Any "Canucks" out there that have imported US made vehicle from the US to Canada. I have looked at both the US and Canadian gov. websites and have a fairly good understanding, however, reading on paper is quite often not exactly what happens in real life.

Some questions regarding the US side of the transaction.
1) How can I be sure that the US vehicle has no liens on it and that the seller is in fact the owner of the vehicle?
2) After I paid for the vehicle, can I obtain licence plates and insurance to drive the vehicle to the border?
3) US customs requires the appropriate documentation 72 hours prior to exporting the vehicle-so this might mean a couple of trips or an extended trip of more than 72 hours?

If any one has any experience in this regard I would like to hear from you. I would prefer to talk to you directly rather than through e-mail. So shoot me an e-mail with your phone number and I will call you.
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Al
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92 W250-LE,4x4,5spd,3.54,Borgeson

 

Al

I havent brought any thing over for a while but...
#1 dont know
#2 plates stay with the car so I used to just drive to the border, however a A-B permit should be purchased to get you to the border and you will need one for each state you go thru.
3# I would just pull up declare the purchase then fillout the nessasary paperwork.
You need a bill of sale from the owner also.
You will need to have a A-B permit from the border home so it works easyer to trailer your purchase home.
Also when registering the car in Canada you have to pay the taxes at the border.
Its been a number of years since I last did it so some things may have changed but it was never a problem before. If you think I can help more PM me with your phone # and I will call you as Im local

 

Call a border crossing or airport and talk to a Canuck Customs officer.

Each year and sometimes more often, they change rules.

Last I heard you need the title and the vehicle is checked out on a network of computers to assure its legit. Stay away from salvage titles...the record of that follows them now.

Make sure its worth it with the exchange and costs to get it back.

You also have to let the USA know you are taking the vehicle out of the country before you get to the canadian side.
I think antique is exempt from the safety compliance requirements. It has to be 25 yrs or older.
Also, watch out for vehicles that have been repainted or altered...you MUST have the safety compliance sticker on the vehicle and it must say it complies to all federal, not USA regulations.

There are also gray market vehicles.

 

I don't know it all, but...quick and dirty vehicle must be 15 years or better old. Must meet Canadian emissions, safety standards (DRLamps, child seat anchors, metric speedo and odo etc.) You will be dealing with a Broker, let them handle your questions and paperwork. I believe it is Livingston that does this for CCRA. Google importing car to Canada or similar and you will find the correct site. If you go to CCRA, there is a link to the Vehicle Importation Center where you will find a contact ph. #, list of eligible for importation vehicles, what has to be done to make it compliant, and the time frame you get to deal with. Hope this helps. Rick

 

I recently went through this with a samurai, I went to an auto plan agent and got "binder insurance" the vehicle has to have valid tags with that though (plates generally go with the vehicle down south there....

 

Sorry I just saw this thread now, I am very familar with bringing trucks back to CANADA....Please contact me and I will try and shed some light on this subject for you......Canucktrucks....Shawn 1-800-241-5901

 

Shawn,
I received your PM also and will call you on monday.
Cheers,
Al

 

Shawn:

Are brand new vehicles eligible to be brought across the border, or is there a waiting period. the reason I ask, is it may be worth it to buy a truck stateside at some of these dealers who gaurantee invoice - $1000 or so.

It just seems like the dealers north of the border are not willing to come even close to that.

 

YES YOU CAN BUY BRAND NEW VEHICLES........"BUT".......there is a list of vehicles that CANADA will accept, and you should call RIV Canada to ask what duties might be occured on a certain vehicle..... www.riv.ca or you can call 1-888-848-8240 Hope this helps....Canucktrucks

 

Hi Al,
it's no big deal, I just went to Montana and picked up another 79 crew cab short box 4x4. Gonna put a Cummins into it
Go to the U.S. customs with the paperwork or copy from the owner, they want at least 72 hours, after your time is up [they check for liens, ownership,etc] drive the truck to the border
[ in Montana the moving permit was free] stop at U.S. customs, they will verify serial numbers on paperwork verse truck, then drove to Canuck customs, they were only interested in wether it had a/c or not......more duty if you have a/c and that you paid the GST. I brought insurance thru ICBC before I left, then got a B.C. moving permit after I drove home. You will need to get an out of province inspection, but we do get a years grace on air care. It was a lot easier than I thought, no need to pay brokers, no real b.s., just make sure you give the U.S. customs the paper work at least 72 hours before you want to cross the border.

Piers