Importing 1995 Camry

[rolef]

Hello
I am wondering what the law is regarding a 1995 car from the US.. I am Canadian and my wife is American and the car is in Canada right now. It is under her name. What do I have to do to get it under my name and Insured? I do know I have to have it inspected. My back window does not work and the motor cost a lot to replace it. Any ideas? Getting the day time lights is Ok but the window is a problem as it has not worked for a long time and to replace the parts it seems not worth it. Rolef

 

[jes_ON]

Hi Rolef,

I imported a model year 1994 (year of manufacture 2003), but the motor is good and everything (more or less) works. I only had to install the daytime running lights. I don't believe the window will matter - it's not a safety issue - but you don't say what province and the rules are different by province (some will allow temporary licensing). You could try to get someone to do an unofficial RIV inspection just to get an idea of how much it might cost you to get it up to specs -

Assuming it is still registered in the US - Here's what I think needs to happen, but best to contact the RIV to verify
http://www.riv.ca/Home.aspx

1) is it still legally registered in the US? (I hope so - what is your wife's status in Canada, and where are you legally resident? If she is not yet a legal resident, you may have to transfer the title in the US; it cannot be transferred to you in Canada unless it is legally imported.).
2) You will likely have to take the car out of Canada to officially "import" it. Since it is more than 15 years old, it will be exempt from the RIV program requirements, but you still need to get the paperwork done at the border.
3) You are also supposed to "export" it form the US - but for some reason the website never seems to work for me: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/basic_trade/export_docs/motor_vehicle.xml
You need to provide the export documentation at least 3 days before export - so you need to take the car for a minimum of 3 days back the US... Hours of export may be limited as well, so be sure to check the hours at your particular border crossing...