Please explain to me step by step on how to bring my vehicle from the States??

[michaelab]

Hi there!!


I have been reading and scratching my head on how to bring my vehicle to Canada when I land. I am in Canada (and just got issued the PR visa). I will be doing the "flagpole" landing near future and I have an American registered vehicle with me in Canada as well.

To be specific this is the part I do not understand.. (from http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5048-eng.html)
"The original certificate of title for your vehicle must be submitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at least 72 hours before the vehicle is exported from the United States, and the vehicle must be presented to U.S. CBP at the time of exportation."

Does it mean I need to cross back to the States' border 3 days before I land and go into the border crossing building to submit? Can I land as a PR without importing my vehicle at the same time? I hope I won't have to hang around the border for 3 days for the vehicle!!

BTW I will be landing in Ontario.

Please help ~~ Thanks! :-*

 

[Harju]

This site may help you. I doubt it covers flagpoling but the importer checklist should be useful.

http://www.riv.ca/ImportingAVehicle.aspx

 

[hoping75]

You need to Fedex the title to your car to the US border crossing that you will be using at least 72 hours before you present yourself to that border crossing on the US side. They need 72 hours to run a check on your title. You can send it more than 72 hours in advance, but not less.(Check to see what the hours of operation are for the Us side because it closed at 9:30 PM weekdays, and it was closed on weekends when I crossed). You then present yourself to that same border crossing after at least the 72 hours to just pick up your title which will have a clearance stamp on it. The title with the clearance stamp on it is what you will present to the border crossing agent on the Canadian side to be able to register it in Canada.

I also had to send a photocopy of both sides of the title as well as a copy of the registration.

It was all very simple

Good luck

 

[michaelab]

I have a title of my vehicle which used to have both my name and my ex husband's name..but he signed it over when we got divorced. Is that title good as it is? Or do I need to do something additonal to prove that the vehicle is solely in my name?

Did you have to submit the recall clearance? More I read more I get confused!

Thanks in advance!

 

[heatherusa]

Hi there!!


I have been reading and scratching my head on how to bring my vehicle to Canada when I land. I am in Canada (and just got issued the PR visa). I will be doing the "flagpole" landing near future and I have an American registered vehicle with me in Canada as well.

To be specific this is the part I do not understand.. (from http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5048-eng.html)
"The original certificate of title for your vehicle must be submitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at least 72 hours before the vehicle is exported from the United States, and the vehicle must be presented to U.S. CBP at the time of exportation."

Does it mean I need to cross back to the States' border 3 days before I land and go into the border crossing building to submit? Can I land as a PR without importing my vehicle at the same time? I hope I won't have to hang around the border for 3 days for the vehicle!!

BTW I will be landing in Ontario.

Please help ~~ Thanks! :-*

I drove to the border with the intention to not import my car but instead to import it when my husband landed. They waned me to do it right then and there. They did all the paperwork on the spot - it consisted of hem writing the vehicle on the B4 form. This was in Alberta. I dont know if you would have the same ease in Ontario but it wasnt an issue for me.

I am certainly not advocating trying to get around the rules... just relating my experience (as a returning Canadian).

I would definitely get the title changed before you go so that you dont face any issues when you hit the border... or when you try to register provincially.

 

[michaelab]

Thanks, heatherusa,

So your vehicle is now imported? What kind of documents did you have with you?

If I cannot import right way I will have to claim it as "goods to follow"..but since its 5+ hrs (one way) drive from the border for me I would very much prefer to get everything done and over with. Did they ask about recall certificate?

I drove to the border with the intention to not import my car but instead to import it when my husband landed. They waned me to do it right then and there. They did all the paperwork on the spot - it consisted of hem writing the vehicle on the B4 form. This was in Alberta. I dont know if you would have the same ease in Ontario but it wasnt an issue for me.

I am certainly not advocating trying to get around the rules... just relating my experience (as a returning Canadian).

I would definitely get the title changed before you go so that you dont face any issues when you hit the border... or when you try to register provincially.

 

[heatherusa]

Thanks, heatherusa,

So your vehicle is now imported? What kind of documents did you have with you?

If I cannot import right way I will have to claim it as "goods to follow"..but since its 5+ hrs (one way) drive from the border for me I would very much prefer to get everything done and over with. Did they ask about recall certificate?

They did not ask about a recall certificate. The place that does the federal inspection will do that, not the border. The border doesnt do the inspection.

