So, I took the plunge and exported/imported our car.
Overall...easy. BUT that's only because I was prepared, did my homework, kept my cool, etc.
Exporting.
I had someone upload my vehicle information into AES Direct to generate an ITN for me. This cost me $65USD and, as I've said, it's worth every penny. Once I got the ITN, I sent an email to the appropriate border office (I crossed at Queenston-Lewiston) and got my return email with flashing lights and sirens stating, among other things, that:
"The vehicle(s) must be in the U.S. when you submit your VIN and must remain in the U.S. until you export it with U.S. Customs."
and...
"Vehicles for export may not be brought to Canada or be in Canada prior to being formally exported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Failure to comply with the requirements set forth in 19 CFR 192.2 may result in a penalty action."
Ooops. The trouble is, 19 CFR 192.2 doesn't mention anything about this. Also, I'm not certain orders given through email are actually lawful orders. (IANAL, so that's just my opinion. I'm not here to argue the point.)
Anyway, I found a handy map (I think it was on the forum) that pointed me to the export office (thanks to whomever posted - much appreciated). (Note: I didn't go to the export office upon crossing the border into the US - I had to get my mail and some groceries and decided to hit the export office last - around 1:45pm on a Thursday) There are a handful of parking spaces out front...if you can't find one, ask an officer where you can park. I'm guessing they are pretty lax about parking as it's kind of crazy, but best to be sure and ask.
On the front of the building, just follow the red arrow...up the staircase with the red railing, in the door and just follow the red arrows and read the signs. Once you're in the building, head left to the blue door with the brass handle, go through the door, straight, take the first LEFT and voila. When I got into the export office there was one CBP officer working at the time. I handed him a worksheet that was on the CBP website. The website said it would speed up the process or something like that. It wasn't needed. He had no idea what it was. He needed my ITN, Passport and title. Nothing else. I had come into the export office with a few other things just in case I need to prove ownership (bill of sale, registration, etc).
NOTE: Among other things, I also brought my form B4 with me that listed the car as a good to follow. If you can avoid it, leave any other paperwork such (as a B4) in your car, hidden out of plain sight. While I was looking for the title in my stack of papers, I innocently placed my B4 face-up on the desk. As I was looking at the handy map on the counter that tells you how to get back into the traffic pattern to get to Canada, a second border guard came in, and she locked eyes on my B4, picked it up, and immediately told the officer working on my paperwork that I had already imported my car into Canada.
Fuuuuuuu.....
I stayed calm because I knew that wasn't the case. I calmly explained that my vehicle was listed as goods to follow and that I had not imported the vehicle. I HAD imported the rest of my stuff, but had left the car until later so that my wife could keep using it in the US. The second officer had no other argument with me, but did ask me very directly "Where are you coming from?" to which I responded "Lewiston." I can only guess she was trying to get me to fall into the trap set up by the email re: the car being/not being in Canada. I don't know.
Luckily, more people exporting cars walked in and things ended there. I got my title stamped and was on my way. Briskly.
Takeaway notes: Anything in plain view of a CBP officer (or any LEO) can be scrutinized. If you don't want it scrutinized, leave it in your car. Hidden. Also: the CBP never looked at my car once.
Importing.
I drove over to the Canadian side. When I got to the initial inspection, I said upfront that I was importing my car, flashed my B4 and declared the groceries I had picked up. The CBSA officer told me I'd have to pay taxes/duty on the car (I knew better as I'd been gone 15 years and did my research, but didn't argue) and I responded that I'd get it all sorted out inside. Got my yellow slip and found a parking spot in the "A" section. When I parked, there were 5 or 6 officers tearing apart a car, looking for something. If you get there while this is happening, steer clear. Park as far away from them as you can. There was next-to-no parking at this time and so I ended up parking right next to them.
