Lost or Stolen Licence Plate? Replace It and Update the Accounts Attached to It

The car is still there, but its licence plate is not. Replacing the metal is only part of the job: you also need to report what happened, establish how the vehicle can legally be moved and update services connected to the old number.

Do not assume a police file number permits you to drive without the required plate. Contact the registration authority about the correct replacement or temporary-permit process before moving the vehicle. Do not make a cardboard substitute or borrow a plate from another car.

This guide is for a missing plate, not a missing vehicle. Procedures differ by province; the B.C., Alberta and Quebec examples below show why a national one-size-fits-all checklist is not enough.

Record what is missing before making the calls

• Note whether one plate or both are missing, and whether a remaining plate matches your registration.
• Write down when and where you last saw the plate and when you noticed the loss.
• Have the plate number, VIN, registration and your identification available.
• Photograph the empty mount or damage if safe, and preserve any relevant camera footage.
• Describe what you know. If you cannot tell whether the plate fell off or was taken, say so rather than guessing.

Use the police service’s official reporting channel for the location. If a theft is happening or someone is in immediate danger, call 911; otherwise use the appropriate non-emergency route. Keep the report number and the instructions you receive with your replacement paperwork.

B.C.: report even one missing plate

ICBC’s replacement instructions require a police report when either one or both plates are lost or stolen. Take the police case number, insurance documents and any remaining plate to an Autoplan broker for replacement. A replacement fee applies.

Call ahead if you cannot bring the documents or attend personally, and explain exactly what is missing. Ask the broker how to complete the process without driving an improperly plated vehicle. ICBC also says a printed copy of the insurance documents must be carried in the vehicle; the end of plate decals did not remove that requirement.

Alberta: the police file number is part of replacement

The Alberta government directs owners to report lost or stolen plates to the police agency where the incident occurred. A registry agent requires the police file number, an Alberta driver’s licence or other acceptable photo identification, a completed cancellation declaration and the applicable fee.

Alberta offers in-transit permits for certain vehicle movements, but that does not mean every missing-plate situation automatically qualifies. Ask the registry agent what is appropriate for your vehicle and planned journey. Confirm the applicable documents and conditions before relying on a permit.

Quebec: download the temporary plate, not just the receipt

The SAAQ’s current replacement process provides for a new standard plate with a different number. Eligible replacements can be requested through SAAQclic; if the online route cannot be used, follow the service-outlet instructions. Special cases, including amateur-radio plates, have separate requirements.

For a passenger car with a rear window, the SAAQ instructs owners to print the new registration certificate and temporary paper plate on standard 8½ × 11-inch white paper, then affix the temporary plate in the top-left corner of the rear window. Follow its separate placement instructions for vehicles without a rear window. The temporary plate—not a screenshot of a payment receipt—is the document intended for use while awaiting the metal plate.

If travelling away from home, check the issuing authority’s out-of-province replacement instructions and ask about the route you need to travel. Do not assume another province’s temporary-document procedure applies to your registration.

Update toll and parking accounts separately

After the new number is issued, list the places that identify your vehicle by plate: toll accounts, parking apps, workplace or condominium parking, and any plate-based permits. Ask each operator how to remove the missing number and register the replacement. Also ask your insurance representative whether its record needs updating. Save confirmations rather than assuming a registry change reaches every system.

407 ETR’s lost-plate guidance is a concrete Ontario example: it tells drivers to report missing plates promptly to the Ministry of Transportation. Where that has not been done, its documentation options include a full police report—not just the case number—an insurance report or an MTO declaration report identifying the plate, vehicle and incident date. Use the operator’s official support route and follow its document instructions.

A police report, replacement registration and toll-account update are separate records. If an unfamiliar toll bill or notice arrives, retain it and contact the issuer promptly with your timeline and supporting documents. Do not assume it disappears automatically because you reported the plate missing; follow any applicable dispute deadline.

Before returning to normal use

• Check that the new number and vehicle details are correct on the issued documents.
• Fit the authorized plate or temporary document exactly as directed, and repair a damaged mounting point if needed.
• Confirm that required insurance and registration documents are available.
• Keep the old-number-to-new-number record and reporting references together.
• If the missing plate later turns up, ask police and the issuing authority what to do with it; do not simply reinstall it.

The goal is a clean handover from the missing number to the replacement: reported, correctly issued, properly displayed and updated wherever you actually use it.

Official provincial and toll-operator sources checked November 1, 2026. Examples are jurisdiction-specific; confirm current fees, eligibility and temporary-use instructions with the issuing authority.