How to Check a VIN in Canada: Records, Liens and Recalls

To check a VIN in Canada, use your own province first: provincial vehicle records (Ontario's UVIP, ICBC in British Columbia, the SAAQ in Quebec, Alberta's Vehicle Information Report, SGI in Saskatchewan, MPI in Manitoba) and a lien search in the provincial personal property registry. Then run the national stolen-vehicle search on the CPIC website and check recalls with Transport Canada and the manufacturer. If the car ever lived in the United States, add a U.S.-data report. No single record covers all of this.

Fees and product names below are as of October 2026. They change, so check the official page before you pay.

Why one VIN check is not enough in Canada

• Registration and status records (owners, odometer readings, rebuilt or salvage status) sit with each province's registry or public insurer.
• Liens are recorded in a provincial personal property registry, usually a different office from vehicle registration.
• Stolen-vehicle reports are entered by police across Canada into the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database.
• Recalls are published by Transport Canada by make, model and year. Open-recall status for a specific VIN comes from the manufacturer.

A car that moved between provinces or came in from the U.S. can have records in several of these places, so a thorough check is a short list of searches.

Province-by-province: official vehicle records

Costs are listed only where the official source publishes them. Each record name links to the official page.

Ontario: the Used Vehicle Information Package (UVIP)

Under the Highway Traffic Act, a private seller of a car, van, light truck, motor home, motorcycle or light farm vehicle in Ontario must give the buyer a UVIP, and the buyer needs it to register the vehicle. According to ServiceOntario, the package includes vehicle details, Ontario registration history (present and previous owners, their city of residence and odometer readings), vehicle lien information, the average wholesale value used for retail sales tax, the last known condition status (for example, unfit and needing a Safety Standards Certificate), whether the vehicle was reported wrecked, and a bill of sale section.

The UVIP costs $20. Online orders are mailed within five business days; at a ServiceOntario centre it is issued the same day. It is not required when you buy from an OMVIC-registered dealer, between family members, or for vehicles previously bought or sold outside Ontario, among other exemptions. Ontario warns that stolen vehicles often have errors in their history, such as the wrong colour or odometer reading, so compare the package with the car. Because the UVIP reflects records on the date it was printed, run your own lien search before you pay (see the lien section below).

British Columbia: ICBC claims history and status search

On its vehicle history reports page, ICBC offers a free vehicle status search (normal, rebuilt, salvage, altered or non-repairable) and the ICBC vehicle claims history report at $20.00 plus GST. The report covers damage claimed through ICBC, the date and dollar value where available, the primary area of damage, status, whether the vehicle was imported to B.C., whether it was possibly reported stolen, and restrictions on licensing and insuring.

ICBC lists what the report excludes: lien searches, Canadian registration checks, private insurer claims, U.S. history, odometer records and Registrar of Imported Vehicles records. Its report FAQ adds that the report says whether a vehicle is a Canadian or foreign import, but not where it came from, and that liens in B.C. are searched at the Personal Property Registry.

Quebec: SAAQ history and the RDPRM

Quebec's consumer protection office (OPC) advises private-sale buyers to get the vehicle history through SAAQclic, which "provides information including the number of owners and previous uses of the vehicle." It also tells buyers to check CPIC for theft and to search the Registre des droits personnels et réels mobiliers (RDPRM), for a fee, to make sure the vehicle is fully paid for and cannot be seized by a creditor.

Alberta: Vehicle Information Report

Anyone can order Alberta's Vehicle Information Report online or through a registry agent. It shows the description, status (such as active, rebuilt or salvage), odometer reading if provided, registration dates and locations, and the number of Alberta liens. It covers Alberta records only; for lien details, Alberta says to buy a Personal Property Registry search from a registry agent. Alberta eServices lists the online report at $29.45 including service charges.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba

SGI's Saskatchewan VIN search shows a vehicle's status and Saskatchewan damage claims history. Its Cross-Canada VIN search searches all Canadian jurisdictions for a vehicle status and also reports Saskatchewan claims, whether Saskatchewan PST is payable and whether the vehicle was reported stolen. Check SGI for the current fee.

In Manitoba, MPI says you can call with the VIN to find out whether the vehicle was ever an Autopac write-off; this covers Manitoba only. The province's consumer protection office notes that private sellers do not have to disclose the vehicle's history, while licensed dealers must.

Lien checks: provincial personal property registries

A lien stays with the vehicle, not with the seller. If you buy a car with a registered lien that is not paid out, the lender may still have a claim on it. Search the registry of the province where the car is registered, and of any province where it was recently registered.

The Quebec debt types are from the Government of Quebec. Ontario's UVIP and Alberta's VIR mention liens, but the registry search is the direct source. If a search shows a lien, ask for written proof that the loan is paid out and the lien discharged before you hand over money.

Is the car stolen? The CPIC public search

The Canadian Police Information Centre vehicle search lets anyone enter a VIN and see whether the vehicle has been reported stolen to police. The RCMP manages the site for the Canadian law enforcement community, and police across Canada enter reported stolen property into the database. Vehicle data is updated daily. A "possible stolen vehicle" result does not prove the car is stolen. The site tells you to contact your local police to confirm. The RCMP's buyer tips also recommend checking that the VINs under the windshield and on the driver's door jamb match each other and the paperwork.

