UPDATED OCT 1 2019
If you want to import a car or truck from the United States to Canada prepare yourself for lots of paperwork. It is not a difficult process but it does have a large number of steps that need to be completed in order. We try to make it as easy as A B C D:
Before you do anything, you need to go through THIS list from Transport Canada and make sure the car/truck is admissible. These rules apply to vehicles that are less than 15 years old. Nearly all mass produced light duty passenger vehicles can be imported into Canada but some cannot, and there are some surprises here. For example, none of the following vehicles can be imported into Canada:
Just because it is eligible to be imported does not mean that Transport Canada will not require you to make expensive modifications. All registered vehicles in Canada (that are newer than 15 years old) must have:
Most vehicles have these items but not all. For instance, If your odometer only has MILES PER HOUR on it, you will REQUIRED to change it to one with KILOMETERS PER HOUR on it before it can be registered and plated.
I have to think that using a broker gets through customs faster because the officers perceive you as a professional and don’t have to goof around explaining what the fields mean and what to do next.
In my case it was well worth a couple hundred dollars for all that paperwork, prepayments and guidance, but you will have to make your own decision.
Contact the manufacturer and ask them to send you a “Recall Clearance”. This is nothing more than a few paragraphs on letterhead (not likely a form) that states the vehicle in question has no outstanding recall’s. This letter is valid for 30 days and most brokers will get this for you.
It is also a very good idea to buy a CarFax, or CarProof or AutoCheck or… to verify the vehicle history is clean. This is NOT required for importation but if the vehicle was a write-off/salvage/flood damaged it cannot be registered in Canada regardless of the repairs completed in the US, so you might want to check.
Once you are sure you can bring the vehicle into Canada, make your deal, get the purchase agreement (bill of sale) and contact your auto insurance company to arrange for temporary coverage.
The rules on this will vary depending on which Province you live in but most insurance companies require a copy of your bill of sale and ‘title’ document. That coverage is usually good for 14 to 30 days depending, again, on your Province.
See step C-1 below for what you need if the police pull you over.
What they need is simple enough:
There are however, to ugly problems to get through:
I have found the US Customs process for exporting simple and professional. Shockingly, you can call most of the crossings and they will have a knowledgeable human CBP agent talk to you about their hours and procedures. I highly recommend you call them in advance to have a quick chat about your plans.
US CBP phone numbers and details are available here: cbp.gov/contact/ports
Either get your vehicle onto a car carrier / flat bed or drive it to the border.
If you are going to drive it to the border you need to have either temporary transit permit (temp license plate) or you need to put a non-expired Canadian license plate on it.
I chose to drive my mew car and I put my Alberta license plate on it. The rules will vary from Province to Province but in Alberta it is legal to use your existing active license plate on a vehicle you have just purchased for up to 14 days. If the police pulled me over, I would be required to provide:
My Alberta insurance company issued me a 30 day insurance slip on my US vehicle by simply providing them the bill of sale. In your Province the rules are likely similar, but you will need to contact your insurance company to work out the details.
You must report to the CBP office with the vehicle on the US side of the border BEFORE you cross into Canada. The US CBP officer will give the vehicle a very quick visual inspection to confirm the VIN number and vehicle description matches what is on the paperwork.
They will ask for the original ‘Title’ (what Canadians would call ‘Registration’), stamp it with the word EXPORTED and hand it back to you.
Keep this and all paperwork as your Registry, ICBC, Service Ontario… will require it.
If all goes well, once you get to the US CBP office their process should be completed in about 30 minutes.
Drive through the border and park where the agent tells you to. In my case the Canadian Customs Officer “in the hut” checked my passport, asked a few common sense questions and handed me a small yellow slip they call a “referral”.
When you are parked, Officers may go through your vehicle but it is unlikely. They did not go through mine or any of a dozen other vehicles I saw being imported, but I did see them rip through a van.
The example in orange to the right, shows the total fees that are to be paid to import a $30,000 car for personal use from the US to Alberta.
