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US student with Canadian study permit wanting to take car to BC

megiroux

Newbie
May 27, 2016
1
0
Hi there,

I am a US citizen studying in BC. I have been living in Washington state for the past year and commuting to school, but am moving to Canada next week. I want to bring my car with me, and I know that since I am a temporary resident, I don't have to import it. However, what I cannot figure out is whether I need to register my car in BC and get a Canadian license or if because I am a student, I do not have to do that.

The couple of issues I am currently having is that my car is not paid off and the bank who finances it will not allow me to take it to Canada. So I don't know if there is a way to get around that since I am a student. They told me I would have to find someone in BC to finance it. However, it seems like it might be challenging to get a bank in BC to take over the loan since I have no credit established there. Anyone have any advice on this or have encountered the same issue?

Also, it seems that no US insurance companies will cover me if I'm a student in Canada (which would be one way to avoid the whole loan issue because the only reason that comes into play is because I need the title of my car in order to get insurance in BC). Anyone found a US insurance company that would cover them in Canada or have any other advice for this issue?

Anything you have to offer is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
 

Abbas1

Star Member
Apr 2, 2012
151
5
check with ICBC website and you should get answer to most of your question.

What i know is that you are allowed to use your car with its US plate number as long as you are full time student.

one other thing is to import the car into Canada pay the required brokerage fees and all taxes but this is not good option since you are leasing/Financing your car

regarding insurance, I don't know how they work it out in the States but in Canada your ICBC insurance covers you in the US also