|
|
| Subject: Driving to Canada - Car question -please advise |
|
|
|
I will be driving to Canada from usa for landing, I plan to stay there, but might have to come back once to finish up affairs in the US.
My question is that for how long would I be able to drive in canada with a car registered in the US and on my US license, also when I decide to register it in Canada,do I need to complete some import formalities ? Am I required to tell something or do some paperwork at the border for this purpose ?
Any help will be appreciated, and also if someone who has gone thru this process guide me that would be great.
Thanks,
Brian
[11-01-2007,19:10]
[***.203.101.98]
Brian |
|
(in reply to: Driving to Canada - Car question -please advise)
Brian,
Assuming you listed your car on your "Goods to Follow" list, you must at some point export your car from the U.S. and then import it to Canada. These are 2 seperate procedures, the first with U.S. Customs, the latter with Canadian Customs.
In the meantime, you will be allowed by Canadian Customs to bring your U.S. registered car for the first time into Canada at the time of landing. However, doing so in the future is very iffy. Canadian law prohibits Canadian permanent residents and citizens from driving into Canada with cars registered in a foreign country.
I´ve expereinced this difficulty myself many times as I´m still in the process of moving from the U.S. and am holding off importing my car until my move is complete.
However, if you explain that your car is listed on your "Goods to Follow" list, and that your still living partailly in the U.S. and partially in Canada, and that you have every intention to import it soon, they´ll usually let you through. But there´s usually some sort of explanation needed every time you want to do this until you finally import and licence your car in Canada.
If you need more info. on the exporting and importing paperwork process, I can also assist on that.
[11-01-2007,21:01]
[**.47.169.54]
Richard |
(in reply to: Driving to Canada - Car question -please advise)
Richard,
Yes, please tell us about the paperwork part of it. I will also have two US vehicles to bring into Canada, but my move will be permanent once I land as a PR.
I am just trying to get prepared.. So far, I am still awaiting my IA, but (hopefully) soon I will have the same worries. I know a lot about the other stuff, but it freaks me to even think about importing our cars..
Uniden
[11-01-2007,22:34]
[**.8.64.44]
Uniden |
(in reply to: Driving to Canada - Car question -please advise)
Hi Richard,
Your response is appreciated as always.
Well, the thing is that it will be only once that I will
have to comeback, so I think will be able to do the explanation. Regarding showing them my intent to import the car, how do I do that ? I do have every intention to import, because there is no point selling by car here (losing couple of grands) and then buying another one in Canada.
Yes, please do explain the process/paper work to import my car into Canada.
Thanks,
Brian
[12-01-2007,00:45]
[**.218.164.26]
Brian |
(in reply to: Driving to Canada - Car question -please advise)
We too plan to import 2 US vehicles this summer to Canada, but the price of the movers makes us crazy. We can´t drive from California to Mississauga coz we´re afraid that we will encounter some troubles upon exiting US border. We already got our Canadian PR visa but my wife is out of status here in the US. So were thinking not to drive that long and eventually be put on hold. Any comments and suggestions please!!!
[12-01-2007,00:56]
[**.230.81.196]
Anonymous |
Driving to Canada - Car question -please advise (in reply to: Driving to Canada - Car question -please advise)
We landed in Canada last month and are currently in the process of importing our car from the US.
Basically we had listed the car details including the VIN# and the price etc. in our goods to follow list, which was signed and stamped by the customs officer when we landed. We sent the car carrier copies of these forms, copies of our passport and landing documents, including a no recall letter from the car manufacturer on this model. The car transport co. has already picked up the car and delivered it to Detroit, from where their Canadian counterpart will pick it up and bring it into a bonded warehouse in the next few days. I should have it with me by next week as per the info given to us. Hopefully it will be done without any problems!
[12-01-2007,11:06]
[**.97.130.222]
Dee |
(in reply to: Driving to Canada - Car question -please advise)
importing car at a later time is pretty easy.
I drove my car all the way from east coast and landed in vancouver. I listed my car in the goods-to-follow list with the VIN number and estimated value. That is it. I am still driving my car with my US registration, insurance and driver license. No worries. (I can´t replace my US driver license with Canadian right now as I need to surrender it to be waived from the exams. I will have to be in US for an additional year or so.)
When I finally move from US, I will export my car on the US side (3 days advance notice to the US customs). Then, I will just import it to Canada. I will need a no-recall doc, and some minor modifications (miles --> km/h, day-time headlights, etc). If your car model is already available in Canada, the modification cost should be minimal.
See www.riv.ca for more details.
[12-01-2007,13:46]
[**.82.92.159]
rookie |
(in reply to: Driving to Canada - Car question -please advise)
Dee, how much did you pay to the car transport company?
[12-01-2007,13:47]
[**.230.81.196]
Anonymous |
(in reply to: Driving to Canada - Car question -please advise)
Thanks for all your help.
My question is that once I am already in Canada, and would would like to import my car how do I have to do it.
Do I need to get back into the US and complete formalities of importing at the customs ?
Thanks,
Anurag
[12-01-2007,14:10]
[***.48.227.164]
Brian |
(in reply to: Driving to Canada - Car question -please advise)
Brain, Uniden and all,
Yes, as others here have described, the paperwork procedures are straighforward, but still a bit complicated.
First, you have to send a copy of your car´s title to the U.S. Customs office at the border crossing point where you plan to export your car 72 hours in advance of export. There, U.S. customs will process your export at no charge.
Then you take your car to the Canadian side. There Canadian Customs will have you fill out paperwork to import the car. You must have with you your car title, vehicle registration document, recall clearance letter from the manufacturer (showing no recalls or all recalls completed), a copy of your car´s sales receipt, and that your car has a U.S. federal compliance label on the door panel (almost all do).
Then you have to pay $195 CDN + GST by credit card (no cash or checks for immediate processing). They´ll then give you Form 1, which proves your car is in process of being imported if asked by any government agency.
Within 10 days you´ll receive Form 2 by mail at your Canadian address. You then have 45 days to take your car, with Form 2, for vehicle inspection and modification to any Candian Tire store. U.S. cars must mostly be modified to have daytime running lights. The inspection and modification will cost about $175 CDN. Canadian Tire will then process and send the completed inspection paperwork to the appropriate government agency for you.
Within one week after inspection and modification, you´ll recieve by mail the car´s Canadian Certification Label, which is to be attached to the car. You must then also go to your province´s vehicle licence office and get licence plates. You must show the Certification Label and have already arranged for Canadian auto insurance (proof of insurance is required to get plates).
Then finally you have to have already transfered your U.S. drivers licence to your province´s drivers licence. This is a seperate procedure that can be done independently of the import and at any time.
I think that´s it, unless someone has something I may have left out.
[12-01-2007,14:36]
[**.47.169.54]
Richard |
(in reply to: Driving to Canada - Car question -please advise)
Very good and detailed info, Richard! Thank you very much! I will bookmark this thread for when I´m getting close to my departure. I like to be ahead of everything..
The most important thing that I´ve learned today is that there is some stuff that I need to take care in advance, like the mfg´s no-recall letters and the 72-hr notice to the US Customs.
Uniden
[12-01-2007,15:24]
[**.88.35.54]
Uniden |
|
