How to write the Red Seal exam in Quebec.

01Who can write the Red Seal exam in Quebec?

Quebec certifies its tradespeople through two bodies. The Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale (MESS, called the Ministère on this page) issues qualification certificates outside construction, and the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) issues competency certificates in construction. The Quebec government's Red Seal page, which is available in English and in French, states the entry condition: "You can take advantage of the Red Seal Program if you hold a certificate of professional qualification issued by the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale or the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ)."

That is the only entry condition the official pages describe. The Red Seal Program leaves the decision to each jurisdiction: "The apprenticeship and certification authority in each province and territory determines who can write the Red Seal Exam." For Quebec we found no apprentice-completion route and no challenger route to the Red Seal exam described, and no sentence saying those routes are closed. Every eligibility condition Quebec publishes starts from a Quebec certificate. For how the challenge route works in other provinces, see our guide on challenging the exam as an experienced worker.

Appendix 3 of the Ministère's Information Guide for the enrolment application (English PDF, January 2026 edition; a French version exists) sets out the condition for each of three groups of trades:

• Construction industry. "Have a journeyperson competency certificate issued by the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ), or provide a letter from the CCQ certifying that you passed the exam." A certificate issued before April 1, 1993 by the MMSRFP, a predecessor, is also listed.
• Regulated qualification under the Ministère. "Have a certificate of qualification issued by the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale" or by its predecessors, the MMSRFP and the SQDM.
• Voluntary qualification under the Workplace Apprenticeship Program. A certificate from the Ministère, or an SQDM certificate issued under the Workplace Apprenticeship Program.

Your certificate does not have to be current. The guide says that when you register for a Red Seal exam, worker qualification certificates do not have to be valid, regardless of the expiry date. The exception it names is construction labourers, who need a valid competency certificate-occupation.

Some trades carry extra conditions. For construction craft worker, the guide asks for a CCQ hours record showing you "worked at least 3000 hours with a job title designated by a code of 600 or higher." Welders must show that they passed practical welding tests (CWB, ASME or Quebec equivalents) and produce one or more "letters from employers attesting to at least 6000 hours of experience performing welding tasks over the last 6 years." Crane operators whose certificates date from before 1993 need the USG safe-crane course.

The trade list is Quebec's own. Appendix 3 maps Quebec certificate titles to Red Seal titles with program codes. Construction examples include Electrician (construction), Plumber, Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic, and Carpenter. Trades regulated by the Ministère include Electricity and Pressure vessel welder Class A. The voluntary trades include Cook, Hairstylist, Machinist, Industrial mechanic (Millwright), Cabinetmaker, Tool and die maker, and Baker/Pastry maker. Check Appendix 3 for your own trade before you apply.

If you do not hold a Quebec certificate, this page cannot tell you how to get one. For trades regulated by the Ministère, the starting point is its page on the process to obtain a compulsory qualification certificate. For construction trades, ask the CCQ.

02How to apply, and how the exam gets scheduled

The application goes to the Ministère, whatever your trade. That includes CCQ construction trades: the CCQ issues construction competency certificates but does not run the Red Seal exam. The CCQ's Sceau rouge page sends workers elsewhere for it: "Découvrez sur leur site comment obtenir la mention Sceau Rouge." In plain English: find out on the Red Seal site how to obtain the Red Seal mention.

The Quebec government's Red Seal page opens the process this way: "To obtain the Red Seal endorsement, you must submit an application to verify your eligibility." The steps it lists, with the detail the guide adds:

1. Consult the Information Guide. Appendix 3 of the guide covers the Red Seal Program: the eligibility condition for your trade, the program code, and any extra documents.
2. Complete the Enrolment Application, Qualification Program. It is a paper form, and the guide says to complete a separate form for each program. For the Red Seal Program you complete the "Certificates of qualification" section and, if it is applicable to your trade, the Attestation de l'expérience de travail form section. You do not fill in the employer section.
3. Attach your documents. Photocopies of your qualification or competency certificates, plus the Attestation de l'expérience de travail where your trade requires it.
4. Pay by cheque or money order. The guide: "Payment can be made by cheque or money order payable to the Québec Minister of Finance." The French guide is blunt about leaving it out: "Toute demande soumise sans paiement sera refusée." That is, any application submitted without payment will be refused.
5. Mail everything. The Red Seal page gives the address: Centre administratif de la qualification professionnelle, Case postale 100, Victoriaville (Québec) G6P 6S4. There is no online application, and no email address for applications is published.
6. Wait for the notice. "If you meet the eligibility criteria, you will receive a notice to register for a Red Seal examination session." The Ministère schedules the sitting, so you do not choose the date yourself.

