Driving to Alaska with a temporary registration?

Question

I will be moving to Alaska soon, and my car still has a temporary registration from Utah. I will be registering the car in Alaska. I am planning on driving to Prince Rupert in British Columbia, Canada and then taking the ferry to Anchorage. Can I drive into Canada with a temporary tag? The car will be fully insured, I am just wondering if the temporary tag counts for registration in Canada.

Answer 1

I've done this several times when I purchased vehicles, new or used in WA state and drove them up the Alaskan Highway.

I used to be able to get an Alaskan temporary registration without the state of Alaska seeing the vehicle.  That's no more.  You need the temporary permit from one of the 48 states or the car dealer (who is authorized to issue them in his state).

The temporary permit is fine.  That's all you need.  No problem at the border.  The only issue I've ever had was I got pulled over because there was no plate in the plate holder and the back window was covered with dust so the RCMP couldn't see the paper temporary in the back window.  Showed it to him, and tried to eep the back window clean (tough on dirt roads).  No fine, no warning, not anything, he was just checking.

You do need to have it insured and I've always asked my insurance company to send/fax proof of insurance in Canada.  They fax a "Canana non-reisdent, inter-province motor vehicle liability insurance card" and I take the fax along with me.  No cost for that.

You also need proof of citizenship - passport is easiest, but (for Canada and Mexico only!) government-issued photo ID and a certified copy of your birth certificate work, too.  Does military ID show citizenship?  If so, maybe that suffices.  They certainly see a lot of military families going to and from AK.

Remember - no hand guns in Canada.  Send them ahead by US Mail or Fedex.  Or take them as checked baggage on a airline.

The ferry doesn't go to Anchorage (shallow water, bad tides, long way around).  Check your routing.  A few of the sailings go to Seward which is 123 miles from Anchorage.  A few go to Whittier which is 60 miles from Anchorage.  But if you're bound for Valdez, you've got about 250 road miles to Anchorage.  And if you get off in Haines or Skagway, AK, you actually have to re-enter Canada, drive through a bit of BC, Yukon Territory and then a lot of Alaska.  About 800 miles driving to Anchorage.

Do you kow you can get on the Alaska State Ferry in Bellingham, WA?  (north of Seattle)  Usually you arrive 3 days later in Haines, AK and drive 800 miles to Anchorage.

It is a spectacular drive and wonderful scenery along the ferry route.  Have a good trip.  Welcome to Alaska.

Answer 2

I am retired military living in Alaska.

You cannot bring a vehicle through Canada with a temporary tag.  This has been a way for stolen cars to end up in Canda.

You cannot bring any handguns into Canada.  That $50 permit is for long guns and shotguns only - and - only approved models.  The Canadian dept of safety has an 8 PAGE LIST of unacceptable models.

Worse - when you do come though the border and they ask if you own any hanguns - do not mention any ownership.  Do not tell them you have shipped them in your military house hold goods.  If you do, they will wan to inspect your shipment receipts and you will have to pull out the receipts the movers gave you to prove they are shipped.  If you cannot find the receipt - they will tear your rig apart.  If they cannot read the receipt - they will tear your rig apart.  If they suspect you might have a gun that is not delcared - they will tear your car and trailer apart.  If the customs inspector does not like guns and wants to make a point that you should not have any - you might be delayed at that checkpoint for 23.5 hours.  

You would not believe some of the horror stories people have had when military and moving up here on orders.  You really need to ship all your firearms.  If you are concerned about bears or personal protection - buy a new one when you arrive.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

My guess is that if your tag is valid for the U.S. to get you to Alaska it will be valid through BC and Yukon too.  You may want to contact the BC and Yukon automobile insurance agencies to double check:

  

Here is the Insurance Corporation of B. C.'s contact information:

http://www.icbc.com/help/contact.asp

And here is a page for Yukon Auto Insurance:

http://www.internetautoguide.com/auto-in...

Enjoy the world famous Alaska Highway.  You are about to see some spectacular scenery and lots of wildlife.  If you possibly can, you might want to take a dip in the Liard Hot Springs on your way north:

http://www.britishcolumbia.com/hotspring...

Happy driving!

Answer 4

Hmm .... not sure ... but you could probably get away with it. They ship tagless cars across the border all the time. The real question here is why you're moving to Alaska.