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US Cit, CA per res, driving FL plated car, FL drivers license, owns FL prop

tipy

Newbie
Jan 28, 2009
1
0
I am a permanent resident of CA, own property in FL, have a FL plated car and a FL drivers license which FL gives to Canadians for a year, because you must have a FL license to plate a car in FL. Can I drive this car to Ontario and in Ontario for a period of three months and then return to FL?

Thanks for any help anyone can give.
 

links18

Champion Member
Feb 1, 2006
2,009
128
Where do you live? To use more specific language "where are you normally domiciled"? Canada or Florida? Having permanent resident status in Canada should not prevent you from driving a US plated vehicle into Canada if you don't live in Canada. You say you have a Florida DLs, do you also have a Canadian DL? It is possible to be a legal resident of more than one place at a time, so your situation could be a little sticky when you get to the border. Are you driving your own car or a rental? If it is your car, has it ever been imported into Canada? If CBSA determines you are a Canadian resident, they will want you to import the car and pay appropriate taxes and duties (although you may be exempt from these if you have been absent from Canada for more than a year). There is a hardship provision that allows Canadian residents (notice the use of the phrase "Canadian Resident" --its not the same as someone with "Permanent Resident Status") to drive US plated cars into Canada, but this usually only allows them to drive it to a specific place in Canada and then straight back across the border. In other words, you can't use the US plated car as daily transportation within Canada.

There is a lot of confusion about all this and many CBSA officers don't even understand it, but remember the controlling factor is where you live, not your immigration status.