What Is an ICBC Inspection?

Every vehicle brought into BC for long-term use, whether between provinces or internationally, requires the proper ICBC Inspection to qualify for insurance.

Here are important details regarding ICBC Inspections that you need to know.

Initially you have a 30-Day time limit to get a BC Drivers License, register the vehicle and acquire insurance for the vehicle.

As a “Passed” ICBC Safety Inspection is required to gain valid insurance, and valid insurance is required for registration, this time limit is extremely important.

An ICBC Inspection must be performed at a designated ICBC Inspection Facility. These are located all over BC and a comprehensive list of facilities is available on the ICBC Website, a link has been included in the sources for this article.

Some vehicles may be exempt from the required Safety Inspections.

These include new vehicles, low-speed electrical vehicles, trailers and motorcycles. If a vehicle is more than four years old it requires an inspection no matter its point of origin.

If you are bringing a vehicle from Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba you can present a passed vehicle safety inspection performed within the last 90 days from one of those provinces.

Vehicles with a status denoted as salvage, rebuilt or altered do not qualify for exemption.

Vehicles imported into the country must meet Federal Import Requirements before they can obtain an ICBC Inspection.

Those requirements are listed below on Transportation Canada’s website.

Flood-damaged vehicles can’t be registered or insured in BC. This is important to know as many used vehicles from the United States have flood damage.

We hope we’ve provided you with a solid understanding of ICBC Inspections and our talented mechanics are always willing to help answer questions and provide mechanical service in order to pass the inspections.

Gary's Automotive has been providing honest and reliable automotive services in the Greater Vancouver area for over 30 years. If you have any questions about this article or would like to schedule some service for your vehicle, please call (604) 541-1818.

Sources

https://www.icbc.com/vehicle-registration/buy-vehicle/Pages/Importing-a-vehicle-into-B-C.aspx 

https://www.tc.gc.ca/en/services/road/importing-vehicle.html 

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/driving-and-transportation/cvse/vehicle-inspection/cvse-designated-inspection-facilities.pdf