How To Renew Your Ontario Licence Plate Now That Stickers Have Been Scrapped

If you're wondering if you still need to renew your Ontario licence plate now that the stickers and renewal fees are a thing of the past, the answer is yes — and drivers might want to make sure everything is up to date before hitting the road.

As of March 13, licence plate stickers were officially removed for most vehicles, like motorcycles, mopeds, light-duty trucks and passenger vehicles. Heavy commercial vehicles and snowmobiles didn't see any changes.

Before this change, drivers in southern Ontario had to shell out $120 each year while those in northern Ontario paid $60 a year for their stickers.

Even though these fees are gone, Ontarians still have to renew their licence plates in order to legally drive.

According to the Ontario government, vehicles must be insured and have a valid licence plate before they can be used in the province.

The renewal period also varies depending on the kind of vehicle you have and whether or not you choose to renew each year or every two years.

How to renew your licence plate

There are three ways drivers can go about it: submit their application online, send it through the mail, or visit a ServiceOntario location.

The Ontario website points out that there are a few things motorists need in order to renew their licence plates, like their licence plate number, their vehicle permit number, the name of their insurance provider and policy number, and to pay off any outstanding fines or toll fees.

Drivers will also need to take note of how many kilometres have been clocked on their odometer, and might even have to provide an emissions test if they're renewing for a heavy-duty diesel vehicle.

If you're the forgetful type, you can sign up for a reminder for when it's time to get your plates renewed. ServiceOntario will either send you an email, a text or call you up on the phone 60 and 30 days beforehand.

They can also send reminders for when it's time to get a new licence or health card.