Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

[ddobro2]

"Due to large volumes received, please do not send repeat information/enquiries and do not send the same information/enquiry by different means. This creates confusion and can delay our reply or action required."

Lovely. : Does this mean I shouldn't mail them my CSQ and some more proof of relationship, uninvited?

 

[JustandDaph]

Perfect! I was also going to suggest bringing any correspondence in regards to the car export/import to show you are driving back up.

If you are going through NY you are correct - Lewiston is the only bridge you can cross, and they are only open M-F from 8 - 4. I just brought my car through there and it was really pretty simple. Be sure you e-mail them (buffalovinnyoffice @ dhs.gov) at least 72 hours prior to crossing with your name, the year, make and model and VIN. You don't need to submit your title until you pop in to get your export stamp. Seems like each bridge is different!

My husband has been pretty lucky. Not sure if it has something to do with him having grown up in Windsor and being a frequent crosser or what but they've always been easy (touches wood). We really should be better prepared when we travel, but for the past little while with all of my paperwork going through we've spent all our energy worrying about my crossings!

I just called a slew of agencies (US border, CBSA, RIV, MTO) and finally got all the information I needed.

For anyone who is looking to cross from Buffalo/NY into ONTARIO, you MUST cross at the Lewiston bridge M-F (8am-4pm).
Upon crossing the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) you must send them your vehicle title (VIN, Model, Make, Year)documents, registration and in our case a letter from the lien holder as we are financing my husband's car at the moment. The letter must either state that they allow us to "export the car out of US" or "import the car into Canada". This all needs to be sent at least 72 hours prior to exporting your car.

For Transport Canada/RIV and CBSA - they need you to fill out a Vehicle Import Form (Form 1) at the border and pay for the RIV fee, bring a copy of your recall clearance letter from your car manufacturer as well. After you finish up with RIV at the border, they will need you to go through an inspection to make sure you are up to par with Transport Canada's vehicle requirements. You can go to the inspection centres at the Canadian Tires that Transport Canada has listed for you. After the inspection, Can Tire will send out the inspection results to RIV and you will receive a Canadian Statement of Compliance (SOC) label through the mail. Once you get that you can apply for the car insurance.

When I spoke with the agent at the MTO, he recommended that we get my husband's drivers license first, then it'll be easier to get insurance and afterwards the vehicle license. Depending on where you are coming from and going to you MUST make sure you have all the paperwork needed to get all the correct licenses/insurance. In our case we are moving from Florida to Ontario and my husband qualifies for a Reciprocal License, we need to bring along with us proof from the DMV of my husbands driving record for the last 3 years. We said screw it and got it for the last 10 years ;D

Apparently from the same MTO gentleman, he informed me that we have 60 days after importing the car into Canada to get the vehicle license.

What I'm really worried about is the car insurance as well as health. I wonder if we must get the Ontario car insurance the second we bring the car over or if we can still use the US car insurance for the time being while we "shop" around for insurance rates here.

If I have listed incorrect info, please do let me know! I will try my very best to update on our process...good luck to everyone!
TOOOO much redtape! TOO MUCH!

 

[mmshock]

Kayan - So crazy eh? They just have no rhyme or reason it seems. I guess the key thing is that we should always be prepared, as the scouts say!

FeakySnucker - I am so excited for you.... Your long wait is almost over!!! Hang in there champ! xx

JustandDaph - I talked to my insurance agency in the US and let them know what was going on and she said I was still covered until the car was officially licensed in Ontario. The MTO told me I have 45 days after import....But then again, the MTO also told me that I did NOT need an abstract from my state which wasn't exactly true. Now eagerly waiting for my DMV to send me one so I can get this all sorted. Funny how just two weeks ago I got slightly different info.....

