The CCQ card (officially a competency certificate, certificat de compétence) lets you work on a construction site. The RBQ licence lets you run a business that carries out construction work for others. They are two documents from two bodies, and one does not replace the other.
In everyday speech people say "card," but the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) calls it a competency certificate.
Two documents, two roles
| Competency certificate (CCQ card) | RBQ licence | |
|---|---|---|
| Body | Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) | Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) |
| What it is for | Working in the construction industry covered by the Act R-20 | Carrying out or having carried out construction work for others (contractor) or on your own account (owner-builder, constructeur-propriétaire) |
| Who holds it | The person who works | The business, whose guarantors (répondants) prove their competence in exams |
| Types | Apprentice, journeyperson, occupation | General or specialized contractor, owner-builder, by subclass |
| Source | CCQ, Competency certificate (opens in a new tab) | RBQ, The licence (opens in a new tab) |
To work in the construction industry covered by the Act R-20, you must hold a CCQ competency certificate. There are three types: apprentice, journeyperson and occupation. The journeyperson certificate is valid for 12 months and is renewed.
According to the RBQ page on work requiring a licence, a person who, for others, carries out or has carried out construction work for their own profit or benefit (à son profit) is a contractor (Building Act, s. 7). That person needs a contractor licence. An owner who carries out or has carried out work on their own account needs an owner-builder licence, with one exception (see below).
The RBQ says that workforce competence is the CCQ’s responsibility and that it does not issue cards or competency certificates. Your card does not give you a licence, and your licence does not replace your employees' cards.
Employee or contractor: which one do you need
It depends on how you work.
- You are an employee on a site. You need a CCQ competency certificate. The RBQ licence belongs to your employer.
- You run an individual enterprise (sole proprietorship). The CCQ says the enterprise must hold an RBQ licence and be registered with the CCQ. You must also hold a competency certificate, or apply for one. The CCQ states that the conditions for getting the certificate differ for an employer candidate and for an employee. Check them with the CCQ before you start.
- You have a corporation or partnership. The licence belongs to the business. A corporation or partnership can appoint a designated representative (représentant désigné) with the CCQ, provided it holds an RBQ licence and is registered with the CCQ. The representative must be a partner, a director or a voting shareholder, and must hold a competency certificate or apply for one.
- You hire workers. As a construction employer, you hold an RBQ licence and declare your employees' hours in a monthly report to the CCQ. Your workers must hold competency certificates.
- You are a self-employed contractor (entrepreneur autonome). This is the status of a contractor with no employees. The CCQ requires an RBQ licence in a specialized contractor subclass. The work is limited to maintenance, repair and minor renovation, unless you hold an excavation licence. The CCQ page does not say whether a competency certificate is required in this case: ask the CCQ.
From journeyman to contractor
Your journeyman experience does not replace the licence. To run your own business, you go through the RBQ.
- Choose your licence. General or specialized, depending on your work. The RBQ licence guide and the article on how to become a general contractor in Québec cover the path.
- Name your guarantor. The guarantor sits the exams: the person themselves for an individual enterprise, an officer (dirigeant) for a corporation. The RBQ asks that the guarantor be ready to sit the exams when you file the application. See the RBQ guarantor.
- Pass the exams, or claim an exemption. The pass mark is 60%. The regulation provides an exemption if you passed a training program recognized by the RBQ in the subject, or if you acted as guarantor in the same field within the previous 5 years (s. 20 of regulation B-1.1, r. 9). Details in RBQ licence without an exam.
- File the application. The RBQ states that a complete and compliant application is processed within 60 days of receipt. It then summons the guarantor to the exams.
- Plan for the fees. For a first licence, the 2026 fee is $1,291.69 (the licence fee calculator breaks down duties and fees for your case) for a licence that includes a general subclass and $849.41 for a specialized licence only, plus an exam fee of $105.27 per exam (2026 fee). The licence bond is added, except for an owner-builder.
- Register the business with the CCQ and keep your competency certificate current, depending on your status (see above).
Owner-builder and the CCQ
An owner-builder (constructeur-propriétaire) is an owner who carries out or has carried out construction work on their own account. Two bodies are involved: the RBQ for the licence, the CCQ for the workforce.
On the RBQ side
An owner-builder licence is required for work on your own account, with one exception. An owner-builder does not need a licence when the work is only renovation, repair or maintenance of their own property and is estimated at less than $20,000 (a threshold set by regulation, not a 2026 fee). The exception does not cover:
- modification work, such as moving walls;
- work on an electrical, gas or petroleum equipment installation.
If you apply for an owner-builder licence, you do not sit the Administration exam, and the application does not include the licence bond. See the page on the owner-builder licence.
On the CCQ side
According to the CCQ, if you coordinate or do the work yourself, you act as the project owner-manager (maître d’œuvre). If you hire workers directly, you are considered a construction employer: you register with the CCQ and hire workers who hold competency certificates. The RBQ licence exemption changes nothing here, since workforce competence is the CCQ’s matter.
For self-build (an individual building their own residence on a non-profit basis), the CCQ distinguishes two cases:
- if you hold a competency certificate, you may do all the work of your trade, as a volunteer, on your own residence;
- without a certificate, you may do only certain work: painting, finishing of interior surfaces, non-structural wood or plastic trim, interior doors and windows, ceramic and stone, cabinets and countertops.
Outside that work, the CCQ does not allow unqualified volunteers.
FAQ
Does a CCQ card replace an RBQ licence?
No. The card (the competency certificate) concerns the person who works on a site. The licence concerns the business that carries out or has carried out work for others, or the owner who does so on their own account. A journeyman who wants their own business must apply to the RBQ for a licence.
Do I need both an RBQ licence and a CCQ card to be a sole proprietor?
According to the CCQ, an individual enterprise must hold an RBQ licence and be registered with the CCQ. The person must also hold a competency certificate, or apply for one. The conditions for getting the certificate differ for an employer candidate: ask the CCQ.
Who issues the competency card, the RBQ or the CCQ?
The CCQ. The RBQ issues contractor and owner-builder licences, but it says that workforce competence is the CCQ’s responsibility and that it does not issue competency certificates.
Does an owner-builder need a CCQ card?
It depends on who does the work. If you hire workers, they must hold competency certificates and you must register with the CCQ. If you build your own residence on a non-profit basis, a certificate holder may do all the work of their trade, while a person without a certificate is limited to a short list of tasks.
Can I get an RBQ licence without a CCQ card?
The RBQ exam page says the business’s guarantors sit the exams, and it does not list a competency certificate among its requirements. But if you want to work on sites yourself, the CCQ requires the certificate. The two procedures are separate.
For the licence side, you can check your level with RBQexam’s practice exams. RBQexam is not affiliated with the Régie du bâtiment du Québec.
Information current to 1 October 2026. Fees: 2026 fee. CCQ rules are those published on its pages on 1 October 2026: confirm your situation with the CCQ.