Moving to Vancouver from Seattle, USA via land - experience during COVID-19

[prenx4x]

Hello, I just wanted to share my recent experience of moving to Vancouver BC from Seattle WA through the land border on Apr 16th amidst the coronavirus situation.

This was my first time coming to Canada with my COPR which was approved on Jan 2020. I had used the Pacific Highway Port of Entry (and not peach arch) as I was planning to export my car and the US export office was at Pacific highway. I was glad I traveled through this border as there was no rush (I mean not another soul). The entire process took maybe 15 mins US side for car export and 20-30 mins on Canada side.
For documents, I had my car title, registration and ITN number (there is a car export process that you need to follow. Ask me particulars or check online if you need to export your car as well), passports and COPR for me and my wife, personal effects list and mover's inventory list. I also had my offer letter and finance documents but those were not needed. They did not check or verified anything from my car.
After I got my title stamped from the US export office, I was first stopped at the Canada border checkpoint, where they asked me bunch of standard questions. Then they asked me where I plan to stay during the self-isolation 2 weeks. I had booked Airbnb, so I gave them that address. Then they made us take an oath and swear that we will quarantine for 14 days. They they asked me to go further and park at a spot, go inside an office and another officer helped me. He took my documents, asked some more standard questions and then asked us to sit while he worked on his computer. When he was done, he called us, instructed about the self-isolation order and congratulated us.
After all these formalities, There was another checkpoint just up ahead which asked us about our health and instructed us to self-isolate for 14 days. Self-isolation is being stressed very heavily on the border at every step. They are very serious about the quarantine order.
Overall it was quite a smooth experience. Now I am in self-isolation till the end of April.
During my stay here, I am using uber eats and other food delivery services. I am also using instacart for grocery delivery.
Service Canada offices are closed but they are accepting applications of SIN number by mail.

If anyone has any questions or planning to do similar thing you can ask me. I will try my best to answer. Hope this was helpful.

 

[lycbread]

Hi Prenx4x, thank you for your post and congrats! I plan to do the same on June. May I ask if either border service asked your car's bill of sale? My car is a gift from a friend who I haven't been keeping in touch for a long time. And I don't remember I ever had a bill of sale when I registered my car at DMV many years ago. Thank you.

 

[prenx4x]

Hi lycbread, are you planning to import your car into Canada? if so, you will require a bill of sale as you have not purchased directly from a dealer. This will be required mostly for the export process on the US side. Once you have the export stamp, you just show that at the Canada borders.

If you are not importing your car, then simply car registration should be fine.

 

[raptora]

is Peace Arch still open as a crossing? It doesn't show in the ArriveCAN app..
edit: apparently it's called 'Douglas - Passenger' in the app.

 

[canadian_pr_1]

Hello, I just wanted to share my recent experience of moving to Vancouver BC from Seattle WA through the land border on Apr 16th amidst the coronavirus situation.

This was my first time coming to Canada with my COPR which was approved on Jan 2020. I had used the Pacific Highway Port of Entry (and not peach arch) as I was planning to export my car and the US export office was at Pacific highway. I was glad I traveled through this border as there was no rush (I mean not another soul). The entire process took maybe 15 mins US side for car export and 20-30 mins on Canada side.
For documents, I had my car title, registration and ITN number (there is a car export process that you need to follow. Ask me particulars or check online if you need to export your car as well), passports and COPR for me and my wife, personal effects list and mover's inventory list. I also had my offer letter and finance documents but those were not needed. They did not check or verified anything from my car.
After I got my title stamped from the US export office, I was first stopped at the Canada border checkpoint, where they asked me bunch of standard questions. Then they asked me where I plan to stay during the self-isolation 2 weeks. I had booked Airbnb, so I gave them that address. Then they made us take an oath and swear that we will quarantine for 14 days. They they asked me to go further and park at a spot, go inside an office and another officer helped me. He took my documents, asked some more standard questions and then asked us to sit while he worked on his computer. When he was done, he called us, instructed about the self-isolation order and congratulated us.
After all these formalities, There was another checkpoint just up ahead which asked us about our health and instructed us to self-isolate for 14 days. Self-isolation is being stressed very heavily on the border at every step. They are very serious about the quarantine order.
Overall it was quite a smooth experience. Now I am in self-isolation till the end of April.
During my stay here, I am using uber eats and other food delivery services. I am also using instacart for grocery delivery.
Service Canada offices are closed but they are accepting applications of SIN number by mail.

