Landing Questions

[Joe_Gizmo]

I am getting ready to Land and I have a couple of questions about importing my car.....

1) I see a lot of information I have read that says I need a "Bill of Sale". My car is 13 years old. I don't have a bill of sale. What then....?
2) Will I have to pay customs on my imported car? I was under the assumption that no customs were due for newly landed...
3) Is my sponsor (wife) required to be at the POE when I land? I am going to the Buffalo location to get my visa tomorrow and then plan to land on Dec 3rd.


Any help with these questions is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[AllisonVSC]

Congrats on your impending landing, Joe. I'll try to answer your questions and then below I will copy an old post of mine regarding importing my vehicle so that you get a sense of the steps involved.

1. You must have proof of ownership of the vehicle both to export it from the US and to import into Canada. I'm not sure where you get one if you don't have it but I would start with the county clerk's (or records) office where you pay your vehicle taxes. They should be able to direct you to the right agency to get a new title.

2. You do not have to pay customs or import duty if it is on your B4 form and it is declared when you land. You can import it after landing, but you must declare it when you land to avoid duty.

3. Your wife is not required to accompany you when you land. I went without my partner and landed at Queenston/Lewiston. Landing is quite simple. You present your passport and COPR, answer some questions, confirm your status and address with immigration and sign some documents. Then you go to customs to declare your personal property. That's it. 15 mins total if you don't have to wait in line.

...finished importing my car from the US. The RIV instructions require that you have a clear title (or a written agreement with your lender to allow you to export to Canada). The owner's name on the title must match the name of the immigrant importing it as goods. In addition the car must be deemed "importable" by the RIV and they provide a list of cars on their website. The car also has to be exported from the US and you must provide copies of the title several days before you wish to export. The US export officers will check your title, identity, and the VIN on the vehicle to insure they all match. The export office is only open Mon through Fri work day hours and Friday is their busiest day (reference to Buffalo border crossing at Lewiston).

All imported cars require a recall clearance letter which is easier to obtain (and get any recall work done) while you are still in the states. In Canada you will have to pay for any recall work and THEN request reimbursement and the clearance letter from the US branch of your car manufacturer. Then there are required modifications to your vehicle (like day time running lights) to meet safety and emission standards in Canada; because it meets US standards does not mean it meets those in Canada.

Here are the costs I incurred in the process...

Cost of the Recall Clearance letter $0, but I had to have several updates which required I returned to the states if I didn`t want to pay the CAN car dealership then request a refund.
Cost to export $0, but took over an hour due to the volume of exporters...mostly truckers loaded with multiple vehicles
Cost to import $204.75 fee payable to RIV which can be paid online or at the border
Cost to install day time running lights $80 after some searching...Crappy Tire (the nickname for Canadian Tire) wanted over $400 to do the same work!
Cost for safety and emissions testing $39.99 and $89.99 cost controlled I think and I had this done at Crappy Tire.
Cost to register and get tags in ON $125.00
Cost for US driver record for insurance purposes $7
Cost to insure the vehicle in ON even with highest driver safety rating (no insurance claims, no tickets and they want proof for the last 10 years) $1741 which almost $1000 more than my US insurance plan

Some of these costs also included taxes and some were tax exempt because it was on my goods to follow.

 

[Joe_Gizmo]

Congrats on your impending landing, Joe. I'll try to answer your questions and then below I will copy an old post of mine regarding importing my vehicle so that you get a sense of the steps involved.

1. You must have proof of ownership of the vehicle both to export it from the US and to import into Canada.

2. You do not have to pay customs or import duty if it is on your B4 form and it is declared when you land. You can import it after landing, but you must declare it when you land to avoid duty.

AllisonVSC......many thanks for the very thorough response. I do have the title, so that is not a problem. I plan to get my visa tomorrow, but will wait to land on Dec 3rd. That will give US customs time to clear the title and all. I will go to the Toyota dealer to get the Recall Clearance letter. My car is on the valid list. Have already spoke to Crappy Tire for the mods needed. Can you provide me the name of the place where you got your running lights done? Sounds much cheaper than CT. Still need to speak to my insurance company about driving record and no claims on my insurance. NOT looking forward to the cost of car insurance. I pay $74 every six months. My wife has alrady warned me of the high cost to add to her policy. Thanks again for the help....

 

[AllisonVSC]

Joe, The place I went to was Active Auto, 3211 Wolfedale Rd, Mississauga unit 11. It's in the very back of the building. There phone number is 416.826.5169. And there is a Canadian Tire nearby at Mavis and Dundas where you can go after for the inspections. Glad I could help. Allison

 

[Joe_Gizmo]

Congrats on your impending landing, Joe. I'll try to answer your questions and then below I will copy an old post of mine regarding importing my vehicle so that you get a sense of the steps involved.


Cost for US driver record for insurance purposes $7
Cost to insure the vehicle in ON even with highest driver safety rating (no insurance claims, no tickets and they want proof for the last 10 years) $1741 which almost $1000 more than my US insurance plan

Hi Allison......just a couple of other questions if you don't mind.....

1) US Driver record.......how did you get this? Did you go to each State DMV for where you lived for the last 10 years?
2) Insurance......I have the letter from my current insurance company regarding claims, but they couldn't provide the driving record
3) From what I am reading, I need to import the car at Lewiston, is that correct? I am assuming they don't do imports at the Peace Bridge location?
4) Do I just send them an email with my title info and let them know I intend to import? Or do I need to FAX them a copy of the title?
5) Once you imported your car, how long did you have to register it?
6) Did you keep your state tags on it until you registered in Ontario? Insurance company said I will need to turn in my NY state tags so I don't get fined.

Sorry to be a pest.....much thanks for letting me tap your experience.

 

[AllisonVSC]

No problem, Joe. I'm glad I can help. If you need anything else let me know. Allison

1) US Driver record.......how did you get this? Did you go to each State DMV for where you lived for the last 10 years?

Yes, I called to find out the process and the fee and then sent a form downloaded from their website with a money order. The last state I was licensed in was Arkansas and they only keep records for three years. I just asked them to state this on the record they sent. It was accepted by my insurance company as sufficient.

2) Insurance......I have the letter from my current insurance company regarding claims, but they couldn't provide the driving record

Correct. Insurance can only provide a claims record.My record only went back to 2005.Insurance also accepted this.

3) From what I am reading, I need to import the car at Lewiston, is that correct? I am assuming they don't do imports at the Peace Bridge location?

I just happened to use Lewiston most often and knew I could do it there. I don't know about Peace personally, but a quick Google search found

The following services are offered at this [Peace] bridge: Courier Low Value Shipments Program; Designated Commercial Office; Designated Export Office; Free and secure trade; Highway Land Border office; Immigration; NEXUS Highway; Duty Free shop.

You might try calling the Peace Bridge to inquire.

4) Do I just send them an email with my title info and let them know I intend to import? Or do I need to FAX them a copy of the title?

The fax copies need to go to the US Export office a few days before you export. You do not need to inform Canada Customs beforehand except for when you declare your goods at landing. You will have to list on your B4 form the yr, make, model, color, VIN, country of manufacturer (or maybe that was on import day and not on the landing day) and a value. The officer had a version of the "blue book" and looked up the value for me.

5) Once you imported your car, how long did you have to register it?

I think it is 90 days, but I suggest you check the RIV website.

6) Did you keep your state tags on it until you registered in Ontario? Insurance company said I will need to turn in my NY state tags so I don't get fined.

I kept my plate on the vehicle until I registered in Ontario. South Carolina does not require that plates be returned so I still have it.