No processing time is published, and neither is the usual wait for an exam session. For questions, the Red Seal page says to contact the Centre administratif de la qualification professionnelle at 1-866-393-0067 (toll free).

03What the exam costs

The amounts below come from the Ministère's fee sheet for apprenticeship and qualification programs, headed "Fees as of January 1, 2026" and checked on September 17, 2026. They are in Canadian dollars. The sheet does not say whether tax is included.

The one fee covers the application, the exam sitting and the certificate. There is no separate line for the Red Seal endorsement. The CCQ line costs more, and its wording adds a study of your file. For a repeat, the sheet lists $330.00 for "Enrolment to repeat a qualification exam" and does not say whether an applicant certified by the CCQ pays $330.00 or $352.00.

Fees are not refundable. The French guide states: "Toute demande soumise sans paiement sera refusée. Les droits exigibles sont en dollars canadiens et ne sont pas remboursables." In plain English: any application submitted without payment will be refused, and the fees are in Canadian dollars and are not refundable. So confirm your eligibility against Appendix 3 before you mail a cheque. The fee sheet lists no trade qualifier or challenge application fee.

04Exam day: format, language, what to bring

Format. Quebec's Red Seal page: "The written exam consists of 100 to 150 multiple-choice questions. You will have 4 hours to complete the exam. The passing grade is 70%." That matches the Red Seal Program's national statement: "The Red Seal Exam has a pass mark of 70%. The writing time is four hours." The Ministère's own provincial qualification exam is a different exam, described on its process page as "usually a three-hour written exam that takes place at a department's exam center." Our guides cover the question count for each trade and what 70% means in marks.

Where. In person. "This is usually a written exam held at the Ministère's exam centre. For welding and hairdressing, you may have to take a practical exam." No list of exam centres or addresses is published, and Quebec's pages do not say whether the exam is written on paper or on the national online system.

What is supplied, and what you cannot bring. "The necessary material and a calculator will be made available to you. Cell phones, pagers, laptops or any other electronic equipment are not permitted in the exam room." That matches the Red Seal Program's national rules, covered in our exam day guide.

Identification. Quebec's Red Seal page states no ID requirement. The Red Seal Program's preparation guide tells candidates to "Know what you need to bring (e.g., government issued photo ID, proof of apprenticeship, etc.)", so read your notice closely and phone the centre if you are unsure.

Language. Quebec's pages do not state the language options for the Red Seal exam. The Red Seal Program's registration page advises every candidate: "Confirm with your provincial or territorial office that your exam will be in the official language (English or French) of your choice." Do that when you apply, not on the day. No dictionary or code book policy is stated either.

05How you get your results

Quebec publishes one sentence on results: "If you pass the exam, your certificate with the Red Seal endorsement will be mailed to you." How you learn your mark, whether you get a section-by-section breakdown, and how long marking takes are not stated.

If you fail and disagree with the result, Quebec has a formal route. The Ministère's process page says you can ask for an administrative reconsideration of your case if you disagree with a decision, and its list of the decisions covered includes "failure of a qualifying exam" and "Red Seal Program qualifications (interprovincial standards)." You use the Application for administrative reconsideration form and mail it to the Service de réexamen administratif at the Centre administratif de la qualification professionnelle in Victoriaville. Check the process page for the form and for any time limit before you rely on it.

06If you do not pass

Quebec has no waiting period. From the Red Seal page: "If you fail the exam, you can retake it. You do not have to wait to retake the exam." You enrol again and pay again: the fee sheet lists $330.00 for "Enrolment to repeat a qualification exam." Because the Ministère schedules sessions, no wait in the rules does not mean a seat the next day, and the time to the next session is not published.

The third attempt is different. "If you are retaking the exam after having failed it twice, you must provide proof that you have upgraded your skills. You must provide proof of degree completion in your field of qualification issued by the CCQ, a school board or a recognized institution (CMMTQ, ÉTG, etc.)." No maximum number of attempts is stated.

