If you no longer have a residence in the US and you are no longer primarily garaging your car at the address you told your US insurance company--you could be in for major problems if you have claim in Canada. If this is what you plan to do--you may want to check with your insurance company and make absolutely sure you would still be covered--otherwise, you might be paying for nothing.
Driving a U.S. Plated Car in Canada
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Hello everyone.
I could really use some help and it would be very much appreciated.
My wife and I are moving to Montreal in a few months. We have what seem like very unique circumstances and I can't find information anywhere. Thank you ahead of time. We are moving there to live but we have to travel to the US every month for work. More than likely we will drive most of the time. Anyways we recently had to purchase a new car, a 2017 Prius. After getting the car it became apparent that we would be moving to Canada. We are self employed and will not be getting jobs in Canada but have thought about getting a business license in Canada on top of our business license in the US. Both my wife and I were born in the US but I am a dual citizen of USA and Canada, my wife is not. We might be living a few months out of the year in the US
So what I need to know is this...
1. Can anyone give me a rough estimate of how much it would cost us to import the car? If the costs is in the thousands we would not be able to afford it right away so I was hoping to drive it in and keep my US plates.
2. If I keep the US plates on the car can I still get residency in Canada? My wife also wants to apply for the process to get residency in Canada
3. What would happen if a police officer were to pull me over? If I had CA residency could I hand him my US license?
I might be leaving out some info so please let me know if you need any other info to answer my questions.
Thank you!
I could really use some help and it would be very much appreciated.
My wife and I are moving to Montreal in a few months. We have what seem like very unique circumstances and I can't find information anywhere. Thank you ahead of time. We are moving there to live but we have to travel to the US every month for work. More than likely we will drive most of the time. Anyways we recently had to purchase a new car, a 2017 Prius. After getting the car it became apparent that we would be moving to Canada. We are self employed and will not be getting jobs in Canada but have thought about getting a business license in Canada on top of our business license in the US. Both my wife and I were born in the US but I am a dual citizen of USA and Canada, my wife is not. We might be living a few months out of the year in the US
So what I need to know is this...
1. Can anyone give me a rough estimate of how much it would cost us to import the car? If the costs is in the thousands we would not be able to afford it right away so I was hoping to drive it in and keep my US plates.
2. If I keep the US plates on the car can I still get residency in Canada? My wife also wants to apply for the process to get residency in Canada
3. What would happen if a police officer were to pull me over? If I had CA residency could I hand him my US license?
I might be leaving out some info so please let me know if you need any other info to answer my questions.
Thank you!
My spouse is moving to Canada as PR this summer ( 2018), I am staying in US with US address and US car insurance. Currently our both names are on insurance card. I understand that our insurance company will not cover a person who are not US resident anymore.
What should we do when my spouse settles in Canada and gets Ontario DL as far as driving one of ours US plated cars?
So, basically how does my spouse can drive in Canada my ( I am the owner) US plated/garaged car?
1. Probably not much if the car is considered settler's effects for a new resident. Maybe you have to pay the RIV fee and the associated costs to get it to pass the RIV and provincial inspection, but that shouldn't be much if the car is new. But you probably won't be able to officially export the car from the US and import it to Canada if it has a bank lien on it, so you might have to pay off any outstanding loans on the car. There are rumours of some US finance companies allowing financed cars to be exported, but these seem difficult to find and the hassles are major.
2. Canadian residency doesn't have anything to do with your car plates. "Residency" is an imprecise legal term that means different things in different contexts. You are a Canadian citizen, so you can't be a Canadian PR. Each Canadian province decides who its residents are according to its own laws. Yes, it is possible to be a resident of more than one place at the same time. However, your issue will be residency for customs purposes. Each time you enter Canada or the US, you will be asked to make a residency declaration, which usually comes from a simple question: "Where do you live?" How will you answer? If your answer differs from the place indicated by the plates and registration on your car, you could be in for a customs nightmare either direction and probably made to either import the car or turn around. Your wife has to apply for PR status in Canada, presumably by you sponsoring her.
3. If you are a resident of a Canadian province according to that province's laws, you are probably required to obtain its license and registration after a certain period of time. If you don't and a cop finds out, you could be cited for various provincial motor vehicle violations and your car could be impounded or seized for customs violations.
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She can't. Not legally at least. She would be a Canadian resident and the Customs Act specifically forbids allowing a resident to use a non-imported conveyance. As the owner of the vehicle, you would be the one committing the violation and subjecting your car to impound or seizure if caught. If you are visiting her and she drives you around in the car on a sightseeing trip, that's one thing, but she couldn't drive the car in a way in which she derives a benefit from its use--such as driving to work, the grocery store, etc. Its verboten under the Custom's Act.
There is an exception that allows a Canadian resident to drive a non-imported US plated vehicle from the border to a designated place in Canada and then back out of the country (no point to point travel within Canada) within a short period of time, but don't expect the CBSA officer you get to know this. There is also an exception for rental vehicles--written into the law to provide for Canadian residents who go on cruises to Alaska to rent a US car and then enter Canada with it. And there seems to be another one for U-Haul trucks which are all registered in Arizona. But there is nothing that allows a Canadian resident to keep a non-imported US plated vehicle in Canada long term and use it for daily transportation.
