Moving to BC as a student - car/health insurance

[mc0709]

Hi all,

I will be moving out to BC in September to go back to school for two years (full-time), and I was just wondering if anyone has made this move and has any advice on what I will need to do for my health and car insurance (will I be able to keep any of it here in AB since its cheaper?), plates, registrations etc.? Or will I need to change them all over to the BC system? I plan to come back to AB after I am done school.

Thanks!

[MelBridgeman]

I am a student from outside B.C. Do I have to get a B.C. driver's licence to drive here? If you are a non-resident student, you don't need a B.C. driver’s licence.
To drive in B.C., you must hold a valid out-of-province licence, be registered as a full time student and be attending one of the specified educational institutions
Please note that it is important to always carry and be able to show your Student ID card when asked to do so by a Peace Officer.
For more information contact the Driver Licensing Information line at 1-800-950-1498 or 250-978-8300 in Victoria.

http://www.icbc.com/faqs/licensing_faqs

[jydk]

Your still considered a resident of Alberta, but if your gone more then 183 days you do need permission from AHC, then it will extend to cover over and above the 183 days while you are a student in BC.

Your car insurance works the same way, as long as your remain a resident of the province, and the vehicle remains registered here the coverage will extend to cover losses while in BC. However the insurance companies would like you to advise them of this move, as this is a risk change, and this way the can rate your car according to the territory you are driving in. So I would advise your broker, most likely though nothing will change with your policy. Most companies are pretty understanding with students, and keep the rates the same.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Car insurance here is not private like Alberta. You will need to switch to ICBC.

Edit - I just read the link above. I guess maybe you won't as a student.

[flamesfan6]

you can keep a car in BC for 6 months maximum at a time.

[cKy]

Also, you only need the minimum claim for ICBC.

You can then switch to a private company (Intact, RBC, etc) to cover the rest for a possibly lower rate.

[bc-chris]

for car insurance - you might want to check prices once you are in bc

things might have changed since i was working in calgary, but when i bought my truck it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper to go thru icbc rather than insure my truck in alberta... like almost half. at the time i wasn't married and an under 25 year old male.

if you are going to insure it in bc it will most likely have to pass a bc inspection


as for health insurance - i have no clue

[MelBridgeman]

Originally Posted by bc-chris

for car insurance - you might want to check prices once you are in bc

things might have changed since i was working in calgary, but when i bought my truck it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper to go thru icbc rather than insure my truck in alberta... like almost half. at the time i wasn't married and an under 25 year old male.

if you are going to insure it in bc it will most likely have to pass a bc inspection


as for health insurance - i have no clue

BC insurance is strange, my Alberta insurance is waaaay cheaper then what my ICBC insurance was, by at least 600 per year....but i hear so many people that say the opposite...

[Sylvanfan]

For males, the tipping point on Insurance for a vehicle is being 25 years old. Back in the day I had a 2001 X-Terra that I bought in February when I was a moronic 24 year old who was irresponsible with his money. To insure that vehicle for the first month in Alberta cost me $286. Than in March when I turned 25 the Insurance went down to $143 a month simply because I was 25.

Now that I'm in my 30's and married. For my wife and I who both have maximum discounts thru ICBC our Insurance on our vehicles in BC is at least 25% more than what we were paying in Alberta and they're the same vehicles so they're both now older and worth less.

Keep the Alberta license and Insurance if you can, and try to avoid having to sign up for BC Medical, I think it's like $52 a month for an individual and it's based on last years income. So if you were working last year that will be the number they use to determine if you qualify for premium assistance.

[Red_Baron]

Check with the school you are going to as many offer an extended health plan that you can opt into. It usually costs something like $400 and some schools require you to be enrolled unless you already have an extended medical plan.

[grambo]

When I moved to BC from AB I went from paying ~$650/year on my 98 Camry (from 2006-2008) to about $1,300/year with ICBC because I had a break in my insurance coverage back in 2004 when I moved out and didn't own a car. I turned 25 in 2006. Brutal.

[Pinner]

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

BC insurance is strange, my Alberta insurance is waaaay cheaper then what my ICBC insurance was, by at least 600 per year....but i hear so many people that say the opposite...

Older drivers subsidise the younger drivers in BC, good deal for the under 25 crowd, bad deal for the over 25 crowd

[604flames]

Where you live plays a big role with ICBC too. I paid $1,900 last year in Vancouver, paying just under $1,300 with no AirCare requirement in the West Kootenay this year.