A second failure brings the upgrading requirement, so treat a second attempt as the one that counts. Our guide on how to study for the Red Seal exam builds a plan from your trade's exam breakdown.

07Accommodations

Quebec's Red Seal page does not address accommodations. The Ministère's general process page for its own qualification exams does: "For apprentices with special needs, accommodation measures to the assessment protocol may be implemented. To request the implementation of these measures, please use the Accomodation Measure for Means of Evaluation (PDF 219 Kb) form. This form must be completed by a competent professional authority." The spelling is the page's own.

Whether that form applies to Red Seal candidates is not stated, so ask the Centre administratif de la qualification professionnelle at 1-866-393-0067 before you mail your application. The Red Seal Program tells candidates to "ask about accommodations you may be entitled to when writing the exam. Keep in mind that the request for accommodation has to be made well in advance." In Quebec you do not choose your session, so raise it with the application.

08Certificate and Red Seal endorsement

The Ministère issues the certificate: "If you pass the exam, your certificate with the Red Seal endorsement will be mailed to you." The fee you paid at enrolment already covers "issuance of a certificate of qualification" and no separate endorsement fee is listed. A duplicate copy costs $40.50. Renewal or expiry rules for the endorsed certificate are not stated. For the Ministère's regulated certificates generally, the renewal schedule "varies according to the qualification obtained."

The Red Seal Program describes the endorsement the same way nationally: "Tradespersons who have successfully passed the Red Seal examination receive a Red Seal endorsement on their provincial/territorial trade certificate."

Do you need it to work outside Quebec? Quebec's page is candid that the endorsement is not the only path. Under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, "skilled workers who practise a regulated trade can work in another Canadian province, with or without the Red Seal endorsement." It then adds: "However, we strongly recommend that you obtain the endorsement." Check with the authority in the province where you plan to work.

Construction. The CCQ's Sceau rouge page says that once a worker has obtained the Red Seal mention, "il pourra déposer une demande de certificat de compétence au service à la clientèle de la CCQ", meaning the worker can then file a request for a competency certificate with CCQ customer service. The request takes two forms, a photocopy of official ID, proof of the ASP Construction course "Santé et sécurité sur les chantiers de construction" and "l'acquittement des frais de 100 $ exigibles (chèque, mandat-poste, carte de crédit, carte de débit ou espèces)", that is, payment of the $100 fee by cheque, money order, credit card, debit card or cash. It can be filed "par la poste, ou en se présentant à un des bureaux régionaux" (by mail, or in person at a regional office). The page does not say which workers this step applies to, so read the CCQ page or ask the CCQ.

Verification. Employers who want to confirm a Quebec certificate are sent to two places by the Red Seal Program's credential verification page: the CCQ at reconnaissance@ccq.org for construction trades, and the Ministère at caqp@servicesquebec.gouv.qc.ca for non-construction trades.

09Contact and exam locations

Centre administratif de la qualification professionnelle, Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale. Mail: Case postale 100, Victoriaville (Québec) G6P 6S4. Phone: 1-866-393-0067 (toll free). This is the office the Red Seal Program's directory lists for Quebec, and it handles Red Seal applications for all trades, including CCQ construction trades.

Email. No email address is published for Red Seal applications. The address caqp@servicesquebec.gouv.qc.ca is listed by the Red Seal Program for certificate verification in non-construction trades, and reconnaissance@ccq.org for verification in construction trades. Applications go by mail, and questions by phone.

Exam locations. The only venue named is "the Ministère's exam centre." No addresses and no list of centres are published.

CCQ. The CCQ does not take Red Seal exam applications. Its regional offices do accept the competency certificate request described in section 08, by mail or in person.

10What Quebec does not publish

We looked for each of these on the Quebec government's pages, the CCQ's Red Seal page and the Red Seal Program's pages on September 17, 2026 and could not find them stated. Rather than guess, we list them, so you know what to ask the Centre administratif de la qualification professionnelle directly.

