How to Register a Vehicle in Alberta
Register a vehicle in Alberta in person at a registry agent with proof of ownership and valid Alberta insurance, then renew online, by mail, or in person before your surname-assigned expiry month.
How to Register a Vehicle in British Columbia
Registering a vehicle in BC: the Autoplan broker visit, the transfer form, the out-of-province inspection, and the insurance tie-in.
Applies in: British Columbia
British Columbia does vehicle registration differently from Ontario. In BC, registration and auto insurance are both handled by ICBC, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, and both are done in one visit to an Autoplan broker. That is the model this guide covers. It does not cover Ontario's ServiceOntario route or any other province's registry. If you mainly use the vehicle outside BC, tell the broker, because you may not be able to register and insure it here.
Step 1: Gather the ownership documents
For a vehicle bought in BC, the buyer and seller must complete and sign the Transfer/Tax Form, form APV9T. Take the completed form and the seller's signed vehicle registration to an Autoplan broker. If you cannot track down the registration, you may still be able to register the vehicle without it: request a vehicle records search from ICBC with the information you have, keep your original documentation, and bring the search result letter and all correspondence to your broker, who will provide the next steps. If the vehicle needs a BC Assigned VIN, the VIN tag is usually installed at the same time as the pre-registration inspection, and the broker will need to verify the installation and match the VIN assignment letter to the tag. Bring primary and secondary identification, and if the vehicle will be registered in a company's name, the company must first be actively registered with the BC Registrar of Companies.
Step 2: Go to an Autoplan broker
Registration is done at an Autoplan broker, not at a government counter. Both buyer and seller sign the Transfer/Tax Form for a private sale. The broker registers the vehicle in the buyer's name, and once the vehicle is registered in the buyer's name, the buyer can get licence plates and insurance. All imported vehicles, along with the required support documents and the out-of-province licence plates, must be presented at an Autoplan broker's office at the time of registration. If you have a motorcycle, note the displacement of the engine in cubic centimetres before you go to your broker.
Step 3: Pay the Provincial Sales Tax
Provincial Sales Tax must be paid at the time of registration unless you qualify for an exemption. For a leased vehicle imported from out of province, the leasing company must be registered to collect BC Provincial Sales Tax, and if the lease agreement does not show the leasing company's BC PST registration number, you will be required to pay the tax when the vehicle is registered. Ask your Autoplan broker whether an exemption applies to your purchase before you go, so the amount does not surprise you at the counter.
Step 4: Buy the licence and insurance together
Once your vehicle has been registered, you must purchase a BC licence and insurance or a Temporary Operation Permit before operating the vehicle on a highway. In BC, everyone must have basic insurance with ICBC, and you can add optional cover on top from ICBC or a private insurer. The broker can also provide options for driving or moving the vehicle if it is not yet fully registered, such as a Temporary Operation Permit. Do not drive the vehicle on a public road until the registration and the insurance are in place.
Step 5: Pass the BC safety inspection if the vehicle came from outside BC
Most imported vehicles must pass a safety inspection before registration. The proof is an original passed Vehicle Inspection Report, form CVSE0013 or CVSE0014, signed by a BC Designated Inspection Facility inspector. Vehicles branded as salvage, totalled, or written off in the previous jurisdiction must pass a structural integrity assessment, performed by a trade-qualified autobody technician, before going for a safety inspection. The one broad exemption is for qualified privately owned or leased vehicles imported from Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba under the New West Partnership Trade Agreement. To qualify, the owner must be a new or returning BC resident and the same owner as in the previous jurisdiction, the vehicle must have been registered in that province immediately before import and be privately owned or leased by an individual rather than a company, and the vehicle must weigh 3,500 kilograms or less. The model year must be four years old, current year inclusive, or less, or five years old or more with a passed provincial vehicle safety inspection in the previous jurisdiction within the last 90 days. Only the Alberta out-of-province Vehicle Inspection Certificate, the Saskatchewan Light Vehicle Inspection Certificate, and the Manitoba Certificate of Inspection are acceptable as that proof, and the report must be an original, must confirm the vehicle passed, and must have been issued in the last 90 days. Vehicles with a salvage, rebuilt, or altered status are not eligible, and neither are vehicles owned or leased by a company or organization. Ask your Autoplan broker for details if you are unsure whether your vehicle qualifies.
Step 6: Bring the right documents for an imported vehicle
For a used vehicle imported from another Canadian province, the proof of ownership is the original vehicle registration certificate from the previous jurisdiction. For a new, unregistered vehicle from another Canadian province, it is the original New Vehicle Information Statement. For a used vehicle from the United States or a foreign country, it is the original Certificate of Title from the previous jurisdiction, and for a new, unregistered vehicle it is the original Certificate of Origin. If the proof of ownership document is in the previous owner's name, bring the original bills of sale from the previous owners to you, to establish continuity of ownership. If continuity cannot be established, ask your Autoplan broker whether a statutory declaration, form MV1484, completed and notarized, is acceptable in your situation. Vehicles imported from the United States or a foreign country must be processed by the Canada Border Services Agency before they can be registered, and you need the original import documents, including the Vehicle Import Form, Form 1, with two approval stamps. If the vehicle's net weight cannot be established, bring an original weigh scale certificate. If the vehicle is leased from an out-of-province leasing company, bring the original letter of authorization from the leasing company and the original lease agreement.
