A vehicle inspection is an examination of a vehicle's safety and mechanical condition by a professional mechanic at a B.C. designated inspection facility.

Vehicles are inspected to ensure they meet B.C.'s requirements for safety, mechanical condition and road worthiness.

A vehicle must be inspected when it is:

• registered, licensed or titled outside of B.C. and imported into B.C.
• salvaged and repaired
• altered
• examined by law enforcement authorities and found to be unsafe

The cost of vehicle inspections vary. Ask a designated B.C. inspection facility for a price quote.

To locate an inspection facility near you, please visit the Ministry of Transportation website or a list of inspection facilities, or look in the Yellow Pages under “Vehicle Inspection Service”.

When you buy a vehicle outside of B.C., you can purchase insurance on a Binder for Owner's Interim Certificate of Insurance. It allows the vehicle to be driven back through Canada and the U.S.

The binder provides insurance coverage only to the vehicle. You will also have to check with each jurisdiction about obtaining an in-transit licensing permit for the vehicle.

After returning to B.C.

The insurance provided under the binder will remain in force until it expires. If the binder of insurance and the in-transit permit are still valid, you may move the vehicle to a B.C. inspection facility and an Autoplan broker's office.

If the in-transit licensing permit expires while the vehicle is in B.C. and the vehicle must be taken to an inspection facility, you will have to purchase a point A to point B Temporary Operation Permit. With this permit, you are restricted to driving the vehicle from your residence to the inspection facility, then immediately to an Autoplan broker's office for registration, licensing and insurance.

Where to buy insurance

If you are in B.C., you can buy the Binder for Owner's Interim Certificate of Insurance from any Autoplan broker.

If you are outside of B.C., call 1-800-328-4484.

$28.

In some cases your plate number must be changed—an additional $18 fee.

You can order a Vehicle Claims History online, or phone:

• (604) 661-2233 (Lower Mainland)
• 1-800-464-5050 (elsewhere, toll-free)

“No Details” means that a claim was reported, however ICBC has not recorded a payment for repair or replacement of this vehicle at the time of this report.

More information about Vehicle History »

$21 ($20 + $1 HST)

Note: The search fee will be charged whether damage claims are found or not.

More information about vehicle history.

To register a new, unregistered vehicle, you will need:

• a completed Transfer/Tax Form (PDF) or bill of sale, and
• If the vehicle was bought in Canada: a completed New Vehicle Information Statement
• If the vehicle was bought in the U.S.: a completed Certificate of Origin for a Vehicle. These certificates are issued by the manufacturer

Moving to B.C.?

If you're bringing your vehicle here, please see Moving to B.C. — Registering your vehicle.

If you bought a B.C. Registered Vehicle

Ask the seller to provide you with the Vehicle Registration. If the seller has lost or misplaced the Vehicle Registration, ask him or her to go to an Autoplan Broker's office to have it replaced.

If you are unable to contact the seller or last known registered owner, you must request a vehicle records search. To request one, you must write a letter to:

Driver Testing and Vehicle Information
ICBC
154 - 151 West Esplanade
North Vancouver, BC V7M 3H9

State in the letter that you are requesting a search for the last registered owner. The letter must also include:

• proof of purchase, which can be a completed bill of sale, a Transfer/Tax Form (PDF), or a Notarized Statutory Declaration.
• a $7 cheque, payable to “ICBC.”
• your signature

For more information, please call:

• 604-661-2233
• toll free 1-800-464-5050

If you bought a non-B.C. Registered Vehicle

Ask the seller to provide you with the vehicle registration from the vehicle's home jurisdiction. If the seller has lost or misplaced the document, the seller must replace it from the vehicle's home jurisdiction.

If you are unable to contact the seller or last known registered owner, bring your original bill of sale and vehicle to your Autoplan broker. The broker will investigate further.

All registered owners must sign the transfer papers.

A lien search must be done.

Lien searches are done by

• some ServiceBC centres (in-person only)
• the B.C. government Personal Property Registry (in-person or written requests), and
• private title services (in the Yellow Pages, see "Title Service").

For more information, please contact the Personal Property Registry.

Note: ICBC no longer does lien searches.

ServiceBC centres and the B.C. government's Personal Property Registry charge a $10 fee for a lien search.

For lien searches by private title services, fees vary.

Your Collector vehicle must be:

• in very good stock condition, and maintained or restored to meet the manufacturer's original specifications,

and

• at least 25 years old, or at least 15 years old and a limited production vehicle (1,500 or less of that model made by the manufacturer worldwide for that model year), or at least 15 years old and from a source ("owner of the marque" or make) which has not manufactured vehicles of any kind for at least five year;

or

• registered as a 1948 or earlier model with a vehicle status of "altered" (has had one or more major components replaced).

