Alberta to get rid of expiry stickers on license plates

Drivers on the Alberta side of Lloydminster will soon see the physical plate expiry sticker be no more.

The province has announced that they will be doing away with the sticker program, starting January 1st,2021. Stickers marking the month and year of registration, as well as stickers for fleet vehicles and permanent trailers, will no longer be given out. Stickers will still be required for farm vehicles and prorated commercial vehicles participating in the International Registration Plan, however.

Alberta will be transitioning to high-definition reflective licence plates, which is expected to be in place by Fall of 2021 when the current stock of painted plates runs out. Reflective plates will then be issued on a go-forward basis.

The Government says this move will serve as a cost-saving measure, as it currently costs $1.2 million per year to print, ship and store expiry stickers for the 5.5 million vehicles owned across Alberta.

“Alberta’s government has been looking for ways to improve and modernize the delivery of registry services for Albertans.” says Minister of Service Alberta Nate Glubish, “By moving to reflective licence plates, expiry stickers become redundant and outdated. This common-sense change cuts red tape aligns Alberta with other Canadian provinces and saves taxpayers money.”

Drivers in Alberta will still have to make sure their registration is valid year to year, renewed on time and they have a current certificate of vehicle registration. Vehicle registrations expire at midnight on the last day of an assigned month, based on surname or company name.

People can also sign up for a reminder through a registry agent, the Alberta Motor Association, or MyAlberta eServices. One-year online vehicle registration renewals will also be available for passenger vehicles and motorcycles.

Alberta is the fifth province to eliminate the need for the sticker, joining Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.