Figures the opened ICBC pages do not state
The opened ICBC pages state the broker route, the Transfer/Tax Form, the inspection and exemption rules, the Provincial Sales Tax rule, and the document lists set out above. They do not state the registration deadlines, the cost of the licence plates, or the insurance premium for any vehicle. Those figures were cut from this guide rather than filled in from another source. Confirm the deadline for your situation and the cost of the plates and cover with your Autoplan broker before you buy.
Related guides:
- How to register a vehicle in Ontario: Ontario's route, where registration runs through ServiceOntario and insurance comes from a private insurer, not from one corporation.
- How to start getting your driver's licence in British Columbia: the BC driver's licence, which is separate from vehicle registration and is handled through ICBC driver licensing.
The British Columbia vehicle registration path
- Gather the ownership documentsThe signed vehicle registration from the seller and the completed Transfer/Tax Form, plus the bill of sale
- Go to an Autoplan brokerRegistration and insurance are done together at an Autoplan broker, and the vehicle must be presented there
- Pay the Provincial Sales TaxProvincial Sales Tax must be paid at the time of registration unless you qualify for an exemption
- Buy a BC licence and insuranceOnce registered, you must purchase a BC licence and insurance or a Temporary Operation Permit before driving on a highway
- Pass the inspection if the vehicle came from outside BCMost imported vehicles must pass a BC safety inspection before registration, with a narrow exemption for some Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba vehicles
- Get the plates and registrationThe broker issues the plates and the registration document, and the plates stay with you when you change vehicles in the same class
Questions people ask
Where do I register a vehicle in British Columbia?
At an Autoplan broker. In British Columbia, both vehicle registration and auto insurance are managed by ICBC, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, and registration is done through one of the Autoplan brokers in the province. Both buyer and seller sign the Transfer/Tax Form, and the vehicle must be presented at the broker's office at the time of registration.
What documents do I need to register a vehicle I bought in BC?
The buyer and seller must complete and sign the Transfer/Tax Form, and the seller's signed vehicle registration must be taken to an Autoplan broker with the completed form. The broker registers the vehicle in the buyer's name, and once it is registered in the buyer's name, the buyer can get licence plates and insurance. Bring primary and secondary identification as well.
Do I buy insurance at the same time as registering in BC?
Yes. In British Columbia, registration and insurance are purchased together at the Autoplan broker. Basic Autoplan insurance comes from ICBC. Once your vehicle has been registered, you must purchase a BC licence and insurance or a Temporary Operation Permit before operating the vehicle on a highway.
What if I am bringing a vehicle to BC from another province?
All imported vehicles, along with the required support documents and the out-of-province licence plates, must be presented at an Autoplan broker's office at the time of registration. For a used vehicle from another Canadian province, the proof of ownership is the original vehicle registration certificate from the previous jurisdiction. Most imported vehicles must pass a BC safety inspection before registration, with an original passed Vehicle Inspection Report signed by a BC Designated Inspection Facility inspector.
Are vehicles from Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba exempt from the BC inspection?
Some are. Under the New West Partnership Trade Agreement, qualified privately owned or leased vehicles imported from Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba may be exempt from the BC pre-registration safety inspection. The owner must be a new or returning BC resident and the same owner as in the previous jurisdiction, the vehicle must have been registered in that province immediately before import, it must be privately owned or leased by an individual rather than a company, and it must weigh 3,500 kilograms or less. The model year must be four years old or less, or five years old or more with a passed provincial vehicle safety inspection in the previous jurisdiction within the last 90 days. Vehicles with a salvage, rebuilt, or altered status are not eligible, and neither are vehicles owned or leased by a company.
What if I am importing a vehicle from the United States or another country?
Vehicles imported from the United States or a foreign country must be processed by the Canada Border Services Agency before they can be registered. You need the original import documents issued by the CBSA, including the [Vehicle Import Form, Form 1](https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/d19/d19-12-1-eng.html), with two approval stamps, plus the casual goods accounting document or the equivalent customs document. A vehicle imported from Japan also needs the original Japanese Export Certificate and a certified English translation. Documents in a language other than English must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
Sources
- ICBC, Register a vehicle in B.C. — the New West Partnership exemption for Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba vehicles, including the owner, weight, model-year, and inspection-report conditions, and the vehicles that are not eligible.
- ICBC, Checklist for Out-of-Province Vehicle Registration — presenting the vehicle and documents at an Autoplan broker, the CBSA processing rule, the certified-translation rule, the Provincial Sales Tax rule, the licence and insurance or Temporary Operation Permit rule, and the ownership, inspection, identification, and leasing document lists.
- ICBC, Register a vehicle without documentation — the vehicle records search, the BC Assigned VIN and pre-registration inspection, and the Transfer/Tax Form and registration documents the broker needs.
- ICBC, Transfer/Tax Form (APV9T) — the Transfer/Tax Form for a vehicle bought in BC.
- ICBC, Unregistered Vehicles and Missing Signatures Declaration (MV1484) — the statutory declaration form for registering a vehicle without complete ownership documentation.
- Canada Border Services Agency, Memorandum D19-12-1 — Importation of Vehicles — the CBSA import rules, the Vehicle Import Form (Form 1), and the RIV e-Form as its online equivalent.