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

[MUNRRA]

Does not matter when you do it. If you do a soft landing, make sure that car is mentioned on B4 with VIN number. There is a specific section on B4 for that. There is no time limit on importing your car after that. You can do it after a few years if you want as long as you save your original B4

@jaydoshi3292 Thank you so much.

 

[Mort Sinclair]

Anyone have experience either soft landing or exporting at 3rd Bridge in St. Stephen?

 

[saddlepatch]

Does anyone know if Ontario RIV inspection will consider AUTO lights as day time runners? And do you need fog lights?

Or I guess has anyone imported a Mazda CX7 before?

Trying to find out if it will just be best to sell the damn thing down here, take the money and buy a new car in Canada.

 

[madscientist11]

Does anyone know if Ontario RIV inspection will consider AUTO lights as day time runners? And do you need fog lights?

Or I guess has anyone imported a Mazda CX7 before?

Trying to find out if it will just be best to sell the damn thing down here, take the money and buy a new car in Canada.

You don't need fog light. For auto light setting, if you see your bulb light up even when it is in the morning, then that is day time running light. If it does not light up when it 's bright outside, but only turn on when you go in the tunnel or dark out side, then it is not DRL.
Most car after 2005 typically have DRL. If not, the cost to fix it is not too expensive. You can shop around online to get a feel for the price of vehicle you like in Canada, but usually it will be slightly more expensive than buying it in the states since the tax will be higher.

 

[saddlepatch]

You don't need fog light. For auto light setting, if you see your bulb light up even when it is in the morning, then that is day time running light. If it does not light up when it 's bright outside, but only turn on when you go in the tunnel or dark out side, then it is not DRL.
Most car after 2005 typically have DRL. If not, the cost to fix it is not too expensive. You can shop around online to get a feel for the price of vehicle you like in Canada, but usually it will be slightly more expensive than buying it in the states since the tax will be higher.

Yeah, it says auto and the lights stay on until the car is shut off? Does that count as DRL?

 

[madscientist11]

Yeah, it says auto and the lights stay on until the car is shut off? Does that count as DRL?

Yup that is DRL.

 

[Singhgem]

@KBH, I am right now at step 12 having got my RIV inspection done. I am wondering how much fees I need to pay at Service Ontario for registration/tags as a percentage?

do we need to get RIV inspection first and then Ontario safety inspection ? And is RIV inspection can only be done at Canadian Tire ?

 

[anujm2000]

RIV is only done at Canadian Tire whereas Safety can be done at any garage or manufacturers' workshop. RIV needs to be done first.

 

[Singhgem]

To save time, you should complete the "Vehicle Export Form" (this is used for the Canadian part of the process) online in advance, print and bring with you to your landing. http://www.riv.ca/OnlineForms/Home/Landing

Hi @KBH - I just filled online RIV form today as I am crossing the border on 5th July. I just got 4 pages after the payment which is RIV form 1.
Do I need to mention anything further on this form or need to carry this printed copy as it s to CBSA?

 

[black-bimmer]

How is the value of the car calculated? Will I be taxed at the price I bought the car if it is not made in North America?

My car is made in Germany. Bought in 2015 for 42k USD. Will the duty be applied to the price I paid in 2015 or the current market value which is approximately 25K USD?

 

[anujm2000]

Car value is the current market value. Refer to kelly blue book for an estimate of its current value

 

[Singhgem]

I have imported my vehicle last week and got the RIV inspection form too. Has anyone have the references for getting DRL(Daytime Running Lights) installation in Brampton/Mississauga ? I checked with Toyota service center and they are charging $250 for my 2016 Toyota Corolla. I have DRL knob in my car but Canadian Tire guy told me that it should be automatically ON when the engine is started. I believe I need to get it installed . Looking for recommendations.

 

[Canada2425]

Hi guys, has anyone imported a car via Detroit - Windsor border (Ambassador bridge)? Just wanted to know if it's allowed to import at this location. Thanks.

 

[rikoa]

So by some miracle (also having a great local credit union and we're already very close to Canada [Vermont] so they see this all the time) I was granted permission from my bank to take my car into Ontario. I have the letter and a certified copy of the title coming to me by mail. We're not moving up until the end of September. The letter is dated in July. Will that be a problem? Will they want a more recent letter?

Also if I am understanding the original post, I will not have to pay taxes and duties on my car since I am bringing it along as my personal belongings, correct? I just want to make sure I'm reading that right as others are concerned about the value of their car, I'm sure the number must be accurate but you don't have to pay the taxes and duties if you are bringing it when you land.

 

[maplevalley16]

Hi folks,

Thanks for all the valuable inputs above. Definitely helpful. I did my landing back in April and had declared my car in 'GTF' list. I am planning to move to Ontario sometime by the end of this year. However, I am still contemplating if I should import my car or sell it off here and buy one in Canada. There are primarily two important reasons that is making me think twice before I would want to import my car.

1.) Even though I had declared my car in goods to follow list. The VIN # of the vehicle wasn't mentioned in the form. I didn't have the information readily available. But I told the CBSA officer that I can look it up online as it should be available on my insurance policy. She said it is not an absolute requirement and just took down the year, make , model, color, miles on the car and confirmed it should not be a problem as the title/bill of sale would prove that I was owning the car even before I became a PR. Since it was coming from CBSA itself I did not stress too much on having the VIN# included as it might piss them off. Now that I am actually thinking to import my car, I am not sure if not having the VIN# would cause issues at port of entry. I called CBSA and explained my situation and all I got was a diplomatic response saying that the CBSA officer on that specific day would make that decision (I can understand). Worst case scenario, they ask me to pay the tax/duty. I confirmed since my car was made in Canada there will be no duty on it and a 5% GST will be charged based on the current value of the vehicle. It is a 2013 corolla and the current valuation is around 6500 USD ~ 9000 CAD (That is the valuation in BSF form by CBSA). So the taxes(~450 CAD)wouldn't be too bad though still sucks. However, I was also wondering if there is a PST when we try registering the vehicle in Ontario which is another 8% on 9000 CAD which would have been probably waived if my declaration in 'GTF' was accepted in the first place. Any inputs on this from people who have tried registering in ON would be greatly appreciated.

2.) Resale of a US imported vehicle in Canada is going to be bad I believe. Has anyone contemplated this before moving their vehicle to Canada? Has anyone done some background research on how bad would it be?

On the flip side, I also think it would be not so easy to buy a car as soon as I move with no credit history and I would need a vehicle from day 1 as I will be moving to a place outside Toronto. Sorry for the long post. Thanks in advance.