How to change my address on my ICBC driver’s license in British Columbia?
Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) is a provincial crown corporation that provides compulsory public auto insurance in the province of British Columbia. It is mainly responsible for providing driving licenses, vehicle registration and insuring various road safety initiatives.
It is required by law that any vehicle registered and driven on the streets of B.C. be covered by ICBC’s basic insurance package called “Autoplan”. That is why an ICBC address change is an important step to take in your moving process – and this article is here to help!
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Who is supposed to notify ICBC of their change of address?
Virtually everybody who has a car and is registered with ICBC’s insurance package is required to notify them of their new address. Moreover, it is required to change the address on your driver’s licence or BCID within 10 days of moving. The BCID card is an alternative to a driver’s licence, if you’re not a driver.
How to change my address on my driver’s licence with ICBC?
Four options are offered to you:
- Online, through the BC government’s online address change service. You should receive your address change sticker within two weeks. If not, call the driver licensing information line or visit a driver licensing office
- By calling the driver licensing information line
- From BC, Canada and the US: 1-800-950-1498
- From Greater Victoria: 250-978-8300
- Other countries: 250-978-8300 (collect calls are accepted)
- By visiting any ICBC driver licensing office
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I am moving from another province to British Columbia?
If you are coming to B.C. from another province, you have 90 days to switch over your licence. In the meantime, however, you are still allowed to drive with your existing, valid licence.
Note that you need have at least 2 years of experience as a non-learner to get a B.C. licence.
To apply for a B.C. licence, you must go to any driver licensing office in B.C., with these following documents in hand:
- Two pieces of ID (one primary and one secondary)
- You can answer a couple of questions here to insure you bring the right ID.
- Your current driver’s licence
- Fees for your licence
- The fees for a first 2-year licence for non-learner drivers moving to B.C. are $31. For more information on fees for different types of licences, click here.
- Proof of two years’ driving experience, by bringing either:
- A current driver’s licence, or
- An international driving permit (not expired over five years) and its corresponding driver’s licence. Please note that the permit is required if your current licence is in a language other than English. But if you don’t have a permit, you can get a translation of your driver’s licence from an ICBC approved translator.
- Recommended, but not required: an official driving record or letter of experience to accompany your driver’s licence. This will help prove your driving experience and prevent you from making multiple trips to the office.
- You should get one of these documents before moving to B.C, by contacting the issuer of your driver’s licence.
- The driving record or the letter of experience have to include the following information:
- the name, address and phone number of the driver’s licensing authority in your jurisdiction
- your name and birth date
- your driver’s licence number (or other unique identifier)
- class of licence(s) held
- either the date(s) your licence(s) were originally issued or the amount of time you have held a licence, and
- note the two years’ of non-learner driving experience to be exempt from the graduated licensing program (GLP), if any.
For more details or clarification, click here.
I don’t have two years of driving experience, what do I do?
No worries! If you happen to not have two years of driving experience with a full-privilege, non-learner licence (or if you can’t prove it), you are still able to get a B.C licence by going through the graduated licensing program. And, good thing is you’ll get credit for however long you have been driving, so those long months of driving won’t go to waste!
Finally.
As you probably know, there are multiple other organizations, companies and agencies you need to inform of your new address. To make sure you don’t forget any, refer to our complete checklist for changes of address in British Columbia for a comprehensive list of the organisms to notify, as well as the the best time to do so!
