Flagpole and Vehicle Import Process

[Stevin]

Hello all!

We will be heading to the CAN/US border (Coutts) at the end of the month. Has anyone been through the Vehicle Import process? I called CBSA today and the officer on the phone said that all we needed was the Title, and the Documents. Seems a little "too easy" if you ask me. I know that I will have to b in contact with RIV after that. Can anyone share their experience with me and any tips!

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[CDNPR2014]

Hello all!

We will be heading to the CAN/US border (Coutts) at the end of the month. Has anyone been through the Vehicle Import process? I called CBSA today and the officer on the phone said that all we needed was the Title, and the Documents. Seems a little "too easy" if you ask me. I know that I will have to b in contact with RIV after that. Can anyone share their experience with me and any tips!

Thank you in advance for your help!

yes, i've been through the import process. the process actually starts on the US side. You need to export the car first, then CBSA will take care of initiating the import. At the border, it is only a matter of handing them paperwork and having them stamp it. you will be responsible for finalizing the import after that. you will need to get your car inspected once it's in canada, more than likely get daytime running lights installed, get the RIV inspection, pay the RIV fee, and send the forms back to the RIV. The settlement issue board on this forum has many threads about the process. there are a lot of moving parts, but it's relatively easy. The most difficult part for most is getting your export documents from the AES system. I'd recommend checking the settlement board for the threads that have the step by step process. there are a few of them...

here's a good thread to start with:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/exportingimporting-vehicle-us-to-canada-only-t415713.0.html

Also, for the export, it is required the car be in the US for at least 72 hours prior.

 

[Stevin]

yes, i've been through the import process. the process actually starts on the US side. You need to export the car first, then CBSA will take care of initiating the import. At the border, it is only a matter of handing them paperwork and having them stamp it. you will be responsible for finalizing the import after that. you will need to get your car inspected once it's in canada, more than likely get daytime running lights installed, get the RIV inspection, pay the RIV fee, and send the forms back to the RIV. The settlement issue board on this forum has many threads about the process. there are a lot of moving parts, but it's relatively easy. The most difficult part for most is getting your export documents from the AES system. I'd recommend checking the settlement board for the threads that have the step by step process. there are a few of them...

here's a good thread to start with:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/exportingimporting-vehicle-us-to-canada-only-t415713.0.html

Also, for the export, it is required the car be in the US for at least 72 hours prior.

Thank you for this info. I will look into that thread. I have called RIV and CBSA a couple of times and have never been advised of the car needing to be in the US for any amount of time. We were told that they need 72 hours notice before arriving. I'll be sure to ask them that when I call again

Thank you for the response.

 

[Aquakitty]

Thank you for this info. I will look into that thread. I have called RIV and CBSA a couple of times and have never been advised of the car needing to be in the US for any amount of time. We were told that they need 72 hours notice before arriving. I'll be sure to ask them that when I call again

Thank you for the response.

Overall it's not that difficult if you make sure about everything before you begin the process. All the information is on the RIV site. Make sure the door labels are all there. I got really lucky when we exported as the door had been replaced and there was no longer a SOC decal on it. If the US side had bothered to inspect it I'd have been in a spot.

Anyways, RIV has an online tool to tell you exactly what you need for your vehicle (such as a recall clearance letter). Yes you have to submit your request to US Customs using AES 72 hours prior to the export.

https://www.riv.ca/ImporterChecklist.aspx


Just to add, it was my understanding that the vehicle needed to be IN the US for the 72 hours before the export. The wording on the RIV site makes it seem like you just need to notify US Customs, but they might be using that wording under the assumption all US vehicles are already in the US. I could be wrong, though, maybe something changed.

 

[Stevin]

Overall it's not that difficult if you make sure about everything before you begin the process. All the information is on the RIV site. Make sure the door labels are all there. I got really lucky when we exported as the door had been replaced and there was no longer a SOC decal on it. If the US side had bothered to inspect it I'd have been in a spot.

Anyways, RIV has an online tool to tell you exactly what you need for your vehicle (such as a recall clearance letter). Yes you have to submit your request to US Customs using AES 72 hours prior to the export.

https://www.riv.ca/ImporterChecklist.aspx

Thank you again. Yes I spoke to RIV and CBSA and both agreed that the vehicle does NOT have to be in the US for 72 hours. Thank you again.


Just to add, it was my understanding that the vehicle needed to be IN the US for the 72 hours before the export. The wording on the RIV site makes it seem like you just need to notify US Customs, but they might be using that wording under the assumption all US vehicles are already in the US. I could be wrong, though, maybe something changed.