Here comes the move. (General questions)

[Cvstos]

About a month remains until my moving date. I'm slowly making progress with packing, and I've come up with a few more questions.

Do I have to inform a specific crossing point that I'm coming (particularly in regards to the car import) or is there a general number to call?

Right now we're looking at crossing somewhere around Glacier Park. (We're planning on traveling around the US Mountain West and seeing sights as a mini-vacation before landing by road.) Is this crossing known for being crowded?

Any general tips on making a move this big? I have to shed a lot of stuff. I only have an 08 Civic to move in and not a lot of money to ship stuff.

If I sell the car shortly after importing it, do I then need to pay the import taxes? If so, how long must I wait to sell it?

What is the process like at the border? How long does it take once it's your "turn"?

How do I use the B4 form for "goods to follow"?

Would I be allowed to bring a kitchen knife or camping axe, or are all sharps a no-no at the border? Any oddball prohibited items that might get me in trouble without me knowing about it ahead of time?

Are they going to have me unpack everything and search everything at the border?

I'm bringing my BS diploma and HS diploma. Anything else along those lines I should bring? Do I need things like my medical records or immunization records?

The thing I'm probably not ever going to stop worrying about is the expiry date and if the FBI certificate being a year old in a day or so will screw with things despite the COPR saying "Valid to: 2014/10/15" on the "Application Details" section. Because I'm a level 9 worry wart.

I'm going to Alberta from the US. I have an Indiana driver's license. Will I need to take a road test to get a new license?

I'm sure I'll have more later. Thanks again guys for all your help!

-Cvstos

 

[Alurra71]

About a month remains until my moving date. I'm slowly making progress with packing, and I've come up with a few more questions.

Do I have to inform a specific crossing point that I'm coming (particularly in regards to the car import) or is there a general number to call?

Right now we're looking at crossing somewhere around Glacier Park. (We're planning on traveling around the US Mountain West and seeing sights as a mini-vacation before landing by road.) Is this crossing known for being crowded?

Any general tips on making a move this big? I have to shed a lot of stuff. I only have an 08 Civic to move in and not a lot of money to ship stuff.

If I sell the car shortly after importing it, do I then need to pay the import taxes? If so, how long must I wait to sell it?

What is the process like at the border? How long does it take once it's your "turn"?

How do I use the B4 form for "goods to follow"?

Would I be allowed to bring a kitchen knife or camping axe, or are all sharps a no-no at the border? Any oddball prohibited items that might get me in trouble without me knowing about it ahead of time?

Are they going to have me unpack everything and search everything at the border?

I'm bringing my BS diploma and HS diploma. Anything else along those lines I should bring? Do I need things like my medical records or immunization records?

The thing I'm probably not ever going to stop worrying about is the expiry date and if the FBI certificate being a year old in a day or so will screw with things despite the COPR saying "Valid to: 2014/10/15" on the "Application Details" section. Because I'm a level 9 worry wart.

I'm going to Alberta from the US. I have an Indiana driver's license. Will I need to take a road test to get a new license?

I'm sure I'll have more later. Thanks again guys for all your help!

-Cvstos

I will help you with the things that I know the answers to:

You must contact the border you are going to exporting your car from a minimum of 72 hours in advance. There are apparently a few new rules for exporting your car from the USA then when I did it, so be sure to look at the CBP website to get all the current pertinent information for yourself.

I have no idea about this border crossing and it's daily intakes.

Pack only what you actually want to keep. Don't take anything that you wont have a use for at all. Offload any extra furnitures or things of that nature that you don't really want or need before your trip. It will cut down on your moving costs.

You can't sell your car for at least 12 months after importing it to Canada. The same holds true for any electronics and such that you import with you. Basically, anything you import into Canada duty free as a new immigrant you can not sell for a profit within 12 months.

The process itself is quite easy. Have your B4 forms filled out. You need not list each item individually, unless they are like expensive electronics and then you would list each item separately along with the serial number. Otherwise, you would list like x boxes of clothing, x boxes of kitchen items so on and so forth. They may want to look in boxes, but so long as you are thorough with your B4 and don't appear to have anything you aren't declaring they likely won't take too much time.

The only thing that might be a no no that I can think of would be prohibited items to Canada. For those things you should look at the lists provided by CBSA and then you'll know what NOT to try to bring to Canada with you. The only things that jump into my head are things like mace/pepper spray/hidden blades/firearms and a lot of prohibited weapons. Like I said, check the CBSA website for a more thorough listing of prohibited goods to Canada.

You won't need to show them any paperwork at the border other than your COPR and passport to land so you can safely pack away your diplomas, you won't need them. The same will hold true for medical records. Pack them away and you can then give them to your chosen family doctor once you have settled.

Your FBI clearance has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on anything anymore. It was ONLY used to get your PR status resolved. Now that they have done that they don't care about it. It is safely tucked away in your PR file wherever those files go to when they are completed. You won't have to worry about anything of that nature ever again unless you plan on heading back to the states and committing a series of federal crimes. Anyway, get the thought of your FBI clearance out of your head once and for all. It is not needed, not wanted and not necessary any longer. Your COPR is the "NEW" document that you need worry about. It is very important and you will need it for just about everything you do regarding new paperwork once in Canada so hold on to that thing like it is laced in gold!

Get a drivers abstract from Indiana. This document should show when you got your very first license and how long you have had your license along with an driving convictions and such. This will help to facilitate the direct exchange of your Indiana license for a full Alberta license. You should also get a letter of recommendation/reference from your current insurance company to give to your new insurance company. This can/should help to get you the best possible rate here in Canada since you will find that insurance companies on this side of the border work a bit differently to the US side of the border.

I can't think of anything else to tell you right off the top of my head except congrats on the newest leg of your life journey! Settle down and stop worrying so much!

 

[Cvstos]

Can I drive my car over the border but NOT import it? It looks to be worth more in the US. Could I drive it back over and sell it somewhere? The other option is renting a U-Haul as one-way car rental is a whopping $250 a DAY.

Alternatively, if I do import it... I'm still paying on the loan. Do I have to have it paid off to import?

 

[steaky]

Right now we're looking at crossing somewhere around Glacier Park. (We're planning on traveling around the US Mountain West and seeing sights as a mini-vacation before landing by road.) Is this crossing known for being crowded?

I do not know the situation at Carway border but it's certainly crowded in Sweetgrass/Courtts border between AB/Montana.

I think you can drive your car over but not import it and then sell it in the US.

 

[Rob_TO]

Can I drive my car over the border but NOT import it? It looks to be worth more in the US. Could I drive it back over and sell it somewhere? The other option is renting a U-Haul as one-way car rental is a whopping $250 a DAY.

Alternatively, if I do import it... I'm still paying on the loan. Do I have to have it paid off to import?

Sure you can drive your car over and just leave it as a US car. However keep in mind as a US registered car, you can never register or insure it in Canada until you go through official import process.

So you will need to maintain an address in the US and continue insurance coverage from a US provider. Depending how long you intend to wait before selling it, this could eventually pose a problem as I'm sure US insurers expect you are actually residing at your US residence mainly, not in Canada.