When I went inside I could NOT have been luckier. Standing there, all alone at the counter was the same CBSA officer who processed my B4 back in January. I said "Hey - I remember you!" (In the nicest possible way) He asked if that was a good thing or not and I reminded him of what he said to me about my B4 back in January (he said it was the best accounting of goods he'd ever seen. Ever.). He remembered me right away. He asked for my "handy-work," admired it again for a minute, gave me a Form 1 and said "Remind me how long you've been gone. You probably have to pay duty and taxes on your car." He asked because I only bought my car last December (2014) (as stated on my bill of sale). Again, I stayed calm and reminded him that I've been gone longer than 5 years and was exempt from the possession/usage rule and that it was somewhere on his employer's website. He chuckled and said he'd ask someone for clarification while I filled out Form 1.
I had to go back to the car to take a photo of the manufacturer's label to get the mm/yy on which the car was manufactured and the compliance statement. You don't need the pic for any purpose other than to save yourself the trip out there and possibly save the CBSA officer a trip to see if there's a compliance statement on the label...just take a pic of the ENTIRE manufacturer's label for your car before you walk in - at the very least it might save you/the CBSA officer a trip back to your car and you/they can use it to double-check the VIN, too.)
When I got back inside after taking the pic, the officer I was dealing with was working with another traveler, but there was one other officer there by this time. I avoided eye-contact with her and waited for the original officer. Why? Because I pay attention. I recognized her face, voice and accent. When my wife and I crossed on January 30th, I vividly recall waiting 10 minutes for this officer to inspect a dozen eggs that the car in front of me was bringing into Canada. I also recall her demeanor with me and wanted nothing to do with her if at all possible.
Anyway, my original officer finished what he was doing, waved me up and said "You should get a job here, you knew the rule about time away and possession and usage, and I didn't. Nice work." We finished up the Form 1, double-checked the value of my car just to cover his butt, gave me my copies and paperwork back, I thanked him for being helpful, and I headed over to the cashier's counter.
Almost forgot - during my conversation, I asked the CBSA officer about the RIV fee and ALL of them within earshot said to just pay online - it's faster. I don't know if paying at the border adds a time-consuming step or what. It's not as if they had to process the payment and wanted to avoid added work....that's for the cashiers to do. There's also a place on Form 1 to enter your payment info (obv I didn't do that). So I went over to the cashier to get my receipt for $0 for my import. (DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP EVEN IF YOU OWE NO TAXES OR DUTY, THE CASHIER NEEDS TO PHOTOCOPY YOUR TITLE AND GIVE YOU YOUR RECEIPT) and ask about the RIV fee. I was told by the cashier that it was always faster to do online. The cashier gave me a handy sheet of paper I hadn't seen before about the RIV process.
Takeaway notes: Know what you should owe (or don't owe) before you go. Learn about how your length of time away from Canada impacts what you pay in terms of duty and taxes. Get an accurate value for your car (even though CBSA uses the Red Book, using a US based source can help make your case if you're hovering around a value where you might have to pay duty/taxes. Print it out and bring it with you. PRO TIP: If you use KBB in the US, enter a ZIP code for MIAMI or NYC where used car values are lower than other parts of the country. It could save you a few hundred off your value and help you pay less duty/taxes. Know who (and who NOT to) assert yourself to. The officer I initially encountered was of little concern to me in terms of my importation. He was incorrect about me owing duty/taxes, but arguing with him would have only been stupid.
Also - Form 1 is a BREEZE. You'll need:
Your VIN,
Vehicle Type (found on the sticker I told you to take a picture of)
To know whether your car's manufacturer has a compliance statement (it SHOULD be on the same sticker you took a pic of)
Manufacturer
Make
Model
Model Year
Manufacture MM/YY (all on the label)
Whether your car has normal to minor damage or severe damage
The type of title you have (clear, salvage or rebuilt)
Country of manufacture (Ummmmm looking at my Form 1 - I missed that line, didn't fill it out, whoops, more to come on that.)
Your address phone number, etc.
If you have any questions, post them in the thread and I'll try answer them as best as I can.
Next up - inspection, licenses, registration and insurance. I'll have a post (maybe two) for that process as well (as it pertains to my experience in Ontario).
