Car importing from US- already inside Canada. Please help!!

[ChellyCat]

I have been pouring over the RIV website and it's like reading another language! Can anyone PLEASE give me some guidance on what to do?

I originally drove into Canada 2 years ago where I've been ever since on student working holiday/ visitor status, and now I just landed as a PR. The guy at the border was pretty rude when I told him I had a car but wasn't ready to import it (we drove to the border in my bf's car, so I didn't have my title or anything with me). Once I told him I had no documents he said okay and quickly rattled off what I need to do, but it didn't really make a lot of sense. I believe he said I can find another place to do it "inland" without having to go back to the border. I show my title and then ??? and then somehow I get the RIV form. I really don't understand.

Not once did he mention anything about EXPORTING the car from the US... I've been trying to research that on my own, and it seems the car must be exported by entering from the US, with 72 hours notice, and if it's not coming from the US, you could face a penalty. Do I HAVE to even do this since I've been in Canada already? And the guy mentioned nothing about that.

My car is a 2005 piece of crap and probably not worth much as it is. I can't believe I finally got PR and felt I was done with this miserable process to now be stressed about this car business and possibly getting hit with huge fines. Oh, I should also mention I never had to fill out a B4 "goods to follow" form when I landed, which everyone on this forum told me I would, so I'm worried about getting hit with more fines due to that.

Please help. I can't make sense of how to just do this. Should I just drive back to the border with my title and see what they say?

 

[Alurra71]

The steps for exporting / importing have changed since I did mine so keep that in mind.

First thing you need to do.

1. Get in contact with your car's manufacturer. You will need to get recall clearance letter in regards to your specific vehicle. Some can be done/accepted online, but not all.

2. Get in contact with your insurer in the US. Get a letter of reference and/or standing from them. (not required to import, but helpful when you need to license/insure the vehicle in Canada)

3. Get a copy of your drivers records from your home state DMV, if you haven't already gotten a Canadian drivers' license. (same reasons as those in #2)

4. (This is where it starts changing from when I exported my car.) Visit this website and read about the export process. http://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/export-docs/motor-vehicle Yes, you MUST set a 'date' with CBP to export the car. Yes, you must set if for 72 hours in advance. Yes, you still must do this even though the car has been in Canada. The rules state that the vehicle should be in the US at the time of export and if it was not, then you COULD be fined. The odds of that happening are quite slim, unless you get a seriously grumpy CBP agent when crossing back into the US with the car. Get your appointment, and don't be early, they don't like that Show up at the crossing you designated with the car on the designated date and time. You can just cross back into the US from Canada. You'll be asked the purpose of your visit. Just be honest and tell them that you landed as a PR and now need to get your car properly imported to Canada. They are usually pretty cool about that stuff.

5. Get turned back around and head back to Canada. Once at the CBSA crossing, advise your officer that you have landed as a PR and would like to import your car. You will have with you all the paperwork stating it was officially exported from the US. They will direct you inside to speak with the officers in there and they will fill out the necessary form 1 that you need for RIV.

6. Take the paperwork home, and follow the directions on it for getting RIV to send you form 2, which you will need to take in order to have your car 'processed' for import. It will require a safety/emissions check (in Ontario). Not sure about other provinces, but the RIV website will advise you about that better than I. This step is where you will need that recall clearance letter you obtained earlier.

7. Take your vehicle in for the necessary inspections required by RIV for your province. They will fill out the paperwork and return it to RIV. RIV will in turn send you a small sticker for you to place on the inside door panel of your car. It will have your 'new' Canadian information on it for your newly "Canadian" car.

8. Take your proof of inspection/emission/drivers certifications/insurance letters (you determine which parts you need) to a local insurance agent. Advise them you would like to insure this newly 'Canadian' vehicle. They will issue you a form of 'temporary' insurance which will allow you to proceed to your local licensing bureau (Service Ontario, in Ontario, your province may differ). Once there you will show these kind folks your temporary proof of insurance along with your proofs of inspections/emissions (as needed for your province) and they will issue you a license plate. You can now contact your insurance agent again and let them know you have officially 'registered' the vehicle in Canada and they should then exact the full policy which will allow you to plate and legally drive your 2005 "worthless" Canadian car.

