Moving from B.C. | Registering your vehicle
To find out all about auto insurance in B.C., visit Getting started with Basic Autoplan. For specific tips for newcomers to the province, read on.
If you are a full-time student attending a post-secondary institution in B.C., or a member of the armed forces being posted here for a period of less than six months, there may be special licensing provisions for you.
The amount you pay for your Autoplan insurance is directly related to your claim record. So before you move here, get an original letter (a fax or photocopy is not acceptable) from your auto insurance company (the company, not your local broker) on company letterhead that lists:
You can get credit for up to 8 years of claim-free driving, and each one increases your discount off the base rate for Autoplan coverage, so the letter can save you money. The maximum discount for newcomers to the province is 40%. If you were insured with more than one company in the past 8 years, get a letter from each company. Click here to find out more about ICBC's Claim-Rated Scale.
If you don't have the letter when you register and insure your vehicle in B.C., you can bring it in within 6 months of first registering. You will be eligible for any earned discount then, but there is a $20 processing fee. You will not be charged a fee if you have the letter when you first apply.
If you're already in B.C., visit an Autoplan broker.
Most used vehicles (other than trailers or motorcycles) being registered in B.C. for the first time or returning to B.C. after being registered outside the province must pass a mechanical safety inspection at a designated B.C. inspection facility before they can be registered, licensed and insured.
Rebuilt, altered or constructed vehicles (including kit vehicles) require a structural inspection along with the mechanical safety inspection.
You can get a list of inspection facilities by contacting the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement at (250) 952-0577 or from the list on their website. Once your vehicle has passed the inspection, take your vehicle with a copy of the inspection report and your current registration to an Autoplan broker to register and insure your vehicle in B.C. The broker must be able to visually check the Vehicle Identification Number [click for definition]on the vehicle.
If you are bringing a vehicle into Canada from another country, check the requirements on the Transport Canada web site and the Registrar of Imported Vehicles site. Or you can call the Registrar of Imported Vehicles office at 1-888-848-8240.
You must register, license and insure any vehicle you bring to B.C. within 30 days of its arrival here. (Vehicles intended for commercial use must be registered, licensed and insured immediately.)
You have up to 90 days to get your B.C. driver's licence.
However, you need to have a B.C. driver's licence for ID when you buy your insurance if you plan to take advantage of our 12 month payment plan, that lets you pay for your annual insurance policy in 12 monthly payments. If you don't have a B.C. driver's licence or any recent history with ICBC, you will have to start out on the six month payment plan if you want financing for your premium.
In some parts of B.C., your vehicle will have to pass an AirCare test before your first renewal. Your first registration is exempt. The test measures your car's emissions. Whether your first registration is for three months or an entire year, you will need to pass AirCare before you can renew. The requirements vary according to the age of the car, too. Visit AirCare's web site for complete details.
