Transfer Vehicle Ownership

As a Seller or a Buyer, here’s what you need to know…

Steps for the seller

1. Download a Transfer/Tax Form (APV9T) or pick up a copy from any Autoplan broker. Please note that all four pages must be complete and original signatures are still required.

2. Remove your license plates from the vehicle you're selling.

3. Remove your insurance and registration. The insurance and registration are actually two parts of the same document (APV250).

4. Tear off (carefully please!) the bottom, vehicle registration portion.

5. Give the registration to the buyer, making sure it has your signature on it.

6. After you've been paid, fill out and sign the Transfer/Tax Form in full. Each of the four pages must have original signatures.

7. To complete the transfer, take the registration and Transfer/Tax Form to an Autoplan broker. We strongly recommend going together with the buyer to ensure that the registration transfer is processed in a timely manner and that your name and any insurance and licence products are removed from the vehicle registration record. This is important in avoiding any possible liability claims associated with the future operation of the vehicle by the purchaser. If you cannot visit the Autoplan broker with the buyer, keep the seller's copy (with original signatures from both you and the seller) for your records.

8. Remember to cancel your insurance or transfer it to a new vehicle.​

Steps for the buyer

1. Get the original vehicle registration, with the owner's signature on it, from the seller.

2. Fill out and sign in full the purchaser's portion of the Transfer/Tax Form (APV9T) (you can also pick up a copy at any Autoplan broker). Please note that all four pages must be c​omplete and original signatures are still required.

3. To complete the transfer, take these documents to an Autoplan broker. We strongly recommend going together with the seller.

You can get the vehicle registered, licensed and insured at the broker's at the same time.​

10-Day Rule: What does it mean?

Using plates from your old vehicle

You can drive your "new" vehicle using the licence plates from your old one for 10 days from the date of purchase if all of these conditions are met:

• The vehicle you're switching plates to is registered in B.C. (or was purchased from a licensed B.C. auto dealer).

• You have sold or otherwise disposed of your old vehicle.

• Both vehicles are the same type (for example, passenger vehicles).

• The licence plates are valid B.C. plates.

During those 10 days, you must carry in your new vehicle

• the signed Transfer/Tax Form for your new vehicle,

• the original registration from the seller (or, for a new vehicle, the signed and dated bill of sale from a dealer),

• the insurance papers for your old vehicle (the insurance must still be valid), and

• proof, such as the "seller's" copy of the Transfer/Tax Form, that you sold your old vehicle.

If a vehicle owner has passed away:

Have you lost a loved one who was the registered owner of a vehicle?

Please be aware that it's important to contact an Autoplan broker as soon as you can. Your broker will help you transfer the ownership of the vehicle (or, if you prefer, cancel the policy).

It's also important to cancel their driver's license.

Depending on your situation, here are some of the documents your broker may need to transfer the vehicle's ownership:

• The original or a certified copy of each of the documents in our Checklist for Estate Transfers.

• A fully completed Transfer/Tax Form (APV9T) (you can also pick up ​​a copy at any Autoplan broker). Please note that all four pages must be complete and original signatures are still required.

• The current vehicle registration (usually kept in the glove box).

• A valid marriage certificate or a notarized statutory declaration if you are the surviving spouse and want to keep the plate without a decal as a keepsake. (You can get a statutory declaration form from your broker.)

Registration & Insurance for Your Out of Province Vehicle

Welcome to British Columbia!

and the world of ICBC Insurance…

ICBC’s Autoplan insurance products and services are available through more than 900 independent brokers (like us at Maxxam). ICBC’s driver licensing services are available through approximately 120 different offices, including expressways, Service BC centers and, appointed agency offices throughout B.C. However, in regards to your insurance needs - we’re bias… Maxxam is the best.

ICBC Autoplan made easy for out-of-province customers.

How long can you use your out of country or province driver's license?

• If you are now a new resident of B.C., you can use your valid driver's license from another province or country for up to 90 days. If you're a tourist, you can drive in B.C. for up to six months as long as you have a valid driver's license from outside B.C.

• Non-resident drivers, such as tourists and short-term workers, are able to drive in B.C. using their valid out-of-province driver's license for up to six months from the date they last entered the province. The six-month time period applies to all non-resident drivers, including those who may also have an international driving permit.

• ICBC is unable to issue a driver's license to a non-BC resident.  These customers should be directed to their home jurisdiction for any driver licensing needs, such as obtaining a renewal or replacement.

For more information regarding your driver’s license, please see icbc.com.

Here is B.C. we have an L (Learners), an N (NOVIS), and a full-license criteria.

How do you register and insure your vehicle?

If you move here with a vehicle (or if you're a returning B.C. resident), you need to register, license and insure the vehicle within 30 days of arriving. If you're driving a commercial motor vehicle, it must be registered, licensed and insured in B.C. immediately.

Passenger vehicles and most other vehicles will need to pass a mechanical safety inspection at a B.C. designated inspection facility before they can be registered, licensed and insured. These facilities are listed at th.gov.bc.ca/cvse.

When your vehicle has passed the inspection, bring the vehicle, the inspection report and the Vehicle Registration to us to register, license and insure it. You'll need to hand in your out-of-province plates (or send them back to your province). Make sure you bring valid primary ID and one piece of secondary ID. Go to icbc.com/accepted-ID to confirm acceptable ID.

If you're bringing a vehicle to B.C. from Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba… YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR AN EXEMPTION FROM A PROVINCIAL INSPECTION.

The vehicle owner must be:

• a new or returning to B.C. resident, and

• the same owner(s) in the previous jurisdiction making the application for registration in B.C.

The vehicle must have:

• been registered in Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba immediately prior to being imported to B.C. and

• privately owned or leased by an individual(s) and not a company.

Any of the following vehicle must be 3,500 kg or less:

• passenger vehicle

• commercial vehicle or

• motorhome

The model year of the vehicle must be either:

• four years old (current year inclusive) or less; for example in 2018, vehicle model released in 2018 (year 1), 2017 (year 2), 2016 (year 3), 2015 (year 4), or

• five years old or more and must have passed a provincial vehicle safety inspection in the previous jurisdiction within the last 90 days.

Vehicles not eligible for this exemption:

• Vehicles with a salvage, rebuilt, or altered status on the Interprovincial Record Exchange or supporting documents

• Vehicles owned or leased by a company or organization.

Contact us directly for more information whether your vehicle is exempt or not!

Do you need to pay tax when you register?

When you register your vehicle you will need to complete a Transfer/Tax form (APV9T) which is available at any Autoplan broker. Provincial sales tax (PST @ 12%) is payable at the time of registration, unless an exemption applies. If you are a new resident to B.C. and you bring a vehicle into the province solely for non-business use, the vehicle is exempt from PST provided that:

• the vehicle arrives in B.C. within one year of you becoming a resident of the province, and

• you owned the vehicle for at least 30 days before you became a resident of B.C.

Customers who don't qualify for the settler's effects exemption must pay PST on either

• the vehicle's depreciated value, or

• 50 per cent of its purchase price whichever amount is greater.

• UNLESS, you have a hybrid or fully-electric vehicle. No tax is collected as of Feb. 23rd, 2022 - see our blog post on this here.

In conclussion…

An out-of-province (or country) transfer can seem daunting, but realistically if you have all of the required documentation - it’s quick and easy with us at Maxxam Insurance. Our approach has always been to educate the insured on all of the options available to them. If you have questions regarding your registration and/or insurance, please contact us today!

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