If you don't already have a drivers license in your province you will want to be sure your insurance agent does NOT keep your drivers abstracts. You will want to take them with you to get full credit for your driving history so you won't have to get a 'learners' license.

Hope this helped you somewhat.

 

[ChellyCat]

The steps for exporting / importing have changed since I did mine so keep that in mind.

First thing you need to do.

1. Get in contact with your car's manufacturer. You will need to get recall clearance letter in regards to your specific vehicle. Some can be done/accepted online, but not all.

2. Get in contact with your insurer in the US. Get a letter of reference and/or standing from them. (not required to import, but helpful when you need to license/insure the vehicle in Canada)

3. Get a copy of your drivers records from your home state DMV, if you haven't already gotten a Canadian drivers' license. (same reasons as those in #2)

4. (This is where it starts changing from when I exported my car.) Visit this website and read about the export process. http://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/export-docs/motor-vehicle Yes, you MUST set a 'date' with CBP to export the car. Yes, you must set if for 72 hours in advance. Yes, you still must do this even though the car has been in Canada. The rules state that the vehicle should be in the US at the time of export and if it was not, then you COULD be fined. The odds of that happening are quite slim, unless you get a seriously grumpy CBP agent when crossing back into the US with the car. Get your appointment, and don't be early, they don't like that Show up at the crossing you designated with the car on the designated date and time. You can just cross back into the US from Canada. You'll be asked the purpose of your visit. Just be honest and tell them that you landed as a PR and now need to get your car properly imported to Canada. They are usually pretty cool about that stuff.

5. Get turned back around and head back to Canada. Once at the CBSA crossing, advise your officer that you have landed as a PR and would like to import your car. You will have with you all the paperwork stating it was officially exported from the US. They will direct you inside to speak with the officers in there and they will fill out the necessary form 1 that you need for RIV.

6. Take the paperwork home, and follow the directions on it for getting RIV to send you form 2, which you will need to take in order to have your car 'processed' for import. It will require a safety/emissions check (in Ontario). Not sure about other provinces, but the RIV website will advise you about that better than I. This step is where you will need that recall clearance letter you obtained earlier.

7. Take your vehicle in for the necessary inspections required by RIV for your province. They will fill out the paperwork and return it to RIV. RIV will in turn send you a small sticker for you to place on the inside door panel of your car. It will have your 'new' Canadian information on it for your newly "Canadian" car.

8. Take your proof of inspection/emission/drivers certifications/insurance letters (you determine which parts you need) to a local insurance agent. Advise them you would like to insure this newly 'Canadian' vehicle. They will issue you a form of 'temporary' insurance which will allow you to proceed to your local licensing bureau (Service Ontario, in Ontario, your province may differ). Once there you will show these kind folks your temporary proof of insurance along with your proofs of inspections/emissions (as needed for your province) and they will issue you a license plate. You can now contact your insurance agent again and let them know you have officially 'registered' the vehicle in Canada and they should then exact the full policy which will allow you to plate and legally drive your 2005 "worthless" Canadian car.

If you don't already have a drivers license in your province you will want to be sure your insurance agent does NOT keep your drivers abstracts. You will want to take them with you to get full credit for your driving history so you won't have to get a 'learners' license.

Hope this helped you somewhat.

That helps a lot, thank you!

A couple more questions:

1. What paperwork do I need for the US export? Just the title?

2. What is the fee I pay on the US side? I believe the Canadian border agent I spoke with said it was $200-something for them, but I don't know about US.

3. I know my car has a recall issue (something wrong with the ignition). I know I just need to call them first thing tomorrow and set an appointment to get it fixed, but what if that is going to take a long time because of ordering parts or something? Can I be penalized for not doing it quickly enough?

