If 'License plate lookup Canada' has been your search query all along, then you must have been looking for a way to look up the owner of a license plate in Canada without having to request this information from the police.
The only way you can have this done without having to ask the police is if there is a website where you can lookup the license plate.
Come to think of it, Is a license plate lookup in Canada possible without having to ask the relevant authorities?
How To Search License Plate
Every Canada People Search you perform on our website uses advanced social media tracking to generate a comprehensive list of matching records and public data, based on your criteria. You're one screen away from finding exactly who you're looking for, in any of Canada's ten provinces, from British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta, to Nova. License Plate Search. With access to the complete DMV records in all fifty states, this site and our partners are able to access and uncover the owner of any valid license plate. To start your search, simply fill out the form above.
The simple answer to this question is NO!
Here are the reasons why a license plate lookup in Canada is not possible.
One of the reasons obtaining this information randomly is not possible is that respective territories and provinces issue license plates and the plates remain their property.
Also, the data that is linked with any license plate is the property of that province.
Canada's License Plates. The License Plates of Canada's Provinces and Territories (Veteran's Plates are shown at bottom of this page) Each Province and Territory has its own distinctive and colourful license plate. Shown here are the 13 individual plates currently on Canadian automobiles. Note the various logos and mottos on most of the plates.
This means that the access rights are defined by the territorial/provincial government.
The underlying data are very sensitive and they are guarded jealously by the respective government.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) will probably average the access to this information since they act as provincial police in several provinces.
As said earlier, this is sensitive information and should not be in a public domain that could be accessible to just anybody even outside Canada.
If that happens, then it would be termed a security breach.
However, there are few steps to take if you must lookup a Canadian license plate.
There is only one place that I know you can legally get this information and that is the DMV's system.
In situations like this, you will have to contact the DMV, pay the required fee, and then provide a valid reason why you need the information of a vehicle and the owner.
Some would say, you should ask the police.
The police will not really help since they are not permitted to provide random persons with such personal information.
Even the police are not permitted to execute this search unless they are investigating a criminal act or a potential ticket since the address, name, and other data associated with a license plate are subject to privacy law.
This article was written for educational purposes and does not mean any harm.
Ontario Canada License Plate Search
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In Canada, licence plate numbers are usually assigned in ascending order, beginning with a starting point such as AAA-001. Thus, someone familiar with the sequence can determine roughly when the licence plate was issued. After Ontario's transition to an ABCD-123 format in 1997, plates were issued in ascending order starting with AAAA-001. It took close to ten years to exhaust the supply of plate numbers with A as the first digit. In late 2006, plates with B as the first digit were assigned, and have continued from there sequentially. Plates with C as the first digit have been spotted in Ottawa and Toronto as of August 2016.
The gradual increase in the use of letters in the serials of licence plates has given rise to an increased possibility of unintentional profane or inappropriate words or messages arising from the use of sequential alphanumeric combinations. Thus, numbering sequences generally exclude certain combinations of letters or numbers that would be potentially offensive. Jurisdictions' attention to excluding offensive combinations varies widely, however. In 1986, Waldale, a Canadian licence plate manufacturer, due to a production error, produced an entire batch of New Brunswick plates that began with the letters ASS. The plates were issued, and were unofficially scrapped, but many found their way into the collectors' black market.