Don't forget you also need to get the Ontario emissions/safety inspections which can also be done at the same time at Canadian Tire. I did that yesterday.... $550 later..... yikes. One thing about the safety check certificate though that I did not know is that it is only valid for 36 days. I seriously hope the DMV letter really only takes a few days to process as they said, as I don't want it to run out before I can get my license and insurance!

I was never asked for a recall clearance and they had my form available not even 24 hours after I imported.

 

[mmshock]

Oh, and FeakySnucker - For what its worth, the random number after my birthday was a 3 as well!

 

[JustandDaph]

Kayan - So crazy eh? They just have no rhyme or reason it seems. I guess the key thing is that we should always be prepared, as the scouts say!

FeakySnucker - I am so excited for you.... Your long wait is almost over!!! Hang in there champ! xx

JustandDaph - I talked to my insurance agency in the US and let them know what was going on and she said I was still covered until the car was officially licensed in Ontario. The MTO told me I have 45 days after import....But then again, the MTO also told me that I did NOT need an abstract from my state which wasn't exactly true. Now eagerly waiting for my DMV to send me one so I can get this all sorted. Funny how just two weeks ago I got slightly different info.....

Don't forget you also need to get the Ontario emissions/safety inspections which can also be done at the same time at Canadian Tire. I did that yesterday.... $550 later..... yikes. One thing about the safety check certificate though that I did not know is that it is only valid for 36 days. I seriously hope the DMV letter really only takes a few days to process as they said, as I don't want it to run out before I can get my license and insurance!

I was never asked for a recall clearance and they had my form available not even 24 hours after I imported.

I completely forgot about the emissions test. I know that it $39.95 or so, but how much was the safety inspection at Canadian Tire?! Thanks for the heads up about the check being valid for 36 days! I'm scared to call my husband's insurance because what if they say they are going to stop his insurance once he crosses?!

 

[mmshock]

The safety test was $69.99. Do you have Daytime Running Lights? Had to get those installed too.

I was worried about insurance as well and my agent wasn't sure at first to be honest. She did some research and found out all was good and even sent me a little certificate outlining that it was valid while in Canada. While I use an independent agent, the insurance company itself is Allied. Gutted it won't work once I register in Canada - they gave me such great rates and service!

But really, wouldn't you rather know? Your husbands insurance company (if they are a good one!) should be able to give you some options at least. I'd hate for you to not know and then have something happen only to THEN find out you're not covered.

 

[JustandDaph]

The safety test was $69.99. Do you have Daytime Running Lights? Had to get those installed too.

I was worried about insurance as well and my agent wasn't sure at first to be honest. She did some research and found out all was good and even sent me a little certificate outlining that it was valid while in Canada. While I use an independent agent, the insurance company itself is Allied. Gutted it won't work once I register in Canada - they gave me such great rates and service!

But really, wouldn't you rather know? Your husbands insurance company (if they are a good one!) should be able to give you some options at least. I'd hate for you to not know and then have something happen only to THEN find out you're not covered.

When I had called one of the insurance companies here in Ontario, the agent had told me that it should be ok to just use the US one for the time being until we switch to the ones here. I'll ask hubs to call to ask, I know he's currently with Progressive. I am not happy about the one quote I got with State Farm - $230-240 a month for his 2010 Scion TC

 

[ddobro2]

Any PPRs this week besides Clemfamily???

 

[doctorkb]

Don't forget you also need to get the Ontario emissions/safety inspections which can also be done at the same time at Canadian Tire. I did that yesterday.... $550 later..... yikes.

Lesson #1 about living in Canada: Canadian Tire is BAR-NONE, the WORST place to get a vehicle inspection done.

They seem to have a corporate directive to FIND something wrong that isn't really wrong, so that they can overcharge on the repair / installation of said thing.

One story: a friend brought a less-than-one-year-old car from Ontario. Canadian Tire said he needed to replace the muffler prior to certification for licensing in BC. He got a second opinion and specifically asked about the muffler. The reputable shop said "it's practically brand-freaking-new... why would it need to be replaced?"