When they are done, you will receive a stamped FORM 1.
Make sure they stamp BOTH the top and bottom for form as shown on the right. A customs broker warned me about that Canadian Customs Officers often want to only stamp the top but if they do not also stamp the bottom you will need to return to customs to get it stamped before you can register your car in Canada. The officer I dealt with only stamped the top and was none-to-happy with my request for him to stamp the bottom. However, I am very glad I insisted because when I tried to register the car a few days later, I was told they have never seen a Form-1 without stamps on both the top and bottom.
All of the paperwork and payments can be made in advance if you use a customs broker. You need to hire them to create your ITN for US Customs so why not spend another $100ish to get all this stress and paperwork cleared up before you arrive.
Because I used a customs broker, a ll I had to do was visit the brokers office at the border, collect my paperwork, visit the customs officer, hand him all the paperwork and my yellow referral slip, wait 20 minutes, drive away.
Now that you are free and clear in Canada, you and not free and clear… yet. You need to get your vehicle insured, inspected and registered.
The process will vary from Province to Province but in Alberta I needed to visit my Registry first and pay a $10 fee for an Out of Province inspection form. They wanted my bill of sale, US title document and drivers license.
After trying several options including the largest GM dealer in Western Canada, I found that Canadian Tire was the only place that can provide Out of Country inspections. Fortunately, CanTire does not charge for that inspection beyond the collection of my Provincial ‘Tire Tax’ of a big $9/tire. I had them perform the Out of Province inspection at the same time at a cost of $180.
If you really don’t want to use Canadian Tire, a complete list of Out of Country Inspection locations are available at riv.ca/ImporterChecklist.aspx . Just click through the check list and STEP 3 provides a list of authorized inspection stations in your area.
After your Out of Country RIV VEHICLE INSPECTION FORM has been completed (by Canadian Tire) it needs to be faxed (yes, faxed like in 1985!) to RIV. If you use a customs broker they will likely want to do this for you, but in my case Canadian Tire faxed it in at no charge.
Call you insurance company and arrange for proper insurance.
Visit your Registry, ICBC, Service Ontario… to get your car registered in your Province. They will ask for:
In my case the Alberta registry charged me a big $25 to process this paperwork and transfer my license plate from old car to the new one. In other Provinces like BC, Ontario and Quebec, this same service will cost much more.
In a week or two you should receive a sticker from the Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV). That sticker is required to be placed on the drivers door jam.
That’s it. Happy driving!
If you are not out of your skull with details yet, check out these pages:
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View Comments
This is the most complete website I found on importing a vehicle into Canada from the US. I am in the process right now. I imported a vehicle 10 days ago and still cannot drive it in British Columbia. ICBC will not register and insure the vehicle until it has passed the inspections and mine (2020 Chevy Trax) doesn't meet the Daytime Running Lights requirement. I have an appointment tomorrow at the local Chevy dealer for the modification which means I go to ICBC today to get a 24 hour Temporary Transfer Permit. Since this is my only vehicle each day of delay is an issue.
Hi, This is great information. I have a question on using a Customs Broker services. Can I use the same broker for my ITN and getting my paperwork cleared i.e. one broker on the US side or another on Canadian side?
Hi Abhinav;
Likely, most brokers operate in both the US and Canada
The vehicle must meet the requirements of all the following 5 departments:
Canada Border Services Agency
Transport Canada
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Environment and Climate Change Canada
U.S. Customs Border Protection
You should correct several mistakes on your page:
- Most Teslas are now admissible (since late Aug 2019).
- Depending on the branding, salvage cars can be imported but they may need to be inspected in Canada. (Technically, all salvage branded vehicles can be imported but "non-repairable" or "flood" branded can only be imported as parts and can never be registered for road use. Other branding can be registered for road use).
- It is possible for Canadians for get an ITN. I've done it on a few occasions (3 times I believe).
Hi Michel;
We have verified your first and second items and will take your word for the third. The page has been updated. Thanks for your help :)