You need to visit your Autoplan broker to fill out an application, and provide photos of your vehicle. Your broker will send the application to ICBC to find out if your vehicle qualifies.

If your application is approved, it will be sent back to you. It usually takes about 3 weeks for the application to be processed. It's up to you whether you want to license your vehicle with Collector plates right away or not. When you are ready to license it, you need to have your broker order your plates from ICBC. It usually takes about 4 working days to get them.

AirCare

All applicants for Collector vehicle status must provide current proof of having passed AirCare where required. The car does not need to be tested every year after that, but does need to pass the test again if it is sold.

You may transfer the plates onto another collector vehicle that is registered in your name as long as the replacement vehicle has qualified for collector status.

No. When a collector or modified collector vehicle is sold, it does not keep its collector status or plates. The new owner must make a new application for collector status and plates.

Yes. A collector multi-vehicle licence is available if you own several collector vehicles but drive only one at a time.

To be eligible for the collector multi-vehicle licence, the vehicles must:

• all be owned by a the same registered owner(s)
• all be registered in B.C.
• all be pre-approved by ICBC to share the collector vehicle licence
• all have collector status, and
• be either all cars and trucks or all motorcycles

Yes. The best time to do this is when you apply for collector vehicle status.

If you are the sole registered owner of a collector vehicle and want to change to joint ownership, you must reapply for collector status and pay applicable transfer fees.

Yes, for pleasure use only.

If your vehicle is currently uninsured, you can buy a Temporary Operation Permit from your Autoplan broker. This will licence and insure your vehicle so that you can drive it to an AirCare facility.

When your vehicle has failed the AirCare inspection, you can still license and insure the vehicle for a one-time-only, three-month term.

Please see the AirCare website.

If you live in the Lower Mainland, you may need to have your vehicle inspected before you can renew your auto insurance.

For current information, or to contact AirCare, visit the AirCare website or phone the AirCare number for your area. Test facilities are open Monday to Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. AirCare is operated by a TransLink subsidiary, Pacific Vehicle Testing Technologies Ltd. Aircare locations and hours.

Registering a used Canadian vehicle from another province

In order to rgister the vehicle, the following is required:

• The Vehicle Registration document
• A "passed" Vehicle Inspection Report from a Designated Inspection Facility in B.C.
• If the vehicle is from Nova Scotia, also the Certificate of Title.

If the vehicle is not registered in your name, a signed and dated bill of sale is also required. However, in some cases, a vehicle registration document (or the Certificate of Title, if the vehicle is from Nova Scotia) which is signed by the registered owner of the vehicle and names you as the new owner, is acceptable instead of a bill of sale.

Once the vehicle is registered in B.C., it can then be licensed and insured here. Any Autoplan broker in B.C. can register, licence, and insure the vehicle for you.

Registering a used vehicle from the USA

If you are importing a vehicle into B.C. from the United States, contact the Registrar of Imported Vehices at 1-888-848-8240.

Find out more information about importing vehicles into Canada from the Canada Border Services Agency.

Registering a used vehicle from a country other than the USA

The Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) administers the importation of vehicles into Canada, and can tell you whether the vehicle can be imported into Canada. You can contact the RIV at 1-888-848-8240.

Some vehicles manufactured in other countries may not comply with the requirements of the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Contact Transport Canada at 1-800-333-0371 or visit their website.

If your plates are damaged and need to be replaced, you must turn them in to your Autoplan broker. (Personalized licence plates will not be remanufactured with the same slogan unless the original plates are surrendered.) You will have to pay an $18 fee for temporary regular plates.

If the plate with the validation decal is lost or stolen, you must notify the police. ICBC cannot reissue a plate with the same slogan until the record of the missing plate is removed from the police database.

You have the option of applying for a different slogan. You must turn in the remaining plate to your Autoplan broker and pay an $18 fee for temporary regular plates.

If only the plate without the validation decal is lost or stolen, a police case number is not required. Turn in the remaining plate to your Autoplan broker. You will have to pay an $18 fee for temporary regular plates while your personalized plates are remade.

If you cancel your insurance, your personalized licence plates must be turned in to your Autoplan broker to get a refund on your insurance. You retain the rights to your slogan for 12 months from the expiry date of the policy or from the time of cancellation.

After more than one year, you will have to pay another $100 application fee to renew the slogan.

No. The licence plates issued for trailers uniquely identify the trailer's classification and safety requirements. This allows police to determine the safety standards by simply viewing the plate.

Yes. If your name is on the vehicle registration as the lessee, you "own" the slogan.

No. AirCare testing is not required for vintage plates.

If your antique vehicle has active collector plates, vintage plates may also be displayed—but only if there is not a vintage policy (APV44) in place. The collector plates must be mounted in the primary licence plate location.