Importing my Car

[gprasad.n]

I am moving to Canada in next couple of weeks. I have a 2014 Camry and it was already declared in the goods to follow during landing. I have paid off the loan and there's no lien. Can I just drive my car and cross the border and take the car to register in Ontario or are there any additional paperwork that I should do?

 

[smtele]

There is some paperwork. Go through this post:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/exportingimporting-vehicle-us-to-canada-only-t415713.0.html

 

[gprasad.n]

There is some paperwork. Go through this post:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/exportingimporting-vehicle-us-to-canada-only-t415713.0.html

Thanks a lot. Will read it through. I was wondering, Do I have to obtain AES for moving my house hold items also like we do for car while we use u-pack for moving? I could not find any info from the u-pack website regarding AES - quite confused.

 

[APPNOV2014NY]

Thanks a lot. Will read it through. I was wondering, Do I have to obtain AES for moving my house hold items also like we do for car while we use u-pack for moving? I could not find any info from the u-pack website regarding AES - quite confused.

AES is not required for household items

 

[smtele]

APPNOV2014NY is right. AES is not needed for house goods. You also don't need to apply for an EIN/AES if using a broker to export the car.

 

[gprasad.n]

APPNOV2014NY is right. AES is not needed for house goods. You also don't need to apply for an EIN/AES if using a broker to export the car.

Did you mean, if i ship a car using a moving company, I don't have to do any of these stuff and they would take care of these? To understand it correctly, are brokers different than a moving company or they are same?

 

[APPNOV2014NY]

Did you mean, if i ship a car using a moving company, I don't have to do any of these stuff and they would take care of these? To understand it correctly, are brokers different than a moving company or they are same?

Household movers can take are off your auto export/shipping as well ( for ex - United van lines , Atlas van lines etc) .
You can even hire services of a broker that will take care off your AES paperwork on your behalf and then you move your car yourself. ( for ex- http://www.pcbusa.com/vehicles/aes/ )

 

[CDNPR2014]

Household movers can take are off your auto export/shipping as well ( for ex - United van lines , Atlas van lines etc) .

while a moving company *may* be able to assist with the initial import of the car (bringing the car physically to canada), there are steps after the car comes into canada the owner needs to do in order to complete the import process. the owner of the car is definitely going to need to understand the process and know what steps to take to complete the import.

I am moving to Canada in next couple of weeks. I have a 2014 Camry and it was already declared in the goods to follow during landing. I have paid off the loan and there's no lien. Can I just drive my car and cross the border and take the car to register in Ontario or are there any additional paperwork that I should do?

no, you can't just drive the car into canada and register it. you will first need to complete the import and inspection process, then the RIV will clear the car for provincial registration. be aware, US cars typically need to get daytime running lights installed, and the RIV generally has Canadian Tire locations as the specified mechanic for these repairs. Mom and pop mechanics and dealers won't know what to do or be able to sign off on these inspections, so they will refer you to canadian tire anyway. The RIV has a list of CT's that will provide these inspections. it's usually best to shop around to different locations if possible. some people have had bad experiences. for me, daytime running lights cost about $150. All of the inspections and repairs are done after the import is initiated and the car has entered canada.

I'd recommend going to the "Settlement Issues" board, there are many threads dedicated to importing a car. there is one that provides step by step instructions, as there are a lot of moving parts to completing the import.

on a side note, the call center at the RIV are very helpful and knowledgeable, so they are a good resource for questions.

 

[gprasad.n]

My car has odometer reading in miles Would that need to be replaced with a new one that shows in KMS, if yes, would the reading starts from 0 kms - I am not sure about this - Can someone help me understand this please?. However, I think I am otherwise good with other requirement such as speedometer (I got both miles and kms display) DRL and engine immobilizer.

 

[APPNOV2014NY]

My car has odometer reading in miles Would that need to be replaced with a new one that shows in KMS, if yes, would the reading starts from 0 kms - I am not sure about this - Can someone help me understand this please?. However, I think I am otherwise good with other requirement such as speedometer (I got both miles and kms display) DRL and engine immobilizer.

