Starter kit
Moving to Alberta
Three things here have a deadline attached and the rest can wait. This is the short version of what to do first, who to do it with, and the local habits nobody tells you about.
The first 90 days
These have deadlines. The others on this page do not.
Exchange your driver's licence
Within 90 days of movingAlberta expects you to swap your out-of-province or out-of-country licence for an Alberta one within 90 days of arriving. The clock keeps running even if you leave the province during it. Bring your existing licence and identification.
📍 Any registry agent
Register your vehicle
Within 90 days of movingSame 90-day window as the licence, and usually the same trip. You will need proof you own the vehicle — a bill of sale, lease or similar — and Alberta insurance in the name of whoever is registering it.
📍 Any registry agent
Apply for health coverage (AHCIP)
Within 3 months of arrivingIf you have moved from another province or territory and intend to stay a year or more, apply to the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan within three months. Alberta says there may be a waiting period before coverage starts, and how long depends on where you came from — check with them rather than assuming you are covered on arrival, and keep your previous province's coverage until you know.
📍 Complete the AHCIP form and take it to a registry agent
Registry agents: the bit that confuses everyone
Alberta does not run government service counters for this. Licences, vehicle registration, health card applications and land titles all go through private registry agents — independent businesses licensed by the province. They set their own service fees on top of the government fee, so two agents can charge differently for the same task, and you can use whichever one you like.
Find a registry agent
Most towns have one, and cities have dozens. Many will do the licence exchange, vehicle registration and AHCIP application in a single visit — worth asking when you book, because it saves a second trip.
Your health card arrives with your licence
Alberta issues an integrated card: your driver's licence or ID doubles as your health card. The interim paper receipt you are handed at the registry carries your personal health number, so you can use it at a clinic while the real card is in the post.
Getting the power and heat on
Who delivers your electricity and gas depends on where you live and is not something you choose — but who you buy it from is. You can stay on the regulated rate, which changes monthly, or sign a fixed contract with a retailer.
Set up electricity and natural gas
Edmonton is served by EPCOR, Calgary by ENMAX, and most of rural and central Alberta by FortisAlberta, with ATCO across the north and east. Arrange the account before you move in — a same-day connection is not guaranteed.
Alberta Utilities Consumer Advocate Current regulated rates, month by month →
Money things that surprise people
Alberta's tax picture is genuinely different from the rest of the country, and the differences are mostly in your favour.
There is no provincial sales tax
Alberta is the only province without one. You pay the 5% federal GST and nothing else on most purchases, so the shelf price is much closer to what you actually hand over than you may be used to.
Canada Revenue Agency — GST/HST rates by province What things actually cost here →Property tax by town →
Surviving your first winter
The cold is manageable once you know the local habits. Two of them are not obvious to anyone arriving from a milder place.
Plug the car in
Below about −15°C most people plug in a block heater for a few hours before driving. It warms the engine so it will actually start, and it is why parking stalls here have electrical outlets. If your car does not have one fitted, they can be installed.
Alberta Motor Association — winter driving Tonight's forecast, and whether to plug in →
The Chinooks are real
In the south, a warm wind off the Rockies can lift the temperature 20 degrees in an afternoon and strip the snow off the ground in a day. It is not a thaw and it will not last. Some people get headaches from the pressure swing; that is not folklore either.
Environment and Climate Change Canada Is a Chinook blowing right now? →
This is a starting point, not the rule book. Every item above links the government page that actually decides it — follow those before acting, because fees and requirements change and this page does not change with them. Last checked August 11, 2026. If you spot something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.