From 1971 to 1975, Manitoba's licence plate bore the slogan 'Sunny Manitoba: 100,000 lakes' [1] but was changed to 'Friendly Manitoba', possibly due to conflict with Minnesota's '10,000 lakes' slogan.[citation needed]
Designs and serial formats[edit]
Province/Territory | Description | Slogan | Serial format | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alberta | red on non-reflective white | 'Wild Rose Country' | ABC-1234 | |
British Columbia | blue on reflective white with screened provincial flag / yellow and white mountain scene with the 2010 Olympic symbol screened | 'Beautiful British Columbia' | AB1 23C, 2014 to 2023, (Passenger Cars)[2] AB 1234 (Passenger Trucks) | |
Manitoba | dark blue on white with screened graphic landscape | 'Friendly Manitoba' | ABC 123 | |
New Brunswick | red on reflective white with provincial wordmark and rainbow design | N/A | ABC 123 | |
Newfoundland and Labrador | blue on reflective white with provincial wordmark | N/A | ABC 123 | |
Northwest Territories | screened nature scene, shaped like a polar bear | 'Spectacular Northwest Territories' | 123456 | |
Nova Scotia | blue on reflective white with screened image of the Bluenose | 'Canada's Ocean Playground' | ABC 123 | |
Nunavut | blue and white with the aurora borealis and a polar bear, includes the territory's name written in both Latin characters and Inuktitut syllabics | N/A | 123 456 | |
Ontario | ||||
blue on reflective white with screened crown separator (commercial vehicles: black on reflective white) | 'Yours to Discover' | ABCD 123 (1997 - Passenger) AB1 234 (1995 - Commercial) 234 1AB (1996 - Commercial) AB 12345 (2011 - Commercial) | ||
'Tant à Découvrir' | ||||
green on reflective white with screened graphic of white trillium; for hydrogen and plug-in electric vehicles[3] | 'Green Vehicle' | GVAB 123 | ||
'Véhicule écologique' | VEAB 123 | |||
Prince Edward Island | light brown on reflective white with photo of Province House on the left | 'Birthplace of Confederation' | 12 3AB | |
'Berceau de la Confédération' | ||||
Quebec | dark blue on reflective white | 'Je me souviens' (I Remember) | A12 BCD | |
green on reflective white with electric vehicle pictogram on the lower left side (for electric vehicles)[4] | ||||
Saskatchewan | green on reflective white with screened wheat graphic | 'Land of Living Skies' | 123 ABC | |
Yukon | black on white with screened miner image | 'The Klondike' | ABC12 | |
Department of National Defence - All provinces and territories | dark green on reflective white with 'Canada' on top flanked by two red maple leaves | N/A | 12345 |
Plate Types and Serial Formats No Longer Issued But Still Valid[edit]

Province/Territory | Description | Slogan | Serial format | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alberta | red on reflective white | 'Wild Rose Country' | ABC-123 | |
red on non-reflective white | ||||
British Columbia | blue on reflective white with screened provincial flag | 'Beautiful British Columbia' | ABC 123 (Passenger Cars 1985 to 2001) and 123 ABC (Passenger Cars 2001-2014) 1234 AB (Passenger Trucks) | |
Manitoba | Friendly Manitoba | |||
New Brunswick | red on reflective white with provincial wordmark | none | ABC-123 | |
red on reflective white with provincial wordmark and rainbow design | 'Be...in this place - Être...ici on le peut' | ABC 123 | ||
Newfoundland and Labrador | red and blue embossed on white | none | ABC-123 | |
red on reflective white with screened Viking ship graphic | 'A World of Difference' | ABC 123 | ||
red on reflective blue/white with screened Cabot graphic | 'Celebrate 500 Years' | ABC 123 | ||
red on reflective white with screened provincial flag graphic | none | ABC 123 | ||
Northwest Territories | none | |||
Nova Scotia | blue on white | 'Canada's Ocean Playground' | ABC 123 | |
Nunavut | none | |||
Ontario | blue on white with embossed crown separator | 'Keep It Beautiful' | ABC 123 | |
blue on white with embossed crown separator | 'Yours to Discover' | ABC 123 123 ABC | ||
blue text on reflective white with screened crown separator (license plates issued to commercial vehicles are issued plates with black text on reflective white) | 'Yours to Discover' | 123 ABC | ||