Thanks again!

 

[Sunset0505]

Question for those who have taken their car across....We read that the hours to export your car are 8 am to 3:30 pm Monday to Friday...Is this for real or?....For me it makes sense for business but for personal use?????

 

[louise8118]

Thank you, Alurra, for all the help!

 

[louise8118]

That US Customs export website is about as clear as mud. So do I have to travel to the border twice? Once at least 72 hours before exporting to submit the paperwork, and again to cross the border. And what about the riding lawn mover? Has anybody taken that across?

 

[CDNPR2014]

Question for those who have taken their car across....We read that the hours to export your car are 8 am to 3:30 pm Monday to Friday...Is this for real or?....For me it makes sense for business but for personal use?????

i'd recommend calling the border office you will be crossing at. each office may have different hours they do imports.

That US Customs export website is about as clear as mud. So do I have to travel to the border twice? Once at least 72 hours before exporting to submit the paperwork, and again to cross the border. And what about the riding lawn mover? Has anybody taken that across?

again, i'd recommend calling the office you will be importing at. some offices will accept it faxed, as long as it's at least 72 hours in advance. this eliminates having to go twice.

as for the riding lawn mower, i'm assuming that is not something that needs to be registered and licensed? my guess is that goes on your b4 and doesn't need to go through the RIV import process. though, the import office at the border will tell you for sure.

 

[Snowisland]

So if I am landing by car and driving for about a week from the US to get to the border, I still need an appointment to land and bring my car with me? I just don't know how to guess when I will make it to the border due to not knowing how much I can drive each day, like if I am too sleepy to drive and stop earlier one or two days during the trip. Not complaining, rules are rules, I just need to figure out my travel plan. Thanks.

 

[CDNPR2014]

So if I am landing by car and driving for about a week from the US to get to the border, I still need an appointment to land and bring my car with me? I just don't know how to guess when I will make it to the border due to not knowing how much I can drive each day, like if I am too sleepy to drive and stop earlier one or two days during the trip. Not complaining, rules are rules, I just need to figure out my travel plan. Thanks.

the landing and importing the car are 2 separate things and more than likely, you will be doing it at 2 different locations at the border office. you don't need an "appointment" to land at a land border. you technically don't need an "appointment" to import either. all that is required is to submit the paperwork at least 72 hours before import. you will be going to 2 different offices for each thing. the immigration office is where landing happens and the import office is where you import your car. if you can do them separately, i'd recommend it because it's a lot of logistics to take care of at one time. you can land by car and not import it the same day, just make sure it's on your b4 form as a goods to follow.

 

[Snowisland]

the landing and importing the car are 2 separate things and more than likely, you will be doing it at 2 different locations at the border office. you don't need an "appointment" to land at a land border. you technically don't need an "appointment" to import either. all that is required is to submit the paperwork at least 72 hours before import. you will be going to 2 different offices for each thing. the immigration office is where landing happens and the import office is where you import your car. if you can do them separately, i'd recommend it because it's a lot of logistics to take care of at one time. you can land by car and not import it the same day, just make sure it's on your b4 form as a goods to follow.

Thanks. If I import later, do I have to cross the border again to do so? We are very far from a border. Thanks again.

 

[CDNPR2014]

Thanks. If I import later, do I have to cross the border again to do so? We are very far from a border. Thanks again.

that's the tricky part. i think *technically* the car is supposed to be in the states for that 72 hours, that's why you're suppose to send the info beforehand. if you're not close to the border, then it may be your only option to do it at landing. don't get overwhelmed by the import process, it's actually quite easy to do. the hardest part is initiating the import in the AES system. if you go to the settlement board on this forum (go back to the main page and scroll down), you will find threads about the process. some people provide step by step info. there are brokers who will initiate the AES documents for minimal cost. i had someone in the family in the industry back when i imported, so i didn't need to use a broker.
the payments and inspection come AFTER you actually import it, so you don't need to worry about those steps yet.