COPR landing this weekend and driving tips in Canada

[kk09]

Hi - Me and my wife will be flying from the USA, Virginia to Ottawa and will complete the landing formalities and also will be staying in Canada for 10 days.

1. We are not taking any goods, just a bag of clothes, personal phones. Do we still need to fill up the personal effects accounting document? Not sure in future, what items we will be taking too
2. And we are renting a car for 10 days, anything to worry about? Or is it just like driving in the USA ?
Thanks

 

[Hurlabrick]

1. We are not taking any goods, just a bag of clothes, personal phones. Do we still need to fill up the personal effects accounting document? Not sure in future, what items we will be taking too

No, you are doing a 'soft landing'. You do your 'goods accompanying / goods to follow' lists when you 'land as settler' later.

2. And we are renting a car for 10 days, anything to worry about? Or is it just like driving in the USA ?

Much the same as the US. In Ontario, right turn on red light is allowed unless there is a sign specifically saying you can't.​

 

[langoorbandar]

Hi - Me and my wife will be flying from the USA, Virginia to Ottawa and will complete the landing formalities and also will be staying in Canada for 10 days.

1. We are not taking any goods, just a bag of clothes, personal phones. Do we still need to fill up the personal effects accounting document? Not sure in future, what items we will be taking too
2. And we are renting a car for 10 days, anything to worry about? Or is it just like driving in the USA ?
Thanks

As your first question is already answered, I'll give couple of tips on your 2nd question.

Make sure your insurance covers rentals in Canada or get rental insurance while renting the car from rental agency.

If you take your car to Montreal/Quebec, be aware that all signs will be in French so make yourself familiar with basic French displayed on road signage. In Downtown Montreal and many other places in Quebec, right on red is prohibited.

Also, if you try to stop by at a roadside service station in Quebec, more than likely it will not have English language option on the Pump if pump is not operated by one of bigger companies like Shell etc. I had to try and get help from some Quebecois gentleman to decipher what the pump was displaying while trying to get gas on one late night drive from Quebec City back to Montreal since I couldn't understand French while the service station owner either couldn't or refused to converse in English.

Last but not the least, do not try to fill up gas at Costco in Canada if you do not have a MasterCard, Costco Canada had tie up with MasterCard and did not accept Visa when I visited there 4 years back. I learned it hard way in Montreal of all places where the pump had only French instructions and couldn't figure out why my membership/Visa card was not accepted there after waiting for 20 min in line.