Consistently, their quotes for things that need to be fixed before certification are about double what any other shop will charge, it seems.

 

[JustandDaph]

Lesson #1 about living in Canada: Canadian Tire is BAR-NONE, the WORST place to get a vehicle inspection done.

They seem to have a corporate directive to FIND something wrong that isn't really wrong, so that they can overcharge on the repair / installation of said thing.

One story: a friend brought a less-than-one-year-old car from Ontario. Canadian Tire said he needed to replace the muffler prior to certification for licensing in BC. He got a second opinion and specifically asked about the muffler. The reputable shop said "it's practically brand-freaking-new... why would it need to be replaced?"

Consistently, their quotes for things that need to be fixed before certification are about double what any other shop will charge, it seems.

It's not like we really have a choice to do it anywhere else...that's the killer. Can we get the test done, if anything needs to be fixed, bring it to another mechanic, get it fixed and re-do the safety test? I know we would most likely have to repay the inspection fee. My husband is driving a 2010 car...i highly doubt he has any problems with his car so far. I'm hoping he already has the daytime lights!

 

[kayan]

@ JustandDaph, thanks for posting all that. Really useful information as we will be importing a car as well.

 

[kayan]

Lesson #1 about living in Canada: Canadian Tire is BAR-NONE, the WORST place to get a vehicle inspection done.

I second that!

 

[doctorkb]

It's not like we really have a choice to do it anywhere else...that's the killer. Can we get the test done, if anything needs to be fixed, bring it to another mechanic, get it fixed and re-do the safety test? I know we would most likely have to repay the inspection fee. My husband is driving a 2010 car...i highly doubt he has any problems with his car so far. I'm hoping he already has the daytime lights!

You can get them to do the inspection, then get another mechanic to fix the issues... but they'll probably find something else wrong with it.

In BC, they didn't use to charge a fee for the reinspection -- in fact, I don't think they were allowed to -- if you brought it back within a certain period. I can't remember if that was 7 days or 21 days, or something in between.

What do you mean you have no other choice? If a town is big enough to have a Crappy Tire, surely they're big enough to have another certified inspection station! Call your local mechanic shops and ask... you might be surprised.

If his car doesn't already have DRL's, do a search on the Internet. Often the ability to add them is inexpensive (and you can do it yourself)... though Crappy Tire wants you to think it takes hours and hours and hundreds of dollars in parts.

 

[JustandDaph]

You can get them to do the inspection, then get another mechanic to fix the issues... but they'll probably find something else wrong with it.

In BC, they didn't use to charge a fee for the reinspection -- in fact, I don't think they were allowed to -- if you brought it back within a certain period. I can't remember if that was 7 days or 21 days, or something in between.

What do you mean you have no other choice? If a town is big enough to have a Crappy Tire, surely they're big enough to have another certified inspection station! Call your local mechanic shops and ask... you might be surprised.

If his car doesn't already have DRL's, do a search on the Internet. Often the ability to add them is inexpensive (and you can do it yourself)... though Crappy Tire wants you to think it takes hours and hours and hundreds of dollars in parts.

After scouring through all the certified centres in Toronto and the surrounding area, it's all "Can't Tire" I called my mechanic as well to double check and he verified that I'd have to go to Can't Tire for the inspection. My mechanic did suggest that we go to them first to get the DRLs put in there before the inspection. sigh

 

[amaranth]

After scouring through all the certified centres in Toronto and the surrounding area, it's all "Can't Tire" I called my mechanic as well to double check and he verified that I'd have to go to Can't Tire for the inspection. My mechanic did suggest that we go to them first to get the DRLs put in there before the inspection. sigh

Just ran this by Husband (total gear head), and he says to take a look here:

http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/environment/en/category/drive_clean/STDPROD_075676

He says most places that do emissions testing will also do safety, just call around to see. (The 2 he likes most are up around Downsview, but he says most places listed there should be good.)