What is the process to repossess a vehicle on Indian land?
Most repossessions from reserves are completed with the approval of the Band Administration. Bailiffs will generally not undertake repossessions without securing this permission beforehand. This does not mean, however, that permission is required. Whether or not bailiffs can simply go onto a reserve to seize a vehicle without permission in their normal course of business would be subject to a legal opinion. Given the sensitivity of this issue, there may be as many differing legal opinions as there are lawyers. Given the fact that permission is generally granted by the Band Administration, repossessions of this type have not been an issue.