• Where the exam is written. Only the Ministère's exam centre is mentioned, with no addresses or list of centres.
• What identification you must show on exam day.
• How and when you get your mark. The only statement is that the endorsed certificate is mailed if you pass.
• How long an application takes to process, and how long the wait is for an exam session.
• A maximum number of exam attempts.
• Whether the Ministère's accommodation form for its own qualification exams also applies to Red Seal candidates.
• Whether the $330.00 and $352.00 fees include tax.
• Whether an applicant certified by the CCQ pays $330.00 or $352.00 to repeat the exam. The fee sheet lists $330.00 for enrolment to repeat a qualification exam without saying who that line covers.
• The language options (French or English) for the Red Seal exam in Quebec.
• Renewal or expiry rules for a certificate carrying the Red Seal endorsement.
• Whether Quebec delivers the Red Seal exam on paper or on the national online system. The page says only that it is a written exam.
• A fee for a trade qualifier or challenge application. None is listed on the fee sheet.
• An email address for Red Seal applications. Only mail and phone are given; the published email addresses are for certificate verification.
• The Red Seal Program's own Quebec jurisdiction page returned a 404 error on September 17, 2026. Its live contact page lists the Ministère and links to the Quebec government's Red Seal page.

11Sources

• Gouvernement du Québec: Facilitating Interprovincial Mobility Through the Red Seal Program (English, last updated February 10, 2025) — who can use the program, the application steps and mailing address, the notice for an exam session, the exam centre, the practical exam for welding and hairdressing, 100 to 150 questions, 4 hours, 70%, supplied calculator, the electronics ban, no waiting period, proof of upgrading after two failures, the mailed certificate, the Canadian Free Trade Agreement note, the phone number.
• Gouvernement du Québec: Favoriser la mobilité interprovinciale avec le Programme du Sceau rouge (French) — the French version of the same page.
• Gouvernement du Québec: Fees as of January 1, 2026, Apprenticeship and Qualification Programs (EQ-6150A, PDF) — the $330.00 Red Seal fee, the $352.00 line for applicants certified by the CCQ, the $330.00 repeat enrolment, the $40.50 duplicate.
• Gouvernement du Québec: Information Guide, Enrolment Application, Qualification Program (01-1035A, January 2026, English PDF) — Appendix 3 on the Red Seal Program: eligibility by group of trades, certificates that need not be valid, the 3000-hour and 6000-hour conditions, program codes, which sections of the form to complete, payment by cheque or money order.
• Gouvernement du Québec: Guide d'information, Formulaire d'inscription, Programme de qualification (01-1035, January 2026, French PDF) — applications without payment are refused; fees are in Canadian dollars and non-refundable.
• Gouvernement du Québec: Process to obtain a compulsory qualification certificate (English, last updated September 16, 2025) — the three-hour provincial qualification exam, the accommodation form, administrative reconsideration and the decisions it covers.
• Commission de la construction du Québec: Sceau rouge (French) — the CCQ refers workers to the Red Seal site for the mention; the competency certificate request after the Red Seal mention and its $100 fee.
• Red Seal Program: Provincial and Territorial Authorities — Quebec's listing: the Centre administratif de la qualification professionnelle, its postal address and toll-free number.
• Red Seal Program: Credential Verification — the CCQ and Ministère email addresses for verifying a Quebec certificate.
• Red Seal Program: Exam Overview and Preparation — each province and territory determines who can write the Red Seal exam; the 70% pass mark and four-hour writing time.
• Red Seal Program: Exam Preparation Guide (PDF) — the national advice to find out what identification to bring.
• Red Seal Program: Register for your Red Seal Examination — confirming the exam language with the provincial office; requesting accommodations well in advance.
• Red Seal Program: About the program — the endorsement is placed on the provincial or territorial trade certificate after a pass.

Every figure above was read on an official page on September 17, 2026. Fees and rules change; the office's own pages are the final word, and if you find one of ours out of date, tell us.

12Other provinces and territories

Eligibility, fees and rewrite rules are set by each province and territory, not by the Red Seal Program. The same guide for the others:

Related: all guides · challenging the exam without an apprenticeship · exam day: what to expect · the 70% pass mark · if you fail: rewrite rules compared

13Practice for this exam

The exam you write in Quebec is the same Red Seal exam written everywhere else in Canada, built from the trade's published breakdown and marked to the same 70%. TicketPrep practice tests are weighted to that breakdown for each trade, every answer is explained, and the first test is free.

Ten free questions per trade, no account: free practice questions. How our questions are written and checked: how our questions are made.