If anyone has any questions or planning to do similar thing you can ask me. I will try my best to answer. Hope this was helpful.

thank you so much for sharing.We are moving from Seattle too...

 

[Snehathomas]

Hello, I just wanted to share my recent experience of moving to Vancouver BC from Seattle WA through the land border on Apr 16th amidst the coronavirus situation.

This was my first time coming to Canada with my COPR which was approved on Jan 2020. I had used the Pacific Highway Port of Entry (and not peach arch) as I was planning to export my car and the US export office was at Pacific highway. I was glad I traveled through this border as there was no rush (I mean not another soul). The entire process took maybe 15 mins US side for car export and 20-30 mins on Canada side.
For documents, I had my car title, registration and ITN number (there is a car export process that you need to follow. Ask me particulars or check online if you need to export your car as well), passports and COPR for me and my wife, personal effects list and mover's inventory list. I also had my offer letter and finance documents but those were not needed. They did not check or verified anything from my car.
After I got my title stamped from the US export office, I was first stopped at the Canada border checkpoint, where they asked me bunch of standard questions. Then they asked me where I plan to stay during the self-isolation 2 weeks. I had booked Airbnb, so I gave them that address. Then they made us take an oath and swear that we will quarantine for 14 days. They they asked me to go further and park at a spot, go inside an office and another officer helped me. He took my documents, asked some more standard questions and then asked us to sit while he worked on his computer. When he was done, he called us, instructed about the self-isolation order and congratulated us.
After all these formalities, There was another checkpoint just up ahead which asked us about our health and instructed us to self-isolate for 14 days. Self-isolation is being stressed very heavily on the border at every step. They are very serious about the quarantine order.
Overall it was quite a smooth experience. Now I am in self-isolation till the end of April.
During my stay here, I am using uber eats and other food delivery services. I am also using instacart for grocery delivery.
Service Canada offices are closed but they are accepting applications of SIN number by mail.

If anyone has any questions or planning to do similar thing you can ask me. I will try my best to answer. Hope this was helpful.

Thank you so much for the details. Did you apply for the ITN through customs agents? Also for the bsf186 form do they verify every item you have on the form? For jewelry do I have to write the exact value in CAD or an approximate value is good enough?

 

[Hope2021]

Hello, I just wanted to share my recent experience of moving to Vancouver BC from Seattle WA through the land border on Apr 16th amidst the coronavirus situation.

This was my first time coming to Canada with my COPR which was approved on Jan 2020. I had used the Pacific Highway Port of Entry (and not peach arch) as I was planning to export my car and the US export office was at Pacific highway. I was glad I traveled through this border as there was no rush (I mean not another soul). The entire process took maybe 15 mins US side for car export and 20-30 mins on Canada side.
For documents, I had my car title, registration and ITN number (there is a car export process that you need to follow. Ask me particulars or check online if you need to export your car as well), passports and COPR for me and my wife, personal effects list and mover's inventory list. I also had my offer letter and finance documents but those were not needed. They did not check or verified anything from my car.
After I got my title stamped from the US export office, I was first stopped at the Canada border checkpoint, where they asked me bunch of standard questions. Then they asked me where I plan to stay during the self-isolation 2 weeks. I had booked Airbnb, so I gave them that address. Then they made us take an oath and swear that we will quarantine for 14 days. They they asked me to go further and park at a spot, go inside an office and another officer helped me. He took my documents, asked some more standard questions and then asked us to sit while he worked on his computer. When he was done, he called us, instructed about the self-isolation order and congratulated us.
After all these formalities, There was another checkpoint just up ahead which asked us about our health and instructed us to self-isolate for 14 days. Self-isolation is being stressed very heavily on the border at every step. They are very serious about the quarantine order.
Overall it was quite a smooth experience. Now I am in self-isolation till the end of April.
During my stay here, I am using uber eats and other food delivery services. I am also using instacart for grocery delivery.
Service Canada offices are closed but they are accepting applications of SIN number by mail.

If anyone has any questions or planning to do similar thing you can ask me. I will try my best to answer. Hope this was helpful.

