Setting up car insurance in NS after moving from another province

If you recently moved to Nova Scotia from another province (or are planning to move here soon), your insurance broker will need info on your driving and insurance history to put together a final car insurance quote for you and set up a policy in NS.

You will need to provide your broker with driving and insurance history for the last six years (unless you’ve been licensed and insured for less than six years, in which case you need to provide as much history as possible). If you lived in more than one province during this time, documentation will be required for your time in each province.

Every Canadian province is a little different when it comes to insurance, so what you need to provide varies depending on which province(s) you lived in before moving to NS. Below we’ve broken down exactly what we would need from you to finalize a quote (and how to get it!) based on which province(s) you’ve lived in over the last six years.

Province-by-province breakdown:

Alberta

If you lived in Alberta during the last six years, we will need a copy of your Alberta driver’s abstract.

The link to Service Alberta’s web page with info on getting your driver’s abstract is here: https://www.servicealberta.ca/drivers-abstract.cfm. If you’re having trouble, you can always call Service Alberta at 1.780.427.2711 (long distance charges may apply) or shoot them an email at [email protected].

British Columbia

If you lived in British Columbia during the last 6 years, we will need both a driver’s abstract and an insurance and claims history record from ICBC (the Insurance Company of British Columbia).

Luckily, ICBC is super easy to deal with! You just have to call them (toll free) at 1.800.663.3051 and request that they email you a driver’s abstract and an insurance and claims history record. They should be able to email you PDF versions of both these documents right away.

More information about obtaining your driving and insurance history from ICBC can be found here: http://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing/getting-licensed/Pages/Your-driving-record.aspx.

Manitoba

If you lived in Manitoba during the last six years, we’ll need both a claims experience letter and a driver’s abstract from MPI (Manitoba Public Insurance).

The link to MPI’s web page with info about getting your claims experience letter and driver’s abstract is here: https://www.mpi.mb.ca/Pages/leaving-manitoba.aspx. If you’re having trouble, you can call MPI (toll free) at 1.800.665.2410 for help getting your claims experience letter or 1.866.323.0543 for help getting your driver’s abstract.

New Brunswick, Newfoundland & PEI

If you’re moving to Nova Scotia from another Atlantic province, we may be able to pull your driver’s abstract and insurance history reports for you. You’ll just need to give us a call at 902.463.1675 (local) or 1.866.922.4337 (toll free) and we can look into it for you.

Ontario

If you lived in Ontario during the last six years, we’ll need a copy of your Ontario driver’s abstract.

The link to Service Ontario’s web page with info on getting your driver’s abstract is here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/order-drivers-record. What we need from you is the 3-year uncertified record. To obtain this, you’ll need to select “2. Order a 3-year uncertified record” from the menu at the top of the page then click on the blue “Order a 3-year uncertified driver’s record” button and follow the instructions to order your abstract.

If you’re having trouble, you can always call Service Ontario (toll free) at 1.800.267.8097 or send them an email through this web page: https://www.ontario.ca/feedback/contact-us.

Quebec

If you lived in Quebec during the last six years, we’ll need a driver’s abstract from SAAQ (The Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec) and claims experience letters from each insurance company you were insured with over the last six years.

The link to SAAQ’s web page with info about getting your driver’s abstract is here: https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/drivers-licences/driving-record-request/. If you’re having trouble, you can call SAAQ (toll free) at 1.800.361.7620.

To obtain claims experience letters from each insurance company you were insured with over the last six years, you will need to reach out to each company individually by phone or email and request that they email you a claims experience letter.

Saskatchewan

If you lived in Saskatchewan during the last 6 years, we will need a driver’s abstract and letter of experience from SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance).

The link to SGI’s web page with info about getting your driver’s abstract and letter of experience is here: https://www.sgi.sk.ca/abstract-details. If you’re having trouble, you can call SGI (toll free) at 1-844-TLK-2SGI (1-844-855-2744) for assistance.

Shopping around for the best price

As we mentioned above, insurance works a little differently in each province. The company you were insured with before moving to NS may not offer insurance here. Even if they do, there may be another company here that can offer you a cheaper price. Your best bet is definitely to compare prices and coverage options from different coproviders to see what is the best fit for you.

At Cheep Insurance, we compare prices from over ten insurance companies to find you the cheapest option for your coverage needs. We’re happy to do all the annoying, tedious price comparison work for you!

No matter what your driving, insurance, and payment history looks like, we will be able to find you a policy to fit your coverage needs and hook you up with a monthly payment plan. Get a quote through our website or give us a call at 902.463.1675 / toll-free at 1.866.92.CHEEP (1.866.922.4337) and we’d be happy to take a look for you!

Note that we can only honour quotes for 30 days, so if you won’t be setting up an insurance policy in NS within the next month, the online quoting tool is the way to go.