A motor vehicle from outside of Alberta must pass an Alberta Out of Province Vehicle Inspection before licence plates can be issued.
The Government of Alberta may issue an exemption from an inspection if the vehicle's history does not indicate flood, unsafe, salvage, or non-repairable and meets any of the following conditions:
Registering an Out of Province Vehicle In Alberta
This inspection is a basic safety or mechanical fitness assessment that must be performed by a certified journeyman technician who is licensed by Alberta Transportation's Vehicle Inspection Program (VIP). Typically the inspection takes two hours to perform.
The mechanical fitness portion of the OOP vehicle inspection involves virtually all vehicle components including fuel and exhaust systems, all electrical, engine controls, powertrain, driveline, steering, suspension, braking systems, wiring and lights, tires, glass, wipers and defrosters.
The vehicle must be maintained within Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) standards or wear tolerances in order to pass the inspection.
Structural integrity inspections establish whether or not the vehicle's frame and/or body exhibit signs of major collision damage and/or repairs. They also examine the vehicle for corrosion in body or frame members. The OOP vehicle inspection may not be conclusive in determining previous crash history as the inspection technicians are certified automotive service technicians, not autobody collision repair technicians. If you suspect the vehicle has sustained major damage before you purchased it, you may wish to have the vehicle examined by a collision repair technician.
Restored antique, classic, homebuilt, modified or street rod vehicles that were not previously registered, or those where proof of prior Alberta registration cannot be provided, must also undergo an OOP Vehicle Inspection the first time they are registered.
Alberta's OOP vehicle inspection is privatized and inspection fees are established by the inspection facility. Customers are responsible for ensuring they receive the service expected when selecting an inspection facility.
You should discuss your vehicle's overall condition with the inspection technician before entering into an agreement to have the vehicle inspected. If the vehicle is found to be deficient during the inspection, you may choose to take your vehicle to more than one inspection technician before agreeing to complete suggested repairs.
Vehicles that fail the initial inspection must be repaired within 10 days of the failure notice to avoid an additional full inspection fee assessment. Vehicles repaired and presented for re-inspection within 10 days will be subject to verification of required repairs only. Inspection certificates are valid for 14 days and vehicles must be registered in Alberta before the expiry date. Should the vehicle owner fail to register the vehicle within 14 days a full OOP Vehicle Inspection will be required again.
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