The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) is now enabling transactions such as auto insurance renewals to be conducted online, to avoid in-person contact in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The insurer has advised that customers should call an Autoplan broker to renew insurance, change a policy, or other service. ICBC also said that drivers should give themselves extra time to process the transactions, since they may take longer than usual.

After renewing auto insurance, the driver is typically given an update decal to stick on their license with the new expiry date. A spokesperson told CBC News that those decals will either be mailed out or can be picked up from an open office.

With the ICBC allowing online transactions, the RCMP has offered a reminder that penalties for expired licenses still apply.

“There is no reason [or] excuse people cannot renew their insurance,” BC RCMP Traffic Services Cpl. Mike Halskov told CBC News.

“If one fails to renew their insurance when due and continues to drive or is involved in a collision, they are subject to a violation ticket or, in the event of a crash, may not be insured.”