white on reflective, two-hue blue with white stylized trillium separator and white crown placed bottom right[5][6] | 'A Place to Grow' | ABCD 123 | ||
'En plein essor' | ||||
'Open for Business' (commercial) | AB 12345 | |||
'Ouvert aux affaires' | ||||
Prince Edward Island | green on white with embossed provincial crest | none | ABC 123 | |
red on reflective white with screened Anne of Green Gables graphic | 'Home of Anne of Green Gables' | AB 123 | ||
green on reflective green/white/blue background with screened Confederation Bridge graphic | 'Confederation Bridge' | AB 123 | ||
green on reflective green/white/blue background with screened Province House graphic | 'Birthplace of Confederation' | AB 123 | ||
Québec | dark blue on reflective white | 'Je me souviens' | 123A456 | |
ABC 123 | ||||
123 ABC | ||||
Saskatchewan | green on reflective white with screened wheat graphic | Land Of the Living Skies' | ABC 123 | |
Yukon | none |


In Canada, licence plate numbers are usually assigned in ascending order, beginning with a starting point such as AAA-001. Thus, someone familiar with the sequence can determine roughly when the licence plate was issued. After Ontario's transition to an ABCD-123 format in 1997, plates were issued in ascending order starting with AAAA-001. It took close to ten years to exhaust the supply of plate numbers with A as the first digit. In late 2006, plates with B as the first digit were assigned, and have continued from there sequentially. Plates with C as the first digit have been spotted in Ottawa and Toronto as of August 2016.
The gradual increase in the use of letters in the serials of licence plates has given rise to an increased possibility of unintentional profane or inappropriate words or messages arising from the use of sequential alphanumeric combinations. Thus, numbering sequences generally exclude certain combinations of letters or numbers that would be potentially offensive. Jurisdictions' attention to excluding offensive combinations varies widely, however. In 1986, Waldale, a Canadian licence plate manufacturer, due to a production error, produced an entire batch of New Brunswick plates that began with the letters ASS. The plates were issued, and were unofficially scrapped, but many found their way into the collectors' black market.
From 1971 to 1975, Manitoba's licence plate bore the slogan 'Sunny Manitoba: 100,000 lakes' [1] but was changed to 'Friendly Manitoba', possibly due to conflict with Minnesota's '10,000 lakes' slogan.[citation needed]
Designs and serial formats[edit]
Province/Territory | Description | Slogan | Serial format | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alberta | red on non-reflective white | 'Wild Rose Country' | ABC-1234 | |
British Columbia | blue on reflective white with screened provincial flag / yellow and white mountain scene with the 2010 Olympic symbol screened | 'Beautiful British Columbia' | AB1 23C, 2014 to 2023, (Passenger Cars)[2] AB 1234 (Passenger Trucks) | |
Manitoba | dark blue on white with screened graphic landscape | 'Friendly Manitoba' | ABC 123 | |
New Brunswick | red on reflective white with provincial wordmark and rainbow design | N/A | ABC 123 | |
Newfoundland and Labrador | blue on reflective white with provincial wordmark | N/A | ABC 123 | |
Northwest Territories | screened nature scene, shaped like a polar bear | 'Spectacular Northwest Territories' | 123456 | |
Nova Scotia | blue on reflective white with screened image of the Bluenose | 'Canada's Ocean Playground' | ABC 123 | |
Nunavut | blue and white with the aurora borealis and a polar bear, includes the territory's name written in both Latin characters and Inuktitut syllabics | N/A | 123 456 | |
Ontario | ||||
blue on reflective white with screened crown separator (commercial vehicles: black on reflective white) | 'Yours to Discover' | ABCD 123 (1997 - Passenger) AB1 234 (1995 - Commercial) 234 1AB (1996 - Commercial) AB 12345 (2011 - Commercial) | ||
'Tant à Découvrir' | ||||