Overall...easy. BUT that's only because I was prepared, did my homework, kept my cool, etc.
Exporting.
I had someone upload my vehicle information into AES Direct to generate an ITN for me. This cost me $65USD and, as I've said, it's worth every penny. Once I got the ITN, I sent an email to the appropriate border office (I crossed at Queenston-Lewiston) and got my return email with flashing lights and sirens stating, among other things, that:
"The vehicle(s) must be in the U.S. when you submit your VIN and must remain in the U.S. until you export it with U.S. Customs."
and...
"Vehicles for export may not be brought to Canada or be in Canada prior to being formally exported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Failure to comply with the requirements set forth in 19 CFR 192.2 may result in a penalty action."
Ooops. The trouble is, 19 CFR 192.2 doesn't mention anything about this. Also, I'm not certain orders given through email are actually lawful orders. (IANAL, so that's just my opinion. I'm not here to argue the point.)
Anyway, I found a handy map (I think it was on the forum) that pointed me to the export office (thanks to whomever posted - much appreciated). (Note: I didn't go to the export office upon crossing the border into the US - I had to get my mail and some groceries and decided to hit the export office last - around 1:45pm on a Thursday) There are a handful of parking spaces out front...if you can't find one, ask an officer where you can park. I'm guessing they are pretty lax about parking as it's kind of crazy, but best to be sure and ask.
On the front of the building, just follow the red arrow...up the staircase with the red railing, in the door and just follow the red arrows and read the signs. Once you're in the building, head left to the blue door with the brass handle, go through the door, straight, take the first LEFT and voila. When I got into the export office there was one CBP officer working at the time. I handed him a worksheet that was on the CBP website. The website said it would speed up the process or something like that. It wasn't needed. He had no idea what it was. He needed my ITN, Passport and title. Nothing else. I had come into the export office with a few other things just in case I need to prove ownership (bill of sale, registration, etc).
NOTE: Among other things, I also brought my form B4 with me that listed the car as a good to follow. If you can avoid it, leave any other paperwork such (as a B4) in your car, hidden out of plain sight. While I was looking for the title in my stack of papers, I innocently placed my B4 face-up on the desk. As I was looking at the handy map on the counter that tells you how to get back into the traffic pattern to get to Canada, a second border guard came in, and she locked eyes on my B4, picked it up, and immediately told the officer working on my paperwork that I had already imported my car into Canada.
Fuuuuuuu.....
I stayed calm because I knew that wasn't the case. I calmly explained that my vehicle was listed as goods to follow and that I had not imported the vehicle. I HAD imported the rest of my stuff, but had left the car until later so that my wife could keep using it in the US. The second officer had no other argument with me, but did ask me very directly "Where are you coming from?" to which I responded "Lewiston." I can only guess she was trying to get me to fall into the trap set up by the email re: the car being/not being in Canada. I don't know.
Luckily, more people exporting cars walked in and things ended there. I got my title stamped and was on my way. Briskly.
Takeaway notes: Anything in plain view of a CBP officer (or any LEO) can be scrutinized. If you don't want it scrutinized, leave it in your car. Hidden. Also: the CBP never looked at my car once.
Importing.
I drove over to the Canadian side. When I got to the initial inspection, I said upfront that I was importing my car, flashed my B4 and declared the groceries I had picked up. The CBSA officer told me I'd have to pay taxes/duty on the car (I knew better as I'd been gone 15 years and did my research, but didn't argue) and I responded that I'd get it all sorted out inside. Got my yellow slip and found a parking spot in the "A" section. When I parked, there were 5 or 6 officers tearing apart a car, looking for something. If you get there while this is happening, steer clear. Park as far away from them as you can. There was next-to-no parking at this time and so I ended up parking right next to them.