Hello, I just wanted to share my recent experience of moving to Vancouver BC from Seattle WA through the land border on Apr 16th amidst the coronavirus situation.

This was my first time coming to Canada with my COPR which was approved on Jan 2020. I had used the Pacific Highway Port of Entry (and not peach arch) as I was planning to export my car and the US export office was at Pacific highway. I was glad I traveled through this border as there was no rush (I mean not another soul). The entire process took maybe 15 mins US side for car export and 20-30 mins on Canada side.
For documents, I had my car title, registration and ITN number (there is a car export process that you need to follow. Ask me particulars or check online if you need to export your car as well), passports and COPR for me and my wife, personal effects list and mover's inventory list. I also had my offer letter and finance documents but those were not needed. They did not check or verified anything from my car.
After I got my title stamped from the US export office, I was first stopped at the Canada border checkpoint, where they asked me bunch of standard questions. Then they asked me where I plan to stay during the self-isolation 2 weeks. I had booked Airbnb, so I gave them that address. Then they made us take an oath and swear that we will quarantine for 14 days. They they asked me to go further and park at a spot, go inside an office and another officer helped me. He took my documents, asked some more standard questions and then asked us to sit while he worked on his computer. When he was done, he called us, instructed about the self-isolation order and congratulated us.
After all these formalities, There was another checkpoint just up ahead which asked us about our health and instructed us to self-isolate for 14 days. Self-isolation is being stressed very heavily on the border at every step. They are very serious about the quarantine order.
Overall it was quite a smooth experience. Now I am in self-isolation till the end of April.
During my stay here, I am using uber eats and other food delivery services. I am also using instacart for grocery delivery.
Service Canada offices are closed but they are accepting applications of SIN number by mail.

If anyone has any questions or planning to do similar thing you can ask me. I will try my best to answer. Hope this was helpful.

Hi prenx4x, Can you please let me know what are the documents needed to export the car?
Is the car should be older than specific year?
Have you paid any taxes to export?
Do you recommend to export the car or just buying one from canada?
Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[prenx4x]

Thank you so much for the details. Did you apply for the ITN through customs agents? Also for the bsf186 form do they verify every item you have on the form? For jewelry do I have to write the exact value in CAD or an approximate value is good enough?

I applied my ITN through https://simplifiedtradesolutions.com/. There are other websites as well. Just go with the one that is cheapest. For bsf186 form, No they did not check anything at all, which surprised me as well. I had expected at least a dog sniff scan, but even that didn't happen. The port I entered is a small one (pacific highway), so that could be the reason for being easy. I am not sure how strict it is for other ports, especially ones that are busy. For jewelry, the approximate amount is fine. Keep photos of jewelry on phone in case they ask.

 

[prenx4x]

Hi prenx4x, Can you please let me know what are the documents needed to export the car?
Is the car should be older than specific year?
Have you paid any taxes to export?
Do you recommend to export the car or just buying one from canada?
Thank you in advance for your help.

Documents you may need at the US customs office are - ITN/AES number (which you can apply online, see above post), email to the specific port with the ITN number, title copy, etc (check that port requirement or call them) 72 hours prior and print a copy of the confirmation reply, original title (most imp), vehicle registration, bill of sale (if purchased preowned, optional if you have the title), ID proofs

You can check RIV website - https://www.riv.ca/VehicleAdmissibility.aspx if your car is eligible. In fact, they have a full checklist and process mentioned for importing the car.
Make sure to get a recall clearance letter from any dealership corresponding to your car.

I paid basic taxes for owning a car, which you have to pay for any car in general (around $300). This depends on the value of the car. I did not pay any import duty tax as this was part of my personal belongings. If you are bringing your car later make sure to put it in goods to follow.

If you have a decent car, then I suggest importing your own car as it is cheaper in the US compared to Canada. Also having my car with me when I moved in was extremely helpful, as it was my only car.

 

[Snehathomas]

I applied my ITN through https://simplifiedtradesolutions.com/. There are other websites as well. Just go with the one that is cheapest. For bsf186 form, No they did not check anything at all, which surprised me as well. I had expected at least a dog sniff scan, but even that didn't happen. The port I entered is a small one (pacific highway), so that could be the reason for being easy. I am not sure how strict it is for other ports, especially ones that are busy. For jewelry, the approximate amount is fine. Keep photos of jewelry on phone in case they ask.

