If you explore the Vancouver Island backcountry, you’ve likely got something you ride on to help you do that.
As of last Monday, Nov. 17, off-road vehicle (ORV) owners can now start voluntarily registering those vehicles in advance of the June 1, 2015 mandatory registration deadline.
Registration of ORVs is integrated within the pre-existing structure of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) motor vehicle registry, in an attempt by the government to “reduce implementation costs and allow ORV owners to register at any of the 900-plus ICBC insurance brokers in the province,” according to the government release about the program.
In order to register an ORV, you need to produce one of the following:
A New Vehicle Information Statement or a Certificate of Origin of the vehicle was purchased new but never registered previously, a Bill of Sale or other documentation of purchase, a completed B.C. Consumer Taxation Branch Gift of Vehicle Form (FIN 319), a Title Certificate, Form 1 or B15 Accounting Document if the vehicle has been imported from the U.S., previous registration documents if it has been imported from another Canadian jurisdiction or a sworn statutory declaration (MV1484) about how you came into possession of the vehicle and what you did to try and get any of the above pieces of documentation.
The benefits of registering your ORV ahead of the mandatory deadline next year, according to the government release, is mainly to ease tracking of vehicles in case they are stolen, but a registration plate may also allow your ORV to cross highways “if the ORV is also licensed and insured under the Motor Vehicle Act,” and enable operators to obtain extended-term operations permits of up to two years.
The cost to register an ORV is $48.