Update Vehicle Insurance and Registration After Divorce in BC

Remove Your Ex-Spouse as a Listed Driver

In BC, auto insurance is handled through ICBC's Autoplan system — you can't shop around for basic coverage the way you can in other provinces. Every vehicle registered in BC must have Autoplan basic insurance, and the policy lists the vehicle owner, the principal operator, and any listed drivers.

If your ex-spouse is listed as a driver on your Autoplan policy, visit any Autoplan broker (not ICBC directly — brokers handle all policy changes) to remove them. You'll need:

• Your current insurance documents or policy number
• Your driver's licence
• Your ex-spouse's full name and driver's licence number

Removing a listed driver doesn't cost anything on its own, but your premium may change. If your ex-spouse had a clean driving record and their removal leaves only you on the policy, your rate stays the same or may increase slightly depending on your own claims history. If they had a poor record and were driving up your premium, removing them may lower it.

If your ex-spouse was the principal operator of the vehicle and you're keeping the car, you'll need to change the principal operator designation to yourself. This does affect your premium — ICBC rates the policy based on the principal operator's driving history, age, and claims record.

Transfer Vehicle Ownership

If your separation agreement or court order assigns a jointly owned vehicle to one spouse, the ownership needs to be formally transferred through ICBC. This isn't optional — the vehicle registration needs to match the person who actually owns the car.

Visit an Autoplan broker with:

• The current vehicle registration and a completed Form APV9T (the Transfer/Tax Form)
• A copy of your separation agreement or court order showing the vehicle was assigned to you
• Your driver's licence
• Your ex-spouse's signature on the transfer form (or a court order dispensing with it)

PST exemption. Normally, transferring a vehicle in BC triggers Provincial Sales Tax (PST) on the vehicle's fair market value. But transfers between separated or former spouses that are part of a property division under a separation agreement or court order are exempt from PST. Bring a copy of the agreement or order to the Autoplan broker — they'll apply the exemption on the spot. Without it, you'll pay 12% PST on the assessed value.

New plates. If the vehicle needs new licence plates as part of the transfer, the fee is $18.

Cancel or Split Joint Insurance Policies

If you and your spouse held a joint auto insurance policy (both names on the same Autoplan certificate), you have two options:

Option 1: Remove one name. The simplest path — visit the Autoplan broker together (or with the written consent of the departing spouse) and remove one name from the policy. The remaining person continues the existing policy with their own claims history intact.

Option 2: Cancel and start fresh. If the vehicle is being sold or if neither party wants to continue the existing policy, cancel it at the broker. Any unused premium for the remainder of the policy term is refunded to the policyholder. The departing spouse then sets up their own new policy on whatever vehicle they're keeping.

For optional coverage (collision, comprehensive, third-party liability top-up), you may also have private insurance through BCAA, Intact, or another provider layered on top of Autoplan basic. Contact those insurers directly to update or cancel as needed.

Update Your Vehicle's Address

If you've moved as a result of the separation, update the address on your vehicle registration and Autoplan policy. Your premium is partly based on where the vehicle is parked overnight — rates vary by region across BC. Moving from Vancouver to a smaller community outside the Lower Mainland may reduce your premium. Moving the other direction may increase it.

Address updates are free and done through any Autoplan broker. Bring your driver's licence (which should already show your new address after your ICBC driver's licence update) and your current insurance documents.

The Sequence

Vehicle insurance changes fit into the broader post-divorce administrative sequence:

1. Update HIBC (health card) first
2. Update ICBC driver's licence second (the broker needs your updated licence)
3. Transfer vehicle ownership and update insurance third

If you're also changing your name on the vehicle registration, the name change needs to flow through HIBC → ICBC driver's licence → Autoplan in that order. The Autoplan broker uses your current ICBC driver's licence as the source of truth for your name.

The BC After-Divorce Checklist maps every identity update and vehicle transfer into the correct sequence — including the PST exemption process and the ICBC forms you'll need at the broker.

See more British Columbia guides →