If you're a B.C. resident, you can import a vehicle from another province or country and insure it for its trip to B.C., as well as after it’s been imported. Find out how.
If you want to import a vehicle from another country, please review information from these federal government agencies:
If your vehicle is registered in another Canadian province, the import requirements of these agencies do not apply.
Vehicles from other provinces and countries must be inspected at a B.C. designated inspection facility
to ensure that it meets B.C.'s safety standards. Note the cost of inspections varies. Feel free to ask your inspection facility for a price quote.
Please speak to an Autoplan broker for details on vehicles that may be exempted from provincial safety inspection.
To drive a vehicle home from another province or from the U.S., you'll need to:
If you cancel the binder of insurance before its effective date, the full premium will be refunded. There are no refunds on binders of insurance once the policy is in effect.
Don't get stuck with a flood-damaged vehicle. Vehicles that have been damaged in floods can't be licensed or insured in B.C.
If you're a U.S. citizen bringing your car to the province and are enrolled full-time at a recognized B.C educational institution
, you won't need to register your vehicle. Just apply for a non-resident exemption permit within 30 days of your arrival so that you can drive here. This permit allows you to continue using the registration, licence and insurance coverage from your home state, for as long as you're studying here.
To apply, call ICBC's Financial Responsibility Unit:
When you arrive in B.C., you'll need to drive your vehicle to both:
It can save you time and money to drive there before your temporary "binder" of insurance expires. Otherwise, you'll need to purchase additional insurance for those trips.
For vehicles imported from other provinces in Canada
When you go to the broker's office, bring the following:
For vehicles imported from the U.S.
When you go to the broker's office, bring the following:
If you are buying or importing a vehicle or giving or receiving a gift vehicle there may be provincial sales tax applicable and exemptions may apply. Find out more about PST on vehicles.
If you have more questions, talk to your Autoplan broker or read the B.C. Government bulletin on vehicle tax
ICBC respectfully acknowledges that we are privileged to live and work on the traditional and ancestral homelands, both unceded and treatied, of Indigenous Peoples and Nations across British Columbia, each with their own unique traditions, histories and cultures.
We're committed to learning how to better partner with Indigenous communities to further reconciliation. We support employees on their individual paths towards reconciliation and encourage expressions of Indigenous culture at the workplace. We recognize that we are early in our reconciliation journey and will provide more information on the actions we're taking as we progress.