Bringing a car from the US

[DBHC]

Does anyone have any experience moving to Canada from the US with their car? I'm aware of the online guidelines, but I was wondering if you have any tips or suggestions to make sure the process goes smoothly?

 

[simpsol22]

I moved to Canada in September with all of my belongings (by luck that the agent let me through--just had a visitor record and a receipt for payment--had not submitted a Spousal Sponsorship app (did in December). My USA car insurance expired in January...so i got my car paid off and received the title. I then did the USA side of exporting and then the Canadian side of Importing. They marked my papers as a temporary import since i was not yet landing and said i'd need to import again once landing.

I'm not sure what info you may need help with, but I'm happy to help if I can.

 

[DBHC]

Thanks for the reply and offer of help, simpsol22. Is there anything you know now that you wished you knew beforehand? Is there anything that you would've done differently?

 

[simpsol22]

Thanks for the reply and offer of help, simpsol22. Is there anything you know now that you wished you knew beforehand? Is there anything that you would've done differently?

I suppose there are a few things I'm remembering now that you ask. One - CBSA and ICBC (Auto Insurance for BC) do not communicate. CBSA told me i'd have to pay duty and that I didn't need a RIV inspection since it was temporary import. I spent over an hours with ICBC who said I did need an inspection, but since RIV was crossed off, I had to get a provincial auto inspection. They marked my papers as settler's effect though and did not charge me the duty tax.

Also, despite having a 2 yr old car---i failed my inspection. I had tinted my windows and in BC we cannot have ANY tint on the front two side windows....and then my car has the required day time running lights...but it also has an Off switch, which is against the law here....I had to spend a bunch of money to get that taken care of...and get my newly tinted windows, un-tinted. In my situation, i may have had an easier time just selling my car and buying here. I did get a pass finally after the work was done...and got my car insured...the night before my USA insurance expired.

The border was very easy to go through...just have to follow the instructions by the US and then fill out what the border needs. I had to leave my car in the states for the weekend before i could export it out of the states. I

Oh---and I used "Simplified Trade Solutions LLC" to obtain the AES ITN's...only cost $35 USD....where many places were wanting over $100. They were very quick to provide the form needed for exporting out of the USA.

 

[CDNPR2014]

Is there anything you know now that you wished you knew beforehand? Is there anything that you would've done differently?

for me, there is nothing i would have done differently. even though there were A LOT of moving parts to the import, it was quite easy and surprisingly not very expensive (for me at least). It's coordinating all the steps that takes a lot of patience and attention.

One piece of advise - your car will need daytime running lights installed/turned on. No dealership in Canada really understands this, so there really is no point trying to "shop around" to get this done. The canadian tire we went to (basically the only RIV registered mechanic) got it done and it only cost $150ish bucks. This was done at the time of RIV and provincial inspection - all in one type of deal. there are nightmare stories about canadian tire trying to do repairs that are not necessary, so it may be prudent to do some background checks on the RIV registered mechanics in your area, and hopefully you'll have more than 1 to choose from.

and yes, i agree with above. agencies don't talk to each other. don't assume CBSA will send your paperwork in. make it your responsibility to navigate and confirm each step yourself. i assumed my paperwork was sent in, and when i checked on it, RIV never received it. RIV is great help when needed (they even accepted cell phone pics of my form), so definitely call them if you have questions or concerns.

good luck!

 

[simpsol22]

for me, there is nothing i would have done differently. even though there were A LOT of moving parts to the import, it was quite easy and surprisingly not very expensive (for me at least). It's coordinating all the steps that takes a lot of patience and attention.

One piece of advise - your car will need daytime running lights installed/turned on. No dealership in Canada really understands this, so there really is no point trying to "shop around" to get this done. The canadian tire we went to (basically the only RIV registered mechanic) got it done and it only cost $150ish bucks. This was done at the time of RIV and provincial inspection - all in one type of deal. there are nightmare stories about canadian tire trying to do repairs that are not necessary, so it may be prudent to do some background checks on the RIV registered mechanics in your area, and hopefully you'll have more than 1 to choose from.

and yes, i agree with above. agencies don't talk to each other. don't assume CBSA will send your paperwork in. make it your responsibility to navigate and confirm each step yourself. i assumed my paperwork was sent in, and when i checked on it, RIV never received it. RIV is great help when needed (they even accepted cell phone pics of my form), so definitely call them if you have questions or concerns.

good luck!

Not quite on the same subject, but is there anyway to undo what Canadian Tire does to get the running lights to not turn off? They screwed up and now my headlights always stay on, instead of my already installed daytime running lights. Cost me $280 to get the parts installed.

 

[CDNPR2014]

Not quite on the same subject, but is there anyway to undo what Canadian Tire does to get the running lights to not turn off? They screwed up and now my headlights always stay on, instead of my already installed daytime running lights. Cost me $280 to get the parts installed.

OMG!!! mine too!!! except my headlights go off after a few minutes. if i use my remote to lock my car it turns off quicker. i can't tell you how many times people tell me my lights are still on!!! does your indicator sound not shut off either? once the key comes out, the siren blares forever. i haven't tried to take it back to see if can be fixed again. i figued it's a 10 year old car, so i'll just deal with it. if you figure out the issue, def. make a post about it somewhere or PM me.

