Exporting a Vehicle from the U.S. and Importing into Canada: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

[Alex54321]

Having the car in the US for 72 hours is the law unfortunately.

The first thing they ask you when you enter the export office is where you are coming from. If you were not in the US with the vehicle already then you would have to lie which I would not recommend doing to armed customs officers

I know there are people who have lied and exported right after crossing the border into the US but it is not a good idea.

Please point to the source, proving "Having the car in the US for 72 hours is the law" ? Maybe I did no read it all, but the link below
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/export-docs/motor-vehicle
states that only required documentation must be submitted at least 72 hours prior to export and the vehicle must be presented to customs at the time of exportation.

1. • Exportation at land border crossing points. For those vehicles exported by rail, highway, or under their own power.
     The required documentation must be submitted to Customs at least 72 hours prior to export; and
     
     1. The vehicle must be presented to Customs at the time of exportation.

 

[KBH]

Please point to the source, proving "Having the car in the US for 72 hours is the law" ? Maybe I did no read it all, but the link below
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/export-docs/motor-vehicle
states that only required documentation must be submitted at least 72 hours prior to export and the vehicle must be presented to customs at the time of exportation.

1. • Exportation at land border crossing points. For those vehicles exported by rail, highway, or under their own power.
     The required documentation must be submitted to Customs at least 72 hours prior to export; and
     1. The vehicle must be presented to Customs at the time of exportation.

I specifically asked the export office before I exported my vehicle and was told via email:

"The vehicle must be physically located in the USA during the 72 hours’ notice as well as at time of export. If the car leaves the USA during that time the 72 hours has to start all over again."

There is plenty of discussion about this on the forum already as well if you search "72 hours"

 

[moduli]

This is a very informative post. Thanks to OP and everyone.

I am in a kind of awkward situation. I recently paid off my car loan, and am waiting for the title of my car to be mailed to me. However, I am moving to Canada soon so there is a good chance that I won't have enough time to receive the title before I move. I do have a letter from my lien holder stating that I have paid off all loan. My understanding is that such a letter is not enough for exporting/importing. Any ideas what I should do?

List my car as goods to follow is an option. However, I am not a US citizen. If I do that, later when I need to drive back to US to finish the export/import process, I will need to apply for a US visa. Not exactly sure what kind of visa I will need to apply. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[tx-to-ca]

This is a very informative post. Thanks to OP and everyone.

I am in a kind of awkward situation. I recently paid off my car loan, and am waiting for the title of my car to be mailed to me. However, I am moving to Canada soon so there is a good chance that I won't have enough time to receive the title before I move. I do have a letter from my lien holder stating that I have paid off all loan. My understanding is that such a letter is not enough for exporting/importing. Any ideas what I should do?

List my car as goods to follow is an option. However, I am not a US citizen. If I do that, later when I need to drive back to US to finish the export/import process, I will need to apply for a US visa. Not exactly sure what kind of visa I will need to apply. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

My wife was just in the same situation. The official letter saying your lien has been released should be enough to prove you own the car, even if the title still shows a lien, but you do need an original title on your hands when you cross. Which state are you moving from and do you know if your title is electronic or paper? My wife's took about 3 weeks to arrive from final payment.

Speaking from my wife's experience, she paid it off on Monday, May 14, it took the financing company 10 days after her final payment to officially release the lien (May 24), and then since it was an electronic title, state office in Austin removed the lien, printed a fresh title with only her name, and mailed it and it arrived here in Dallas on this past Saturday (June 2).

The process for a paper title is a bit different. The financing company would send you the release of lien AND the title but you would be responsible to go to the offices that remove the lien and issue a new title yourself (and pay all the necessary fees). However, since a title with your name and a release of lien letter is enough for export/import purposes, you probably wouldn't need to go through those steps.

If you are really in a bind, you might be go to a DMV and request a duplicate title (or "certified copy") in person. Sorry you're stuck in that situation - I can't believe how long this process takes, it's honestly ridiculous. I only know how it works for one state (TX), I'm not sure how much it differs.

 

[tx-to-ca]

How long did it take for your RIV inspection form to be ready to print after you crossed the border? Was it immediate? I want to take my wife's car in for the necessary modifications/inspections first thing in the morning the day after she arrives but not sure if this will be feasible.

 

[moduli]

My wife was just in the same situation. The official letter saying your lien has been released should be enough to prove you own the car, even if the title still shows a lien, but you do need an original title on your hands when you cross. Which state are you moving from and do you know if your title is electronic or paper? My wife's took about 3 weeks to arrive from final payment.

Speaking from my wife's experience, she paid it off on Monday, May 14, it took the financing company 10 days after her final payment to officially release the lien (May 24), and then since it was an electronic title, state office in Austin removed the lien, printed a fresh title with only her name, and mailed it and it arrived here in Dallas on this past Saturday (June 2).

The process for a paper title is a bit different. The financing company would send you the release of lien AND the title but you would be responsible to go to the offices that remove the lien and issue a new title yourself (and pay all the necessary fees). However, since a title with your name and a release of lien letter is enough for export/import purposes, you probably wouldn't need to go through those steps.

