examinations in the areas of construction project management, construction site safety management, and administration in order to obtain a licence from the RBQ, as long as they meet one of the conditions below:

• Prove to the RBQ, with supporting documents, that they have been registered for at least five years with the New Brunswick Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission.
• For licence subclasses 15.5 (Contractor – Plumbing) and 16 (Contractor – Electrical), show that they have been the holder, for at least five years, of a Plumbing Contractor’s Licence or an Electrical Contractors Licence Group 3, as the case may be, issued by the New Brunswick Department of Public Safety.
• For licence subclasses 15.1 (Contractor – Warm air heating systems), 15.2 (Contractor – Natural gas burners), 15.3 (Contractor – Oil burners) or 15.4 (Contractor – Hot water and steam heating systems), show that, for at least five years, they have been doing construction work or having construction work done that is covered by the licence subclass under which they wish to carry out or cause to be carried out such work in Québec.
• Provide a copy of a contract or invoice for each of the past five years, in every subclass applied for.

If your enterprise meets the requirements for exemption under the agreement

Complete the form that corresponds to the legal status of your enterprise:

• Application for a Contractor's Licence – Business enterprise located in New Brunswick and exempted from the professional qualifications evaluation process – Natural Person – PDF (370 KB)
• Application for a Contractor's Licence – Business enterprise located in New Brunswick and exempted from the professional qualifications evaluation process – Legal person – PDF (642 KB)
• Application for a Contractor's Licence – Business enterprise located in New Brunswick and exempted from the professional qualifications evaluation process – Partnership – PDF (524 KB)

If your licence application is complete and meets all the requirements, the RBQ will process it within 10 days of when it is received. The processing of an application involves several steps, including a verification that all relevant documents have been submitted with the form and that the information provided is accurate

If your enterprise does not meet the exemption criteria under the agreement

A contractor who does not meet the exemption criteria set out in the agreement must undergo the usual process to obtain a licence, since all contractors must hold a building contractor’s licence issued by the RBQ in order to carry out construction work, or have this work carried out, in Québec. 

N.B.: For contractors who are specialized in plumbing, heating or electrical, licences are issued by the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec and the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec respectively.

Québec–Newfoundland-and-Labrador interprovincial agreement

The Québec–Newfoundland-and-Labrador interprovincial agreement provides that contractors domiciled in Newfoundland and Labrador are exempt from writing the knowledge examinations in the areas of construction project management, construction site safety management, and administration in order to obtain a licence from the RBQ, as long as they meet one of the conditions below:

• Establish, in the case of a legal person, that they have been registered for at least five years as a building contractor with the Commercial and Corporate Affairs Branch of the Department of Government Services and Lands of Newfoundland-and-Labrador.
• Show, in the case of a sole proprietorship or a general or limited partnership, that the name of the construction enterprise has been registered for at least five years with the Worker’s Compensation Commission of Newfoundland-and-Labrador.
• Provide a copy of a contract or invoice for each of the past five years, in every subclass applied for.

If your enterprise meets the requirements for exemption under the agreement

Complete the form that corresponds to the legal status of your enterprise:

• Application for a Contractor's Licence – Business enterprise located in Newfoundland and Labrador and exempted from the professional qualifications evaluation process – Natural Person – PDF (370 KB)
• Application for a Contractor's Licence – Business enterprise located in Newfoundland and Labrador and exempted from the professional qualifications evaluation process – Legal person – PDF (642 KB)
• Application for a Contractor's Licence – Business enterprise located in Newfoundland and Labrador and exempted from the professional qualifications evaluation process – Partnership – PDF (524 KB)

If your licence application is complete and meets all the requirements, the RBQ will process it within 1 day of when it is received. The processing of an application involves several steps, including a verification that all relevant documents have been submitted with the form and that the information provided is accurate.

If your enterprise does not meet the exemption criteria under the agreement

A contractor who does not meet the exemption criteria set out in the agreement must undergo the usual process to obtain a licence, since all contractors must hold a building contractor’s licence issued by the RBQ in order to carry out construction work, or have this work carried out, in Québec.

N.B.: For contractors who are specialized in plumbing, heating or electrical, licences are issued by the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec and the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec respectively.