Recalls: Transport Canada and the manufacturer

Transport Canada's Motor Vehicle Safety Recalls Database is searched by make, model and year. Not every vehicle in a make, model and year group is affected by a given recall. To check one specific car, use the VIN tool on the manufacturer's Canadian website. Transport Canada's manufacturer directory links to them. Under amended regulations, designated manufacturers must provide a VIN recall lookup tool, with full compliance required by mid-2026. Our guide to checking recalls by VIN in the U.S. and Canada walks through both systems.

One catch for imports: Transport Canada says its recall database relates only to vehicles produced for the Canadian market and originally sold in Canada. For a car first sold in the U.S., check U.S. recalls as well.

Cars imported from the United States

Vehicles under 15 years old imported from the U.S. generally go through the Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) program. According to Transport Canada, the importer must confirm there are no outstanding recalls and pass the RIV inspection within 45 days, or one year for a salvage vehicle. Transport Canada's import FAQ also says:

• vehicles manufactured more than 15 years ago are exempt from Canadian safety-standard compliance at importation, but still must meet border entry requirements;
• a U.S. vehicle branded salvage can enter through the Salvage Vehicle Program only if the damage was not flood-related, among other conditions, and a salvage title may severely limit your ability to license and insure it in Canada;
• a vehicle declared "parts only" receives a non-repairable status that cannot be changed and is shared with every provincial and territorial licensing authority.

Provincial records do not cover a car's years in the U.S. (ICBC, for example, says its report excludes U.S. history). A U.S. title brand, a salvage auction sale or U.S. odometer readings have to be checked with U.S. data. The U.S. government's NMVTIS program lists approved providers of U.S. title-brand history. Our guide to VIN checks for U.S.-to-Canada imports covers this in more detail.

What a VIN Data Hub report covers, and what it does not

VIN Data Hub is built on U.S. data sources and works with any 17-character North American VIN. For a Canadian buyer it is most useful when the car has U.S. history. It shows a VIN decode, a salvage title check, possible stolen-vehicle records, U.S. salvage auction appearances (sale date, damage, odometer and photos when available), past sale records, and listing history from U.S. and Canadian listings with a mileage-inconsistency flag. It also lists NHTSA recall campaigns for the make, model and year, and U.S. market value estimates. It does not include Canadian provincial records (UVIP, ICBC, SAAQ), lien searches, Transport Canada recalls, open-recall status for your VIN, registration or ownership history, insurance claims or service records. Use it alongside the provincial checks, not instead of them. Entering a VIN on the VIN check page shows a free preview with the decoded vehicle and the number of records found in each category before you pay.

Step-by-step checklist before you buy

1. Match the VIN. Compare the VIN under the windshield, on the driver's door jamb and on the registration. All three should be identical, 17 characters.
2. Run the CPIC stolen-vehicle search. It is quick and covers police reports from across Canada.
3. Get the provincial record. In Ontario, ask the seller for the UVIP (or buy one for $20). In B.C., run ICBC's free status search, then the claims history report. In Quebec, get the SAAQ history. In Alberta, order the VIR. In Saskatchewan, use SGI's VIN search, or the Cross-Canada VIN search if the car came from another province. In Manitoba, call MPI about write-off status.
4. Compare details. Check colour, odometer readings and the seller's name against the car and the registration. Inconsistencies are a warning sign.
5. Search for liens on the day you pay. Use the personal property registry of the province where the car is registered, and of any province it came from.
6. Check recalls. Search Transport Canada by make, model and year, then the manufacturer's VIN tool for open recalls on that car.
7. Check U.S. history if there is any sign of it. Clues include a foreign-import note on the ICBC report, U.S. odometer units or RIV paperwork. A U.S.-data report or an NMVTIS provider covers what provincial records cannot.
8. Get an independent inspection. No record replaces a mechanic who puts the car on a hoist.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free VIN check in Canada?

Some official checks cost nothing or are open to the public. The CPIC website lets anyone check whether a VIN has been reported stolen to police, ICBC offers a free vehicle status search for B.C. vehicles, and Transport Canada and manufacturers publish recall lookups online. Full provincial records such as Ontario's UVIP, ICBC's claims history report and Alberta's Vehicle Information Report have a fee.

Does the Ontario UVIP show liens?

Yes. ServiceOntario lists vehicle lien information as part of the Used Vehicle Information Package, along with Ontario registration history and odometer readings. The package reflects records on the date it was printed, so if it is not recent you can run your own lien search in Ontario's Personal Property Security Registration system before paying.

Does the ICBC report show accidents from other provinces or the U.S.?

No. ICBC says its vehicle claims history report covers claims made through ICBC only. It excludes private insurer claims, U.S. history, odometer records and lien searches. It does show whether the vehicle was imported to British Columbia, but not where it came from.

How do I check if a car is stolen in Canada?

Enter the VIN in the public vehicle search on the Canadian Police Information Centre website, which the RCMP manages. If the result says possible stolen vehicle, stop the purchase and contact your local police to confirm; a hit alone does not prove the vehicle is stolen.

Can I check recalls by VIN in Canada?

Transport Canada's recall database is searched by make, model and year. To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, use the VIN lookup on the manufacturer's Canadian website, which designated manufacturers are required to provide. Vehicles first sold in the U.S. should also be checked for U.S. recalls.

Does a U.S. vehicle history report work for Canadian cars?

It works for any 17-character North American VIN, but it is built on U.S. data. It is most useful for cars with U.S. history, such as imports or cross-border auction vehicles. It does not include Canadian provincial records or lien searches, so use it together with your province's record and registry.

Related: How to check a salvage title, How to detect odometer rollback, VIN Data Hub pricing.