If you are really in a bind, you might be go to a DMV and request a duplicate title (or "certified copy") in person. Sorry you're stuck in that situation - I can't believe how long this process takes, it's honestly ridiculous. I only know how it works for one state (TX), I'm not sure how much it differs.

Thanks a lot for sharing! Glad it worked out for your wife. I am in Massachusetts, and they use electronic title here, too. I think the process should be similar.

I had a rather bad experience with my financing company. I paid off my loan on May 19. I called them on May 28. They told me that 10-day rule they follow. So I called them again on May 31, hoping they would have released the lien. This time I was told they had already released it on May 24. I asked about my May 28 call, and the agent kept saying it was released on May 24. So I called the Massachusetts RMV on June 1, only to find out that they haven't received any release information. So I called the financing company again, and was told they haven't released the lien yet. I was like WTF? They then assured me that they were working on it and would release it the same day, June 1. I will call them again today to find out because at this point I don't believe them at all.

Hopefully I can receive the title in time for my move. Indeed, this process is simply absurd. I paid a rather big amount of money, yet I had to go though all those crap to get what belongs to me.

 

[tx-to-ca]

Thanks a lot for sharing! Glad it worked out for your wife. I am in Massachusetts, and they use electronic title here, too. I think the process should be similar.

I had a rather bad experience with my financing company. I paid off my loan on May 19. I called them on May 28. They told me that 10-day rule they follow. So I called them again on May 31, hoping they would have released the lien. This time I was told they had already released it on May 24. I asked about my May 28 call, and the agent kept saying it was released on May 24. So I called the Massachusetts RMV on June 1, only to find out that they haven't received any release information. So I called the financing company again, and was told they haven't released the lien yet. I was like WTF? They then assured me that they were working on it and would release it the same day, June 1. I will call them again today to find out because at this point I don't believe them at all.

Hopefully I can receive the title in time for my move. Indeed, this process is simply absurd. I paid a rather big amount of money, yet I had to go though all those crap to get what belongs to me.

Sounds like a nightmare, sorry you're dealing with that. What day do you plan to land in Canada?

 

[moduli]

Sounds like a nightmare, sorry you're dealing with that. What day do you plan to land in Canada?

I am leaving the US on June 14. I just called my financing company, and guess what, they haven't released the title yet. They told me they will work on it and let me know when they release it. I honestly don't think I have enough time left to wait for these people to do their job.

 

[KBH]

How long did it take for your RIV inspection form to be ready to print after you crossed the border? Was it immediate? I want to take my wife's car in for the necessary modifications/inspections first thing in the morning the day after she arrives but not sure if this will be feasible.

It wasn't immediate for me, but it was very quick (only a couple days)
You can take it in for modifications before you have the letter. You only need the letter for the inspection

 

[jeff198901]

Just did my import and export. Took about 5-10 minutes on each side of the boarder

 

[ncschmid]

I am a Canadian citizen and have recently purchased a used vehicle from the US. I have linked up with a broker to provide an ITN and send all the necessary documentation to the US export office and have gathered the necessary forms/documents for the export/import.

As far as actually getting the car across the border.. can you drive the vehicle across? Service Ontario requires a car to be registered to get a special permit but the car won't be registered until it's imported. I have also struggled with insurance companies since it is currently sitting in the US. How does one go about driving it back over or will it have to be transported in a trailer?

 

[KBH]

I am a Canadian citizen and have recently purchased a used vehicle from the US. I have linked up with a broker to provide an ITN and send all the necessary documentation to the US export office and have gathered the necessary forms/documents for the export/import.

As far as actually getting the car across the border.. can you drive the vehicle across? Service Ontario requires a car to be registered to get a special permit but the car won't be registered until it's imported. I have also struggled with insurance companies since it is currently sitting in the US. How does one go about driving it back over or will it have to be transported in a trailer?

I believe you would need to get what's called a "temporary tag" in the US (this process varies depending on the US state) so that you could legally drive the car to the border, into Canada, to get inspected, etc.

 

[ncschmid]

I believe you would need to get what's called a "temporary tag" in the US (this process varies depending on the US state) so that you could legally drive the car to the border, into Canada, to get inspected, etc.

Thanks for the reply, it would be in Michigan and according to their DMV website, one would require proof of Michigan insurance to get a temporary tag.. not sure if it's feasible or cost effective so I might look into borrowing a trailer.

 

[KBH]

Thanks for the reply, it would be in Michigan and according to their DMV website, one would require proof of Michigan insurance to get a temporary tag.. not sure if it's feasible or cost effective so I might look into borrowing a trailer.

You can do that too. The only problem is that you would then need to tow the car around to all the various things you need to do before you can get your Canadian tags. RIV inspection, Ontario safety, etc.

 

[jeff198901]

Completed my car import today. Imported car on Monday and had it plated and on the road in Canada today.

This process seems complicated but it is actually super easy!

I printed out the instructions in this thread and checked each step off as I completed them which made things a lot less complicated.


Thanks to @KBH for this amazing thread!