green on reflective white with screened graphic of white trillium; for hydrogen and plug-in electric vehicles[3] | 'Green Vehicle' | GVAB 123 | ||
'Véhicule écologique' | VEAB 123 | |||
Prince Edward Island | light brown on reflective white with photo of Province House on the left | 'Birthplace of Confederation' | 12 3AB | |
'Berceau de la Confédération' | ||||
Quebec | dark blue on reflective white | 'Je me souviens' (I Remember) | A12 BCD | |
green on reflective white with electric vehicle pictogram on the lower left side (for electric vehicles)[4] | ||||
Saskatchewan | green on reflective white with screened wheat graphic | 'Land of Living Skies' | 123 ABC | |
Yukon | black on white with screened miner image | 'The Klondike' | ABC12 | |
Department of National Defence - All provinces and territories | dark green on reflective white with 'Canada' on top flanked by two red maple leaves | N/A | 12345 |
Plate Types and Serial Formats No Longer Issued But Still Valid[edit]
Province/Territory | Description | Slogan | Serial format | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alberta | red on reflective white | 'Wild Rose Country' | ABC-123 | |
red on non-reflective white | ||||
British Columbia | blue on reflective white with screened provincial flag | 'Beautiful British Columbia' | ABC 123 (Passenger Cars 1985 to 2001) and 123 ABC (Passenger Cars 2001-2014) 1234 AB (Passenger Trucks) | |
Manitoba | Friendly Manitoba | |||
New Brunswick | red on reflective white with provincial wordmark | none | ABC-123 | |
red on reflective white with provincial wordmark and rainbow design | 'Be...in this place - Être...ici on le peut' | ABC 123 | ||
Newfoundland and Labrador | red and blue embossed on white | none | ABC-123 | |
red on reflective white with screened Viking ship graphic | 'A World of Difference' | ABC 123 | ||
red on reflective blue/white with screened Cabot graphic | 'Celebrate 500 Years' | ABC 123 | ||
red on reflective white with screened provincial flag graphic | none | ABC 123 | ||
Northwest Territories | none | |||
Nova Scotia | blue on white | 'Canada's Ocean Playground' | ABC 123 | |
Nunavut | none | |||
Ontario | blue on white with embossed crown separator | 'Keep It Beautiful' | ABC 123 | |
blue on white with embossed crown separator | 'Yours to Discover' | ABC 123 123 ABC | ||
blue text on reflective white with screened crown separator (license plates issued to commercial vehicles are issued plates with black text on reflective white) | 'Yours to Discover' | 123 ABC | ||
white on reflective, two-hue blue with white stylized trillium separator and white crown placed bottom right[5][6] | 'A Place to Grow' | ABCD 123 | ||
'En plein essor' | ||||
'Open for Business' (commercial) | AB 12345 | |||
'Ouvert aux affaires' | ||||
Prince Edward Island | green on white with embossed provincial crest | none | ABC 123 | |
red on reflective white with screened Anne of Green Gables graphic | 'Home of Anne of Green Gables' | AB 123 | ||
green on reflective green/white/blue background with screened Confederation Bridge graphic | 'Confederation Bridge' | AB 123 | ||
green on reflective green/white/blue background with screened Province House graphic | 'Birthplace of Confederation' | AB 123 | ||
Québec | dark blue on reflective white | 'Je me souviens' | 123A456 | |
ABC 123 | ||||
123 ABC | ||||
Saskatchewan | green on reflective white with screened wheat graphic | Land Of the Living Skies' | ABC 123 | |
Yukon | none |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Canadian License Plate Search
- ^Manitoba
- ^[1]
- ^'Ontario gets new green licence plates'. CBC. 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2009-11-07.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^'Electric Vehicles'. SAAQ. Archived from the original on 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2012-07-26.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^'Ontario's new licence plates hit the road: Here's what you need to know'. toronto.ctvnews.ca. February 3, 2020.
- ^'Accueil véhicules'. Ministère des Transports (in French). Le gouvernement de l'Ontario. Retrieved 12 February 2020.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)