What Paperwork Do You Need to Scrap a Car in BC?

by Admin

One of the most common questions we get is “what paperwork do I need?” — the good news is it’s a short list, much shorter than selling a car privately.

What you need

• Your BC owner’s certificate (registration) — this shows you’re the registered owner
• Government-issued photo ID that matches the name on the registration
• Your license plates — removed before we arrive, since these go back to ICBC, not to us

That’s it for a standard pickup. We provide the bill of sale on our end when we pay you.

What if the registration is in someone else’s name?

This comes up more than you’d think — inherited vehicles, cars bought from a family member that were never formally transferred, or a car registered to a company. If you’re not the registered owner, let us know when you call so we can walk you through what’s needed (usually some form of proof you’re authorized to sell it, like an estate document or a signed release from the registered owner).

What about a lost registration?

If you’ve lost your owner’s certificate, you can usually still proceed — mention it when you call and we’ll let you know what alternative proof of ownership works. It’s rarely a dealbreaker, just something to flag ahead of time so pickup day goes smoothly.

What you don’t need

You don’t need a safety inspection, an emissions test, or a mechanic’s report — none of that applies to a scrap sale. You also don’t need to fill out an ICBC transfer form the way you would selling to a private buyer, since the vehicle is being retired rather than re-registered to a new driver.

After the paperwork: what to remember

The one step that’s still on you afterward is cancelling your ICBC insurance and returning your plates — see our full breakdown on notifying ICBC when you scrap a car for exactly how that works.

Ready to get a number? Try our price estimator, and have your registration and ID handy when we come by.

What If You’ve Lost Your Registration

It happens more often than you’d think, especially with older vehicles that have changed hands a few times. If you don’t have your BC owner’s certificate on hand, call us anyway — we can usually still work something out using your photo ID and a signed bill of sale, and in some cases ICBC can reissue a lost registration if needed. The one document we can’t work around is your government-issued photo ID, so make sure you have that ready regardless.