--- title: "I just moved here. What do I need to do first? | PG Pulse" description: "Enrol in MSP, set up power, gas and City utilities, register for a family doctor, then switch your driver’s licence at ICBC." url: https://princegeorgepulse.ca/answers/newcomer-essentials/ markdown: https://princegeorgepulse.ca/answers/newcomer-essentials.md site: PG Pulse (https://princegeorgepulse.ca), The pulse of Prince George, British Columbia generated: 2026-10-16T16:07:21.582Z --- [Moving and settling in](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/answers/#moving) # I just moved here. What do I need to do first? Enrol in MSP right away, set up BC Hydro, FortisBC and your City utility account, find your garbage day, sign up for emergency alerts, register for a family doctor, then switch your driver’s licence at ICBC within 90 days. Checked October 1, 2026. Numbers update on their own. Do the things with waiting periods first: - **MSP** (BC health coverage) has a waiting period, so apply in week one and arrange private coverage for the gap. - **Health Connect Registry** puts you on the list for a family doctor or nurse practitioner (online or call 8-1-1). - **ICBC**: new BC residents have 90 days to switch to a BC driver’s licence; register and insure any vehicle you bring. Then the house: BC Hydro (electricity), FortisBC (natural gas), your City utility account and mailing address, your garbage day and the public alert sign-up. Our newcomer page has the full checklist with offices, hours and links. Still have a question? The assistant answers from all of our live data. [Ask the assistant](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/ask/?q=I%20just%20moved%20here.%20What%20do%20I%20need%20to%20do%20first%3F) ## On PG Pulse - [Newcomers and students: first weeks](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/move/newcomers/) - [Your first 30 days checklist](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/move/#first-30-days) - [Garbage day lookup](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/tools/garbage-day/) - [Moving checklist guide](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/city/moving-to-prince-george/) ## Official sources - [Enrol in MSP](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/msp/bc-residents/eligibility-and-enrolment/how-to-enrol) Link failed when checked October 14, 2026; we are looking into it - [ICBC: moving to BC](https://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing/moving-bc) Link checked October 14, 2026 - [Health Connect Registry](https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/find-care/health-connect-registry) Link checked October 14, 2026 - [AddressChangeBC](https://www.addresschange.gov.bc.ca/) Link checked October 14, 2026 ## Related questions - [Should I move to Prince George?](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/answers/should-i-move/) - [Which neighbourhood should I live in, and which areas are safe?](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/answers/which-neighbourhood/) - [How do I find a rental in Prince George?](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/answers/finding-a-rental/) - [Where can I find a pet-friendly rental?](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/answers/pet-friendly-rentals/) - [My landlord is giving me trouble. What are my rights?](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/answers/tenant-rights/) [All answers](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/answers/) · [Report a problem](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/feedback/) ## More in Living here [See all in Living here](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/browse/#living) - [Moving here Costs, jobs, taxes, services](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/move/) - [Jobs Local openings, searchable](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/jobs/) - [Household costs Rent, power, gas, utilities, fuel](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/tools/household-costs/) - [Housing Rents, prices, new builds](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/dashboard/housing/) - [Neighbourhoods 31 areas, mapped](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/neighbourhoods/) - [Schools Every K-12 school, college and university](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/schools/) ## Data Machine-readable data behind this page, from the free PG Pulse API (https://princegeorgepulse.ca/developers/). ### Answer Source: [Answers compiled from our own pages and the official sources linked in each answer; live values from our public API](https://princegeorgepulse.ca/answers/). Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); each answer links its official sources. Updated 2026-10-14T12:40:01.822Z. JSON: https://princegeorgepulse.ca/api/v1/answers/newcomer-essentials - **id**: newcomer-essentials - **theme**: 2 - **topic**: moving - **topicLabel**: Moving and settling in - **question**: I just moved here. What do I need to do first? - **also**: New to Prince George, general advice, Moving checklist for Prince George - **short**: Enrol in MSP right away, set up BC Hydro, FortisBC and your City utility account, find your garbage day, sign up for emergency alerts, register for a family doctor, then switch your driver’s licence at ICBC within 90 days. - **answer**: Do the things with waiting periods first: - **MSP** (BC health coverage) has a waiting period, so apply in week one and arrange private coverage for the gap. - **Health Connect Registry** puts you on the list for a family doctor or nurse practitioner (online or call 8-1-1). - **ICBC**: new BC residents have 90 days to switch to a BC driver’s licence; register and insure any vehicle you bring. Then the house: BC Hydro (electricity), FortisBC (natural gas), your City utility account and mailing address, your garbage day and the public alert sign-up. Our newcomer page has the full checklist with offices, hours and links. - **facts**: _none_ - **checked**: 2026-10-01 - **page**: #### links | label | url | | --- | --- | | Newcomers and students: first weeks | https://princegeorgepulse.ca/move/newcomers/ | | Your first 30 days checklist | https://princegeorgepulse.ca/move/#first-30-days | | Garbage day lookup | https://princegeorgepulse.ca/tools/garbage-day/ | | Moving checklist guide | https://princegeorgepulse.ca/city/moving-to-prince-george/ | #### official | label | url | linkOk | linkCheckedAt | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Enrol in MSP | https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/msp/bc-residents/eligibility-and-enrolment/how-to-enrol | false | 2026-10-14T12:40:01.822Z | | ICBC: moving to BC | https://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing/moving-bc | true | 2026-10-14T12:40:01.822Z | | Health Connect Registry | https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/find-care/health-connect-registry | true | 2026-10-14T12:40:01.822Z | | AddressChangeBC | https://www.addresschange.gov.bc.ca/ | true | 2026-10-14T12:40:01.822Z | --- Markdown version of https://princegeorgepulse.ca/answers/newcomer-essentials/. 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