When I went inside I could NOT have been luckier. Standing there, all alone at the counter was the same CBSA officer who processed my B4 back in January. I said "Hey - I remember you!" (In the nicest possible way) He asked if that was a good thing or not and I reminded him of what he said to me about my B4 back in January (he said it was the best accounting of goods he'd ever seen. Ever.). He remembered me right away. He asked for my "handy-work," admired it again for a minute, gave me a Form 1 and said "Remind me how long you've been gone. You probably have to pay duty and taxes on your car." He asked because I only bought my car last December (2014) (as stated on my bill of sale). Again, I stayed calm and reminded him that I've been gone longer than 5 years and was exempt from the possession/usage rule and that it was somewhere on his employer's website. He chuckled and said he'd ask someone for clarification while I filled out Form 1.
I had to go back to the car to take a photo of the manufacturer's label to get the mm/yy on which the car was manufactured and the compliance statement. You don't need the pic for any purpose other than to save yourself the trip out there and possibly save the CBSA officer a trip to see if there's a compliance statement on the label...just take a pic of the ENTIRE manufacturer's label for your car before you walk in - at the very least it might save you/the CBSA officer a trip back to your car and you/they can use it to double-check the VIN, too.)
When I got back inside after taking the pic, the officer I was dealing with was working with another traveler, but there was one other officer there by this time. I avoided eye-contact with her and waited for the original officer. Why? Because I pay attention. I recognized her face, voice and accent. When my wife and I crossed on January 30th, I vividly recall waiting 10 minutes for this officer to inspect a dozen eggs that the car in front of me was bringing into Canada. I also recall her demeanor with me and wanted nothing to do with her if at all possible.
Anyway, my original officer finished what he was doing, waved me up and said "You should get a job here, you knew the rule about time away and possession and usage, and I didn't. Nice work." We finished up the Form 1, double-checked the value of my car just to cover his butt, gave me my copies and paperwork back, I thanked him for being helpful, and I headed over to the cashier's counter.
Almost forgot - during my conversation, I asked the CBSA officer about the RIV fee and ALL of them within earshot said to just pay online - it's faster. I don't know if paying at the border adds a time-consuming step or what. It's not as if they had to process the payment and wanted to avoid added work....that's for the cashiers to do. There's also a place on Form 1 to enter your payment info (obv I didn't do that). So I went over to the cashier to get my receipt for $0 for my import. (DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP EVEN IF YOU OWE NO TAXES OR DUTY, THE CASHIER NEEDS TO PHOTOCOPY YOUR TITLE AND GIVE YOU YOUR RECEIPT) and ask about the RIV fee. I was told by the cashier that it was always faster to do online. The cashier gave me a handy sheet of paper I hadn't seen before about the RIV process.
Takeaway notes: Know what you should owe (or don't owe) before you go. Learn about how your length of time away from Canada impacts what you pay in terms of duty and taxes. Get an accurate value for your car (even though CBSA uses the Red Book, using a US based source can help make your case if you're hovering around a value where you might have to pay duty/taxes. Print it out and bring it with you. PRO TIP: If you use KBB in the US, enter a ZIP code for MIAMI or NYC where used car values are lower than other parts of the country. It could save you a few hundred off your value and help you pay less duty/taxes. Know who (and who NOT to) assert yourself to. The officer I initially encountered was of little concern to me in terms of my importation. He was incorrect about me owing duty/taxes, but arguing with him would have only been stupid.
Also - Form 1 is a BREEZE. You'll need:
Your VIN,
Vehicle Type (found on the sticker I told you to take a picture of)
To know whether your car's manufacturer has a compliance statement (it SHOULD be on the same sticker you took a pic of)
Manufacturer
Make
Model
Model Year
Manufacture MM/YY (all on the label)
Whether your car has normal to minor damage or severe damage
The type of title you have (clear, salvage or rebuilt)
Country of manufacture (Ummmmm looking at my Form 1 - I missed that line, didn't fill it out, whoops, more to come on that.)
Your address phone number, etc.
If you have any questions, post them in the thread and I'll try answer them as best as I can.
Next up - inspection, licenses, registration and insurance. I'll have a post (maybe two) for that process as well (as it pertains to my experience in Ontario).
