Out of Province Inspection — $XX

Licensed inspection facility in south Edmonton. About two hours.
Bring your registry form.

Book an inspection
Call: 780-468-3052

Out of Province Vehicle Inspection in Edmonton

Moved to Alberta? Before you can register a vehicle brought in from another province, it needs an out-of-province inspection at a licensed facility. We are one, and we do them at 2687 96 Street NW in south Edmonton.

Start here, because this is the step nearly everyone gets wrong: you need to buy a Request for Vehicle Inspection form from an Alberta registry office before you come to us. We cannot begin the inspection without it. Plenty of people arrive without the form and have to leave and come back, and we would rather you read that sentence than make the trip twice.

Call 780-468-3052 to book. $XX, and about two hours.

How the Process Works

If the vehicle fails, you have 10 days to get the repairs done and bring it back. Return inside that window and we only verify the items that failed rather than starting over. Miss it and it is a full re-inspection at full price — so if something needs fixing, get it booked in straight away.

What It Costs

$XX for the inspection. If it fails and comes back inside the 10-day window, re-inspection is $XX.

Inspection fees in Alberta are not set by the province — each facility sets its own and is legally required to post them in plain sight. We post ours on the wall and on this page, because a price you have to phone for is not really a posted price.

What we will not do is quote you a low inspection fee and make it back on repairs you did not need. The inspection either passes or it does not, and we will show you exactly why on anything that fails.

What Gets Inspected

The inspection checks the vehicle against Alberta's safety and equipment standards. It is more thorough than most people expect, which is why it takes about two hours.

In broad terms: brakes, including pad and rotor measurement and the condition of lines and hoses; steering and suspension components, including ball joints, tie rods and shocks; tires, including tread depth and any damage; the exhaust system; all lighting and signals; glass and wipers, including windshield cracks in the driver's field of view; seatbelts; the body and frame for rust penetration or damage; and fuel and cooling systems for leaks.

This is a safety inspection, not a condition report. It does not tell you whether the vehicle is a good buy, and it is not a warranty. If you want to know whether a used vehicle is worth the money, that is a pre-purchase inspection, which is a different service.

What Usually Fails

Most vehicles that fail do so on a small number of predictable items, and knowing them in advance saves a return trip.

Windshield cracks in the driver's sweep are the single most common one, and they surprise people because the car drives fine. Brakes below minimum thickness are next. Then tires — either tread depth or sidewall damage that the owner has not noticed. After that: burnt-out bulbs, worn ball joints or tie rod ends, exhaust leaks, and perished wiper blades.

If you know your windshield is chipped or your brakes are getting thin, deal with it before the inspection rather than after. It is the same repair either way, but doing it first avoids the failed certificate, the 10-day clock and the second appointment.

Because we are a full mechanical shop we can carry out whatever repairs the inspection turns up — but we will tell you honestly when something can be fixed cheaply elsewhere, and we will never fail an item that passes.

Moving to Alberta

The inspection is one step of registering an out-of-province vehicle, and the order matters. Get the Request for Vehicle Inspection form from a registry, have the inspection done, then take the certificate and the Record of Inspection back to a registry within 14 days along with your other registration documents.

The 14-day window catches people out more than any other part of the process. It is not 14 days from when you book — it is 14 days from when the inspection is completed. If you are going to be away, book the inspection for when you are back rather than trying to squeeze it in first.

Vehicles coming from British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario make up most of what we see, and the standards are broadly similar across provinces — but a vehicle that passed elsewhere can still fail here, usually on rust, glass or brake measurements. Passing an inspection in another province last year is not a prediction.

Common Questions

  • $XX at our shop. Fees are set by each facility rather than by the province, and every facility is required to post theirs — so it is worth comparing, and worth being wary of one that will not tell you over the phone.

  • About two hours, which is the provincial average. Book it rather than walking in — it is not a job we can slot between other work.

  • The Request for Vehicle Inspection form from an Alberta registry, and the vehicle. Without the form we cannot start.

  • It must be presented to a registry agent within 14 days of the inspection being completed. After that it is rejected and the inspection has to be done again.

  • You have 10 days to complete the repairs and return. Inside that window we only re-check the failed items. Outside it, it is a full re-inspection.

  • Yes. We are a full mechanical shop, so brakes, suspension, exhaust and tires can all be handled here. You are under no obligation to have us do the work, and we will say so.

  • Yes. Any vehicle previously registered outside Alberta needs one before it can be registered here, regardless of which province it came from.

  • Related but not identical. The out-of-province inspection is specifically for registering a vehicle brought into Alberta. A general vehicle or commercial safety inspection is a different certificate for a different purpose.

Book Your Inspection

Call 780-468-3052. We are at 2687-96 Street NW in south Edmonton, Monday to Friday 8:00am to 6:00pm. Get your Request for Vehicle Inspection form from a registry first, and allow about two hours.