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Well, here is another scenario. She is Canadian PR and our US car is titled on her name, properly imported, insured, registered and plated in Ontario, CA. Now, I am dual US/Canada citizen, non-resident of Canada, keeping US address and US insurance on my own car... So, how can I drive her, Canada plated car, to US and back to Canada? Short daily trip. Is notary signed permission to drive my wife's Canadian plated car enough to cross the border back and forth?
US customs regulations on that are less clear to me, but you might run into the same problem as in the other direction. As a US resident, CBP might balk at you possessing and using a Canadian car in the US and might want you to reimport it into the US and pay appropriate duties and taxes. Some CBP officers might not care, but you never know when you are going to get one who will want to do it by the book. Oddly, there might not be any US taxes and duties owing as it was previously a US car, but if it is reimported into the US, then it would have to be reimported into Canada the next time crossing that direction.
So, if I drive my wife's Canadian car (with notary signed permission to drive her car ) from Canada to US I show to US Custom Officer my US passport and declare ( if asked) that I resident of Canada. On the way back I show to Canadian Custom Officer my Canadian passport and proceed.
As long as you are actually a resident of Canada that would probably work, but be advised that the CBP officer could determine you are actually a US resident despite your declarations if there is evidence of residential ties or residential intent in the US.
Hi everyone! I would really appreciate your advice cause I couldn't find any information regarding my situation online.
I live in the US as an F-1 student and my wife moved to Canada as a temporary resident with a work visa. Can I drive into Canada and leave my US-plated car in Canada for 2 months, return to the US via plane, and then in two months, fly back to Canada and drive my car to the US? Can my wife drive a car while I am in the US? What documents we will need?
I appreciate any of your help!
I live in the US as an F-1 student and my wife moved to Canada as a temporary resident with a work visa. Can I drive into Canada and leave my US-plated car in Canada for 2 months, return to the US via plane, and then in two months, fly back to Canada and drive my car to the US? Can my wife drive a car while I am in the US? What documents we will need?
I appreciate any of your help!
Do you have a Visa to enter Canada? If you have or do not need one you would need to get from your US insurance company a yellow Canadian Insurance Card and you will be covered in Canada. If your wife has US or Canadian or International DL - she can drive a car, any car, including yours. Not sure about insurance coverage for her.
Need help on a similar issue, but couldn’t find the answer here.
So we landed in Canada July 2019 and in two weeks found an apartment for September 1st. As soon as we found it we moved back to New York to our family to save on Airbnb.
Now I want to travel to Canada in my Father In law’s car with US plates for a week to setup the apartment and then comeback and take my family back from USA in a rental. Can I drive my father in law’s car around Ottawa for a week with US plates? I am not planing to import it or buy it from him.
Thank you for your help
So we landed in Canada July 2019 and in two weeks found an apartment for September 1st. As soon as we found it we moved back to New York to our family to save on Airbnb.
Now I want to travel to Canada in my Father In law’s car with US plates for a week to setup the apartment and then comeback and take my family back from USA in a rental. Can I drive my father in law’s car around Ottawa for a week with US plates? I am not planing to import it or buy it from him.
Thank you for your help
Yes, you can. I suggest that the owner (your Father In law) gets from his US insurance company a yellow Canadian Insurance Card so that the Canadian Police (just in case) is happy. The car will be covered by his insurance, you will be covered by your insurance as if you borrow car to drive in US. I am not sure about formal letter from your Father-In-Law permitting you to drive his car.
Hi everyone,
Here's my situation, hoping someone may be able to help:
- I'm a US permanent resident since 2015 and I just became Canadian permanent resident a month ago
- I've forgot to export my vehicle from US but I've started the import into Canada (received Form 1 and paid RIV fees online)
- I've just found there was a recall from my car that I wasn't aware of. The car is currently being shipped from Vancouver to Toronto where I'm relocating to.
- I essentially have dual residency, in US for immigration/tax purposes and in Canada to be with my wife and that's where I'm transferring my job to
- My wife and I may relocate back in US in the next 6mo-1yr depending on processing time of her Green Card.
My questions are:
1) Should I go back to the US border and export the vehicle? If not, what problems could I face in the future?
2) Given I have a recall, from my understanding I need to get that fixed before RIV can process my application. Since I now reside in Canada, can I get the recall done here or does it have to be done in US?
3) Could I just keep the US license plates since I'm planning to reside "temporarily" in Canada?
Here's my situation, hoping someone may be able to help:
- I'm a US permanent resident since 2015 and I just became Canadian permanent resident a month ago
- I've forgot to export my vehicle from US but I've started the import into Canada (received Form 1 and paid RIV fees online)
- I've just found there was a recall from my car that I wasn't aware of. The car is currently being shipped from Vancouver to Toronto where I'm relocating to.
- I essentially have dual residency, in US for immigration/tax purposes and in Canada to be with my wife and that's where I'm transferring my job to
- My wife and I may relocate back in US in the next 6mo-1yr depending on processing time of her Green Card.
My questions are:
1) Should I go back to the US border and export the vehicle? If not, what problems could I face in the future?
2) Given I have a recall, from my understanding I need to get that fixed before RIV can process my application. Since I now reside in Canada, can I get the recall done here or does it have to be done in US?
3) Could I just keep the US license plates since I'm planning to reside "temporarily" in Canada?