Moving to Lake Country, BC: relocation guide
Photo: Hall Cassie Marshall Group, full caption
Lakestone and Okanagan Lake at dusk, from above Tyndall Bench, Lake Country. Lots 1 to 26 Tyndall Road, listed by Tyler Dumaine, Hall Cassie Marshall Group, Sotheby's International Realty Canada. Photograph: Hall Cassie Marshall Group.
Before you move to Lake Country from Alberta, elsewhere in Canada or overseas, settle two things: whether you can buy here, and which taxes apply to you. After the move comes the list: the licence and the car, health cover, schools and the utility bill. Each step is below from the office that runs it, and I can start your search before you arrive.
In short
- Permanent residents can buy; for other non-Canadians the federal ban runs to 1 January 2027.
- ICBC gives you 90 days to switch your licence and 30 days to register, license and insure your vehicle.
- BC health coverage starts after the rest of the month you arrive plus two months.
Before and after you move
View listingsBuying from out of provinceMortgage calculatorLake Country or KelownaSchoolsThe market this monthCan I buy a home in Lake Country if I am not a Canadian citizen?
Permanent residents can: the federal ban on buying residential property applies to non-Canadians, and the Act does not count citizens or permanent residents as non-Canadians.
For everyone else the ban runs to 1 January 2027, after a two-year extension announced in February 2024. The regulations exempt some international students and work-permit holders who meet their conditions, and a breach can bring a fine of up to $10,000. A lawyer confirms whether an exception fits you.1
Will I pay the speculation and vacancy tax?
Lake Country is one of the province's taxable areas. Every owner of a home in a taxable area has to file a declaration by 31 March each year, even when an exemption applies, and most people who live in the home are exempt.
For the 2026 tax year the rate is 3% of assessed value for foreign owners and 1% for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who do not qualify for an exemption. From 2027 the foreign-owner rate is 4%.2
How long do I have to switch my driver's licence and car from Alberta?
ICBC gives you 90 days after you move to switch your licence, and 30 days after you arrive to register, license and insure your vehicle.
A vehicle from another province normally needs a BC safety inspection first; ICBC exempts qualified private vehicles from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba under the New West Partnership. Ask ICBC whether yours qualifies.3
When does BC health coverage start?
Medical Services Plan coverage starts after a wait of the rest of the month you arrive plus two months. Keep your old province's plan for that time.
Apply online, in person at Service BC or by mail, then most adults finish the BC Services Card at an ICBC licensing office.4
How do I register my children for school?
Lake Country is in Central Okanagan Public Schools (School District 23). Enter your new address in the district's catchment map to find your elementary, middle and secondary schools, then apply through its online enrolment system.
Bring the child's birth certificate or other proof of age, proof that you live in BC, and proof of your address such as a utility bill, lease or purchase papers. A child starts kindergarten in the year they turn five by 31 December. Newcomers to Canada register first through the district's Welcome Centre.5
How do garbage, recycling and utilities work in Lake Country?
The District bills water, sewer and garbage together every three months, to the registered owner; set up a MyLakeCountry account to see and pay the bill online.
Collection is on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday depending on your street. Recycling and yard waste are picked up on alternate weeks; recycling runs all year and yard waste from March to December. Environmental 360 Solutions does the pickup.6
Sources
- Justice Laws, Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act and Regulations (SOR/2022-250); Department of Finance Canada, 4 February 2024.
- Province of British Columbia, speculation and vacancy tax: taxable areas and tax rates.
- ICBC, Moving from within Canada, Moving to B.C., and Import a vehicle into B.C.
- Province of British Columbia, How to apply for the Medical Services Plan.
- Central Okanagan Public Schools (SD 23), School enrolment and catchment maps.
- District of Lake Country, Garbage & recycling and Utility billing.
Rules as published by the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia, ICBC, Central Okanagan Public Schools and the District of Lake Country, read 26 September 2026. Check each with the office before you rely on it.
- Justice Laws, Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act
- Justice Laws, Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Regulations (SOR/2022-250)
- Department of Finance Canada, two-year extension to the ban on foreign ownership (4 February 2024)
- Province of BC, speculation and vacancy tax: taxable areas
- Province of BC, speculation and vacancy tax: tax rates
- ICBC, Moving from within Canada
- ICBC, Moving from outside Canada
- ICBC, Import a vehicle into B.C.
- Province of BC, How to enrol in the Medical Services Plan
- Central Okanagan Public Schools, School Enrolment
- Central Okanagan Public Schools, Catchment Area Maps
- District of Lake Country, Garbage & recycling
- District of Lake Country, Utility billing
15829 Greenhow Road, listed by Sotheby's International Realty Canada, full caption
15829 Greenhow Road, Lake Country. Listed by the Hall Cassie Marshall Group, Sotheby's International Realty Canada.
