Release of motor vehicle information to serve court documents

Overview

If you are involved in a legal dispute, you may order specific Motor Vehicle Information Products (MVIPs) through an Alberta registry agent. The information may be used for serving court documents for a case filed in a Court having jurisdiction in Alberta only. For further information, see the Access to Motor Vehicle Information Regulation (AMVIR) and the Requesting protected motor vehicle data page.

The following process applies to:

• organizations, lawyers, and law firms that have an AMVIR Agreement
• individuals that have filed a claim in a court having jurisdiction in Alberta may also enter into a one-time agreement with the Registrar of Motor Vehicle Services (the ‘Registrar”)

Organizations, law firms, or lawyers that file numerous claims in court are required to apply for an AMVIR Agreement, which can be found on the Apply for access to Motor Vehicle Data page.

Service of documents in Alberta

The service of documents in Alberta is regulated by the Alberta Rules of Court and the Court of Justice Act. Depending on situation you may use different methods of service and you may have to present different documents to the court. Also, depending on situation you may serve documents in person or you may hire a process server to serve the documents on your behalf. When you are unable to serve documents by one of the authorized methods, you should contact the court office for further instructions.

For more information about this process, see the Alberta Courts website.

Information Products

Depending on the situation, the Registrar may release the following MVIPs:

• Limited Demographics (LD) Search Report (SR)
• Demographic Confirmation Letters (CLs)
• Limited Demographics (LD) Not Found Report (NFR).

A Confirmation Letter may be released if a Limited Demographics search report cannot be released.

A “Not Found Report” is released when the Defendant cannot be identified on the Motor Vehicle Electronic System or if there are conflicts with the information provided in the Agreement and the Claim.

Release of information

Information is released only for the purpose of:

• serving court documents for a case filed in a Court having jurisdiction in Alberta
• verifying the address of the Defendant
• proving to the Court that you have attempted to serve the Defendant at their last known address

For detailed information and instructions on how to obtain motor vehicle information for the purpose of serving court documents please refer to the document below or contact a registry agent for assistance:

Release of Motor Vehicle Information for Service of Documents: Guide

Cost

Preparing the correct MVIP may require multiple searches.

You have to pay the applicable government fees and registry service charge.

The applicable government fees are established by the Operator Licensing and Vehicle Control Regulation (OLVCR). Check the Registry agent product catalogue for registry agent fees.

Eligibility

The following individuals can apply for this information:

• one of the Plaintiffs listed in the Claim (if the Plaintiff is an individual)
• an Authorized Employee of the Plaintiff if the Plaintiff is not an individual
• a lawyer representing the Plaintiff
• an Authorized Employee of the law firm representing the Plaintiff

For detailed information and instructions on how to obtain protected motor vehicle information for the purpose of serving court documents please refer to the document below or contact a registry agent for assistance:

• Release of Motor Vehicle Information for Service of Documents: Guide (PDF, 78 KB)

Contact

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-427-7013
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)