When I presented at the border I had the title to the vehicle. I had my passports (CDN and US) and a letter from my husband stating that I could take my daughter across the border without him.

I told the border that I hadnt planned on importing the car. The IO looked it up in his book, told me it was worth 10k and that I may as well import it now. He walked out to the car, opened the door and looked inside and verified that the vin number matched the title. He then wrote the car and vin down on the B4 and told me that I needed to log on to the RIV.ca website in the next few days to pay for the federal inspection.

I waited two days and logged in using the vin number, case number from the B4 form and the point of entry code that they gave me.

About a week later I got a letter in the mail with information about what I needed to do and the date it had to be done by.

I knew that I needed to have day time running lights added to the car so when I went to get it inspected I first had them do that. Any items that need to be done according to the RIV site will need to be done before presenting the car for inspection.

After I got the federal inspection done I took the piece of paper to the registry office and they gave me another form that was for the provincial inspection that I then had to take with me for that second inspection. The provincial inspection cost me another 165 (something like that). Once the car passed that inspection I took the clearance to the registry office to register the vehicle. I needed power of attorney authorization (from my husband) to title the car in my name and my husbands name since he wasnt yet in the country.

In the mail came the RIV sticker that needed to be stuck to the door of the car to prove it has passed the federal inspection.

 

[can_usa_97]

Curious if you'd share the cost for the day running lights. I know my one vehicle needs them. We found them for like $50 online installing yourself and were debating doing them.... or not.

 

[heatherusa]

Curious if you'd share the cost for the day running lights. I know my one vehicle needs them. We found them for like $50 online installing yourself and were debating doing them.... or not.

I had them done at Canadian Tire for about 135 dollar...

I would have preferred to do the kit online but I am not that mechanical and was afraid that they wouldnt pass. I would go with the do it yourself if you can.

Additionally, I was EXTREMELY unhappy with Canadian Tire for the way that they handled my provincial inspection and will NEVER take my car there for any reason ever again. They do sell some nice, inexpensive cooking products and they had a good price on TP the other day though...

 

[can_usa_97]

I had them done at Canadian Tire for about 135 dollar...

I would have preferred to do the kit online but I am not that mechanical and was afraid that they wouldnt pass. I would go with the do it yourself if you can.

Additionally, I was EXTREMELY unhappy with Canadian Tire for the way that they handled my provincial inspection and will NEVER take my car there for any reason ever again. They do sell some nice, inexpensive cooking products and they had a good price on TP the other day though...

That's what I was worried about, it not passing but we are going in a week to visit family in Ontario and I was thinking we could just buy the kit from CT even, as I imagine that's just what they do, is take one off the shelf. Hmm. Thank you!

 

[heatherusa]

That's what I was worried about, it not passing but we are going in a week to visit family in Ontario and I was thinking we could just buy the kit from CT even, as I imagine that's just what they do, is take one off the shelf. Hmm. Thank you!

I believe that is just what they did. They first told me that they didnt have them and didnt know what I was talking about but when I pushed them and told them that they had given me a quote just the day before they relented and did it for me. That should have been my first indication that they didnt know their heads from their %$#.

The kit I think cost between 30-50 and the rest was labour.

 

[heatherusa]

I believe that is just what they did. They first told me that they didnt have them and didnt know what I was talking about but when I pushed them and told them that they had given me a quote just the day before they relented and did it for me. That should have been my first indication that they didnt know their heads from their %$#.

The kit I think cost between 30-50 and the rest was labour.

BTW... I first went to Kia to see about having them done and they wanted almost 500 to add them.

 

[can_usa_97]

BTW... I first went to Kia to see about having them done and they wanted almost 500 to add them.

I called the Toyota Dealership in my town about it, in WI. They thought I was an alien, haha!

 

[hoping75]

I went to a garage that did electrical work and it cost me 90.00 for the daytime running lights. It only took about 45 minutes.

I also never at any point needed a recall certificate.

It depends what car you have if you can use a store bought kit. If you have a car with flip up headlights like mine is, I could not find a kit that worked.

 

[michaelab]

I wonder if my vehicle has the daytime running lights??? I have a 2004 Sienna I realize something was recalled (something to do with the wire or something to hold the spare tire) but is it mandatory to get fixed? On the website said something about volunteery recall... Hmmm more pain! :'(