Thank you for the response. The simplified trade, they only help with the ITN number or do they send the required documents to the port or guide/help us with that?For the taxes you paid, is that the RIV Import fee of $325? Apart from that is there anything else? Also which is the cheapest Canadian Tire location for the federal inspection? Btw which is you car? Did you had to make any changes or modifications as per their requirement?

 

[prenx4x]

Thank you for the response. The simplified trade, they only help with the ITN number or do they send the required documents to the port or guide/help us with that?For the taxes you paid, is that the RIV Import fee of $325? Apart from that is there anything else? Also which is the cheapest Canadian Tire location for the federal inspection? Btw which is you car? Did you had to make any changes or modifications as per their requirement?

Simplified trade will only provide you with an ITN number. You will have to send the documents and ITN number to the US border and customs office via email or mail at least 72 hours prior.

Yes, correct that fee is the import fee of $325 which needs to be paid within 10 days of arrival. You can pay that online. Apart from this, there will be an annual car registration fee (just like in the US). I have not done that yet, so not sure how much that would cost.

I am yet to finish my inspection with Canadian tire this week, but they charge $20 + tax for 4 tires and $25 + tax for 5 tires. I believe prices will be the same at any Canadian tire.

I have a 2016 Toyota rav4 SE. I have not done any modification, and I don't think I will have to but I will know for sure once I finish the inspection. As long as the RIV website does not bring any red flags and you have not done any modifications yourself, it should be fine. I can update you in a few days about the inspection and registration process if you want, let me know.

 

[Snehathomas]

Perfect, thank you so much.

I had called one of the Canadian Tire center recently and they quoted around $130 approx, and $5 per tire inspection.

I have a 2014 Honda Civic, and I see it was manufactured in Canada, so hopefully the RIV Inspection form does not have any modification requirements.

Yes, please update me on the process after you have completed it. Thank you much.

 

[prenx4x]

Perfect, thank you so much.

I had called one of the Canadian Tire center recently and they quoted around $130 approx, and $5 per tire inspection.

I have a 2014 Honda Civic, and I see it was manufactured in Canada, so hopefully the RIV Inspection form does not have any modification requirements.

Yes, please update me on the process after you have completed it. Thank you much.

Hey, I have an update. I went for RIV inspection at Canadian tire today and they told me I need to have daytime running lights always on modification done for my car. In the US we don't have this requirement, but in Canada, the car needs to have daytime running lights always on such that you should not be able to turn it off. You can do this at any dealer service center or Canadian tire. From what I learned, if you already have daytime headlights, then you need some wiring modifications to have it always on. Ask around to get the best quote as I got widely different prices ($160 - $800 + tax ) at different places. I scheduled mine at Canadian tire for around $245 + tax.

For inspection, I also got $125 + tax quote for RIV inspection, but at a different Canadian tire, they just said $5 per tire + tax. So you may need to ask around for that too.

 

[Snehathomas]

Hey, I have an update. I went for RIV inspection at Canadian tire today and they told me I need to have daytime running lights always on modification done for my car. In the US we don't have this requirement, but in Canada, the car needs to have daytime running lights always on such that you should not be able to turn it off. You can do this at any dealer service center or Canadian tire. From what I learned, if you already have daytime headlights, then you need some wiring modifications to have it always on. Ask around to get the best quote as I got widely different prices ($160 - $800 + tax ) at different places. I scheduled mine at Canadian tire for around $245 + tax.

For inspection, I also got $125 + tax quote for RIV inspection, but at a different Canadian tire, they just said $5 per tire + tax. So you may need to ask around for that too.

Hey, thank you for the update. The daytime running lights was one thing which I had a doubt. I'll check it here and see if I can get it done before moving. Did they say anything about the tires? Do you have to change it to an specific types there? Also, what do they do in the inspection other than the lights?

For the BSF186 Form did you print that as per the Legal Document Size (8.5"x14")?

Thank you.

 

[Snehathomas]

I have a question! Is there a limit on the total value of items we declare on the bsf186 form? If we're importing car, the total will be high right? Any posts or articles which says anything on the limit? Thank you for your answer.