 

[simpsol22]

OMG!!! mine too!!! except my headlights go off after a few minutes. if i use my remote to lock my car it turns off quicker. i can't tell you how many times people tell me my lights are still on!!! does your indicator sound not shut off either? once the key comes out, the siren blares forever. i haven't tried to take it back to see if can be fixed again. i figued it's a 10 year old car, so i'll just deal with it. if you figure out the issue, def. make a post about it somewhere or PM me.

After I land and make sure i have no more inspections, i'll be looking into it. My lights are always on the Auto Button, so I don't have an indicator sound. My lights do stay on a lot longer now....and it's the headlights instead of the little daytime light. I won't even be able to go to a drive in movie since my lights will be on the whole time. lol I'll be sure to report back when i figure it out.

Back to DBHC;s Post - Have we helped you at all? Any more questions?

 

[DBHC]

Thanks for the discussion! It's interesting to hear about people's experiences. We'll be crossing the border in BC with the car and then driving right across the country to Nova Scotia. (Epic road trip!) So, I'm having to figure out the logistics of landing in a different province to where the car will be registered, etc.

One question I do have: how long did it take you to get all the paperwork in order? Also, do they check the car at the border or do I have to set up an appointment in Nova Scotia when I get there? My car is a 2013 VW Jetta and has running lights already, so hopefully that won't be a problem...

 

[CDNPR2014]

Thanks for the discussion! It's interesting to hear about people's experiences. We'll be crossing the border in BC with the car and then driving right across the country to Nova Scotia. (Epic road trip!) So, I'm having to figure out the logistics of landing in a different province to where the car will be registered, etc.

One question I do have: how long did it take you to get all the paperwork in order? Also, do they check the car at the border or do I have to set up an appointment in Nova Scotia when I get there? My car is a 2013 VW Jetta and has running lights already, so hopefully that won't be a problem...

landing as a pr and importing your car have nothing to do with each other. it doesn't matter where you initiate the car import, as registering the car happens after the import has been finalized. so you can initiate the import upon entry into canada in bc, then get it inspected and finalize the import in NS (be aware there is a 30 day timeline to finalize everything). i'm not aware of anything that suggests differently. the import is done at a cbsa border, after you exported it at the us border office, so i'm not sure what you're referencing making an appointment for in NS? Generally, you don't make an appointment to do the import at the border. they will do it upon your arrival from the us.

 

[DBHC]

the import is done at a cbsa border, so i'm not sure what you're referencing making an appointment in NS?

I meant regarding when they check that it is up to scratch (e.g., running lights, no tinted windows, etc.). Is part of that not provincial?

Aren't landing and importing the car related, because the car is a possession to be declared upon landing?

 

[CDNPR2014]

I meant regarding when they check that it is up to scratch (e.g., running lights, no tinted windows, etc.). Is part of that not provincial?

Aren't landing and importing the car related, because the car is a possession to be declared upon landing?

oh! then yes, you'll probably need to make an appointment at the registered mechanic for the RIV AND provincial inspections. generally it's canadian tire - you'll have to confirm on the RIV site who it is in NS. both inspections happen at the same time, though i'm sure it's possible to get them done speparetely as well. again, be mindful of the time limit to get the import completed. there will also be a time limit for registering your car after getting the provincial inspection, so essentially you're working with 2 timelines.

if you are declaring your car at your landing, then yes, it will be done at the same time. it is not required to do it at landing though, you can always list it on your "goods to follow" form and import it at a later date.

 

[DBHC]

Okay, cool. Thanks for the help! I should go back and re-read the online info, as I didn't realise that I didn't have to complete the import there and then on the same day.

 

[CDNPR2014]

Okay, cool. Thanks for the help! I should go back and re-read the online info, as I didn't realise that I didn't have to complete the import there and then on the same day.

i imported my car 3 months after landing. my car was listed as a conveyance on my goods to follow form. i had no issue at all. just keep in mind, your us insurance company will cancel your insurance if they find out the car is permanently in canada for 6 mo. or more. if it's easy for you to get to the border and to submit your paperwork to the us border 72 hours before your import, i highly recommend doing it later. there are a lot of moving parts to the import and landing is stressful enough without having to deal with figuring out how to import a car.

 

[DBHC]

i imported my car 3 months after landing. my car was listed as a conveyance on my goods to follow form. i had no issue at all. just keep in mind, your us insurance company will cancel your insurance if they find out the car is permanently in canada for 6 mo. or more. if it's easy for you to get to the border and to submit your paperwork to the us border 72 hours before your import, i highly recommend doing it later. there are a lot of moving parts to the import and landing is stressful enough without having to deal with figuring out how to import a car.

Just to clarify: you brought your car into Canada and then initiated the import after it was in Canada for three months?

Does the paperwork have to be submitted at the US border by hand or can I fax/email it 72 hours beforehand?

We've already spoken to our insurance agency and they're cool with it, having put us in contact with their NS branch.

Thanks again for answering my poorly thought out questions. Have a +1!