Q&A - Moving to BC from Ontario

Hi there! We are moving to BC and I need advice for my 1001 questions.

1. What to prepare to get quickly a BC license as I need to register a vehicle

2. I have 3 minor tickets - all paid (speeding, right turn and left turn) in Ontario no claims, no accidents, but still there are 8 demerit points. What happens with these points? What shall I expect when applying for BC license and when I am insuring my vehicle?

3. How is the second driver situation in BC - if the demerit points hurt my BC drivers license and insurance can I register all vehicle to my wife and be a second driver only? Is it smart to do so?

4. I am trying to come with a motorhome - I need advice about the temporary insurance to drive it to BC as it makes no sense to make Ontario insurance (we have only for 1 year insurances here) and then to have to cancel it and to make a BC one...

The definitive source for answers to all of these questions is the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC). They are the provincial agency responsible for driver and vehicle licencing.

Looking at your questions one by one:

1) Import a vehicle into BC

2) ICBC advises that you will only have to worry about Criminal Code convictions. Provincial penalty points are not taken into account.

3) Crash history is what determines insurance rates. You must properly declare the principal driver of a vehicle even if it is owned by someone else. Bad things can happen if you don't tell the truth and are involved in an at fault crash.

4) Buy temporary insurance from Ontario. ICBC will not issue it to you.

Two tips from ICBC:

1) Bring a letter from your current insurer detailing your claim history. You will need to be able to prove claim free status when you apply here to avoid paying the full insurance rate.

2) Stop at a weigh scale when you enter BC and have your motorhome weighed. Get the scale operator to record this for you so that you will have it handy when you apply for licence here in BC. The Autoplan broker will ask you for it.

Side note on the motorhome: If you do not have a gas system approval marking from Canada you may need to obtain that as part of the process when you move to BC.