No need to change odometer.

No. It won't read from 0. It will convert Miles to Kms. For ex- If your odometer currently shows 50000 miles , then it will show 80467.2 kms once you flip the switch.

Most American cars these days meet Canadian requirements. My American 2010 Honda Civic did not need any modification when I moved to Canada for a year.

 

[gprasad.n]

No need to change odometer.

No. It won't read from 0. It will convert Miles to Kms. For ex- If your odometer currently shows 50000 miles , then it will show 80467.2 kms once you flip the switch.

Most American cars these days meet Canadian requirements. My American 2010 Honda Civic did not need any modification when I moved to Canada for a year.

Thank you guys for your useful input. Another question. I don't think my car has winter tires. Should I get the winter tires before taking it to the RIV inspection. Where would I get it cheaper (in US, tirerack.com or COSTCO gives competitive rates) and how much it would cost? I am also considering changing tires in US, before hitting the road, do guys think that would be a good idea, assuming all winter tires are of the same standard in both US and Canada. Could changing the tires in US cause any issues with the export process?
At this time, I am all set to export the car. Please shed some light.

 

[CDNPR2014]

Thank you guys for your useful input. Another question. I don't think my car has winter tires. Should I get the winter tires before taking it to the RIV inspection. Where would I get it cheaper (in US, tirerack.com or COSTCO gives competitive rates) and how much it would cost? I am also considering changing tires in US, before hitting the road, do guys think that would be a good idea, assuming all winter tires are of the same standard in both US and Canada. Could changing the tires in US cause any issues with the export process?
At this time, I am all set to export the car. Please shed some light.

as far as i know winter tires are only required in Quebec. It is not required to pass the RIV inspection. i don't think it matters where the tires were purchased. it is definitely recommended to have winter tires in order to navigate the winter roads.

 

[APPNOV2014NY]

Where would I get it cheaper (in US, tirerack.com or COSTCO gives competitive rates) and how much it would cost?

I bought winter tires from Canada Tire and Tires + Installation cost me around 700 CAD in Jan 2015. I had to visit 3-4 Canada Tire stores as most of them had run out of Winter tires in Jan.

I am also considering changing tires in US, before hitting the road, do guys think that would be a good idea, assuming all winter tires are of the same standard in both US and Canada. Could changing the tires in US cause any issues with the export process?

Changing tires in US won't cause any issues in export but then you will have to move 4 extra tires to Canada at your expense. I comfortably drove from CT to Quebec in Jan 2015 in midst of peak snow season without any issues and then got my tires replaced in Quebec. Winters are mild this year ( at least in CT , USA) and you can most probably drive to Toronto in all season tires. Also Winter tires are not mandatory in Ontario and you can comfortably pass this winter season without Winter tires.

 

[CDNPR2014]

I bought winter tires from Canada Tire and Tires + Installation cost me around 700 CAD in Jan 2015. I had to visit 3-4 Canada Tire stores as most of them had run out of Winter tires in Jan.

Changing tires in US won't cause any issues in export but then you will have to move 4 extra tires to Canada at your expense. I comfortably drove from CT to Quebec in Jan 2015 in midst of peak snow season without any issues and then got my tires replaced in Quebec. Winters are mild this year ( at least in CT , USA) and you can most probably drive to Toronto in all season tires. Also Winter tires are not mandatory in Ontario and you can comfortably pass this winter season without Winter tires.

totally off topic - where in CT are you from? i grew up in the New Haven area.

 

[APPNOV2014NY]

I bought winter tires from Canada Tire and Tires + Installation cost me around 700 CAD in Jan 2015. I had to visit 3-4 Canada Tire stores as most of them had run out of Winter tires in Jan.

I was looking for few documents and found this receipt from Canada tire for Winter tires

Work effort: CAD 126.91

Tires ( Hankook 205/55R) : CAD 4 X 110.99

Environmental Fees: CAD 4 X 3

T.P.S : 5%

T.V.Q : 9.975%

Total: CAD 670.15