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CALGARY REGISTRATION SERVICES YOU CAN COUNT ON

MOTOR VEHICLES INFORMATION

ALBERTA MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION INFORMATION

As your Calgary registration team, Registry @ South Trail Crossing Ltd. is pleased to present you the following motor vehicle information. For more information on the following subjects, please go to the Service Alberta website.

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  • Registering an imported vehicle

  • Vehicle plate classes

  • Registration expiry month chart

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Find Information

This page contains information regarding the following:

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Ownership Documents

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  • Acceptable documents

  • Additional required documents

  • New Vehicle Information Statement (NVIS)

  • Letter of authorization

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Insurance Documents

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  • Government insurance

  • Exceptions

  • Acceptable documents

  • Document content

  • Vehicle transfers

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Out-of-Province Vehicles

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  • Exceptions

OWNERSHIP DOCUMENTS

Acceptable Documents

A client must provide one of the following proof of ownership documents:

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  • Bill of sale (BOS)

  • Lease agreement

  • Probated will or letter from a lawyer

  • Court order

    • The court order must be signed and sealed

  • Original Alberta Vehicle Registration Certificate of the previous owner

    • Section 2 must be completed and signed by the previous owner(s)

  • Original out-of-province Canadian Vehicle Registration Certificate

  • Original certificate of title

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Ownership documents must contain the following information:

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  • Date of purchase and/or agreement

  • Buyer’s/lessee’s name and signature

  • Seller’s/lessor’s name and signature

  • Vehicle description (e.g., make, model, VIN and year)

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Additional Required Documents

In addition to the acceptable documents identified above, the client may have to provide one or more additional documents depending on the circumstances.

 

New Vehicle Information Statement (NVIS)

An original NVIS is required for all new Canadian vehicles prior to registering the vehicle.

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  • Any change to the vehicle manufacturer’s information on a NVIS makes it invalid

  • Copies (including fax copies) of a NVIS are not acceptable

 

Letter of Authorization

A Letter of Authorization is required when:

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  • The owner of a vehicle (as named on the proof of ownership document) wishes to register the vehicle in someone else’s name, for example, the BOS is in the husband’s name and the wife wishes to register the vehicle in her name, a letter of authorization is required from the husband

  • The vehicle owner authorizes a person/corporation to act on their behalf

INSURANCE DOCUMENTS

A client is required to provide proof of valid insurance to register a vehicle in Alberta. The insurance company must be licenced to operate in Alberta; this includes insurance companies based in other provinces and countries.

 

Government Insurance

Provincial government insurance from British Columbia (ICBC) and Manitoba (MPI) are not acceptable to register a vehicle in Alberta, as they are not licenced to operate in Alberta.

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Note: Saskatchewan (SGI) provincial government insurance is licenced to operate in Alberta.​

Exceptions

Proof of insurance is not required to register the following:

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  • Trailers

  • Antique vehicles

  • Vehicles owned by and registered to a government agency or crown corporation

  • Off-highway vehicles owned by a:

  • Trapper and used solely on his/her registered trap line

  • Commercial winter fisherman and used solely in a commercial fishing operation within any commercial fishing zone

Document Content

Insurance documents must contain:

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  • Name(s) of insured

  • When the name(s) on the insurance and ownership documents do not match, authorization from the insurance agent must be obtained

  • Vehicle description (e.g., make, VIN and year)

  • Name of insurance agency

  • Name of insurance company

  • Policy or binder number

  • Date of issue (must be valid on the date of application)

  • Expiry date (“continuous” is not an acceptable expiry date)

Acceptable Documents

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  • A client must produce valid insurance in one of the following formats:

  • An inter-provincial insurance card, also known as a pink card

  • A letter of confirmation from an insurance agent or company

  • An insurance policy

  • A garage insurance policy (for dealer plates only)

  • Canadian Non-resident Inter-provincial Motor Vehicle Liability Card (commonly known as a yellow card or Canadian ID Card)

Exceptions

Content on insurance documents may vary as follows:

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  • In place of the vehicle description, insurance coverage issued for a fleet may contain the phrase - “All vehicles owned and/or operated by (name of company/individual)”

  • In place of expiry date on a binder document an active period may be specified, e.g., valid for 30 days

OUT-OF-PROVINCE VEHICLES

For more information relating to the following situations please go to the Service Alberta website.

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  • Temporarily working in Alberta but are a legal resident of a jurisdiction outside Alberta

  • Visiting Alberta

  • Staying in Alberta as a full-time student and attending an accredited institution or working here as part of a co-op program of study

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To register an out-of-province or out-of-country vehicle (this includes antiques, imports and vehicles purchased from dealerships), the vehicle must:

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  • Be in Alberta

  • Have one of the following inspections completed on it:

    • Out-of-Province Vehicle Inspection

    • Salvage Vehicle Inspection

    • Commercial Vehicle Inspection

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Exceptions:

The following vehicles do not require an inspection:

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  • Off-highway vehicles

  • Prorate vehicles

  • Trailers

The following vehicles may be exempt from an Alberta vehicle inspection if the vehicle history does not indicate salvage, or non-repairable and it meets the following criteria:

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  • New vehicles from a jurisdiction within Canada

    • Within 90 days from the date of purchase or lease, and less than 5,000 km or 3,107 miles

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  • New vehicles from a jurisdiction outside of Canada

    • Bill of sale or lease agreement in the client(s) name from a factory authorized dealer within 90 days from the date of purchase or lease

    • Odometer reading is less than 5,000 km or 3,107 miles

    • Form 1 issued by Transport Canada completed with two stamps

    • Original Certificate of Origin or State Issued Title

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  • Commercial and used vehicles from a jurisdiction within Canada

    • The Government of Alberta will accept government inspections issued in other Canada jurisdictions (within 90 days from the date of inspection) if the vehicle was registered in the issuing jurisdiction at the time of inspection. Ontario vehicle inspections may not be more than 36 days old.

    • Alberta Transportation will review the out-of-province vehicle inspection and:

    • If approved will forward an acceptance letter for the inspection report directly to the registry agent confirming the vehicle may be registered in Alberta

    • If denied will notify the registry agent directly advising them a new inspection is required

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Do you have questions? Ask one of our authorized experts.

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