Out-of-province vehicle inspection in Alberta

Does your vehicle need an inspection?

Under the Vehicle Inspection Regulation, an out-of-province vehicle is one that is not registered in Alberta and was last registered somewhere else, and it cannot be registered here without a current out-of-province inspection certificate. That includes a vehicle bought outside Alberta, whether elsewhere in Canada or abroad; one from outside Canada also needs its import paperwork.

If you have moved to Alberta, you have 90 days to switch your vehicle to an Alberta registration. If you are staying for less than 183 days and the vehicle is registered elsewhere, you do not have to register it. Off-highway vehicles such as ATVs and snowmobiles, prorate commercial vehicles and trailers do not need an out-of-province inspection.

A vehicle that is not listed as flood-damaged, unsafe, salvage or non-repairable can be exempt if it meets one of these conditions:

• New from a factory-authorized dealer in another province or territory, bought or leased in the last 90 days, with the bill of sale or lease in your name.
• New from a factory-authorized dealer outside Canada, bought or leased in the last 90 days, with the Registrar of Imported Vehicles inspection done and Transport Canada’s Form 1 stamped twice.
• A commercial vehicle from another province or territory with a valid commercial vehicle inspection certificate issued in the last 90 days.
• A private passenger vehicle registered to you in British Columbia, Saskatchewan or Manitoba that is no more than four model years old (the current model year and the three before it), or older but has passed a government mechanical inspection in one of those provinces in the past 90 days.

Salvage, non-repairable, unsafe and rebuilt vehicles, right-hand-drive, custom and homebuilt vehicles, kit cars, and lifted or lowered vehicles cannot be exempt. A registry agent can confirm whether yours qualifies.

Sources: Vehicle Inspection Regulation, Alta Reg 211/2006; Register a vehicle in Alberta; Registering an Out-of-Province Vehicle in Alberta

The process, step by step

1. Buy a Request for Vehicle Inspection form at any Alberta registry agent. It confirms the vehicle’s status and does not expire, and a facility may not issue an out-of-province certificate without one.
2. Book a licensed inspection facility. The inspection must be done at a facility, by a journeyperson technician, licensed by the Vehicle Inspection Program for out-of-province inspections — check a facility in the province’s Vehicle Inspection Facility Search. It takes up to two hours on average, and longer for some vehicles.
3. Collect the Record of Inspection. Pass or fail, the facility must give you a signed copy.
4. If the vehicle fails, repair it within 10 days. The repairs can be done anywhere, and the re-inspection by the same facility or another licensed one. Brought back within 10 days of the date on the Record of Inspection, only the failed items are checked again; after that, the vehicle needs a new full inspection.
5. Register within 14 days of passing. A pass earns an Out-of-Province Vehicle Inspection Certificate, and it expires 14 days after it is issued. Presented to a registry agent any later, it is refused and the vehicle has to be inspected again.

Sources: Out-of-province vehicle inspections; Vehicle Inspection Regulation, Alta Reg 211/2006

What does the inspection check?

Technicians inspect cars, vans, SUVs and light trucks against the province’s Automotive and Light Truck Vehicle Inspection Manual, which sets the pass or fail criteria. Its sections run from the driver’s seat to the exhaust:

• Pre-inspection: the request form, the vehicle identification number (VIN) and a road test.
• Onboard diagnostics: engine, ABS, airbag (SRS) and stability control lamps and trouble codes.
• Interior: doors, mirrors, horn, seats, seatbelts, wipers and washers, pedals and park brake.
• Glass, lamps, and the exterior, including bumpers and aftermarket equipment.
• Under the hood: battery, belts, brake master cylinder, fuel system, oil leaks and engine mounts.
• Steering and suspension, tires and wheels, and brakes.
• Under the vehicle: transmission, differentials, drive axles, floor pan, fuel and exhaust systems.

A twelfth section, structural integrity, applies to salvage vehicles only. The province adds that a vehicle must be maintained within its manufacturer’s service limits to pass, and suggests talking its overall condition through with the technician before you agree to the inspection.

Examples of reject criteria

A few of the manual’s reasons to fail a vehicle, to show the level of detail. This is not a full list, and no official source ranks which ones fail most often.

• An ABS, airbag or brake warning lamp that stays on, or stored ABS or airbag trouble codes.
• Windshield cracks, or chips over 12 mm across, in the area the wipers sweep (outside the area under the mirror and a 75 mm strip along the top and bottom), or tint on the windshield beyond a strip up to 150 mm deep along the top.
• Tires worn to the wear bars at any point, different tire sizes on one axle, or non-OEM wheel spacers.
• Brake pads or shoes worn to 1.6 mm or less, or rotors below the maker’s published service limit.
• A speedometer or odometer that does not work.

The manual also says there is no requirement to maintain a tire pressure monitoring system.

Sources: Automotive and Light Truck Vehicle Inspection Manual; Out-of-province vehicle inspections

Cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles

Each kind of vehicle has its own inspection manual, and a facility may only inspect the kinds of vehicle its licence covers, so check that before you book:

• Cars, vans, SUVs and light trucks are inspected to the Automotive and Light Truck manual above.
• Motorcycles have a separate Motorcycle Inspection Manual, and not every facility is licensed for them: the facility search shows the vehicle types each one is authorized to inspect.
• Commercial vehicles follow the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Manual. Trucks and trailers over the National Safety Code weights — a registered gross vehicle weight over 4,500 kg when operating outside Alberta, or over 11,794 kg within it — need a commercial inspection every year, and buses every six months.

Sources: Vehicle Inspection Program – Manuals; Vehicle Inspection Program – Commercial vehicles; Vehicle Inspection Regulation, Alta Reg 211/2006

What to bring

To the inspection:

• The vehicle.
• The Request for Vehicle Inspection form. You can ask for it back once the facility has copied it, and a re-inspection needs it too.

To the registry agent afterwards:

• The Out-of-Province Vehicle Inspection Certificate, within 14 days.
• Proof of ownership, such as a bill of sale or lease.
• Proof of valid insurance for the vehicle that names you.
• Acceptable identification.
• For a vehicle from outside Canada, the import paperwork, such as Transport Canada’s Form 1.

Sources: Out-of-province vehicle inspections; Register a vehicle in Alberta

How much does an out-of-province inspection cost?

The province does not set the price. Each facility decides what it charges for an inspection and for a re-inspection, and section 45 of the Vehicle Inspection Regulation requires it to post a schedule of those rates in the facility, where the public can see it. It may not charge more than the posted rate.

The inspection is paid for by the owner, and a re-inspection is priced separately, so ask about both. The request form is bought separately at the registry agent. The province encourages contacting a few facilities before choosing, and you may take the vehicle to more than one technician before agreeing to any repairs they suggest.

Some facilities also publish their price online. In Calgary, 7 shops list prices from $130 to $229 on their own websites (checked 2026-09-29): compare out-of-province inspection prices in Calgary.

Sources: Out-of-province vehicle inspections; Vehicle Inspection Regulation, Alta Reg 211/2006

How GarageMap can help

GarageMap lists 115 inspection and maintenance shops across Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere and Okotoks, Alberta. Compare the out-of-province inspection prices shops post on their own websites (Calgary), or describe your vehicle once and let several local shops reply with their own price.

A listing on GarageMap does not mean a shop is licensed for out-of-province inspections. Confirm that in the Vehicle Inspection Facility Search before you book.

Source: Vehicle Inspection Facility Search