Exporting a truck from the U.S. to Canada

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As per my previous posts, I recently exported a nice 72 swb from Seattle to Calgary. A few people have asked for the details on how this is done so I thought I would write what I knew. Sorry it took so long, but here goes.

There are some basic rules. First you deal with U.S. customs. I like U.S. customs, they are very organised, it's a very "you do this, and we give you this" arrangement.
U.S. Customs requires all documentation be sent to the port of crossing 72 hours prior, no exceptions, more on this later.
Canada customs and the Canadian Government vary. You will pay GST on the value of an American made vehicle coming to Canada regardless if it is used. If it has Air Conditioning you will pay $100 canadian as a tax.
If the vehicle is 15 years old or newer, it must be entered into the Registrar of imported vehicles. Vehicles this new may not be allowed to be imported or may require serious modification to meet Canadian standards i.e low speed impact requirements (which are different than the U.S.), daytime running lights etc. If you are imorting a vehicle of this nature check out RIV.ca and you can find out the info you need. They will even send you an information packet.
If you are importing a vehicle that is not American made, expect to pay duty, but there are some exceptions, it is best to contact the registrar of imported vehicles.

Ok not done yet, but I have to go back to work. Will finish up later. Dave

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Ok back now.

I forgot to mention earlier about the registrar of imported vehicles or RIV fees. Standard fee is $285, more I think if you live in Quebec, and I think you may pay pst in some of the eastern provinces, Alberta you do not. Like I said check out RIV.ca if your vehicle is this new. Remember, if your vehicle is older than 15 years you do not have to pay the RIV fee.
I think for the most part people here are exporting older vehicles so i won't spend too much time on the rules for newer stuff, because there are alot of rules.

Ok, what to do.
1. Choose a place of crossing.

2. Call or email U.S. Customs at that border crossing. Find out if they have a vehicle export team there. Not all crossings have one. For example, my truck was in washington and I would have liked to cross at the Sumas crossing. It takes you east early and keeps you out of Vancouver. But U.S. customs does not have a vehicle export team at this crossing, so I had to cross at Blaine.

3.Once you have chosen a place of crossing with a vehicle export team, YOU MUST STICK WITH IT. Although U.S. customs is broad and linked, when you send your paperwork to one crossing , that's the only one it goes to. You can't send documents to Blaine and then try to cross at Sweetgrass because the weather in B.C. is bad. You will get turned back.

4.Paperwork. Call or email U.S. customs at your border crossing and ask them to email/fax you the information required for exporting a vehicle. This is a very good package they will send you. Mine from Blaine had a map with directions and instructions of what to do at the border. I was required to send a copy of the title, signed over, both sides, a bill of sale, and the filled out worksheet that comes in your information packet you requested from U.S. customs. This can all be faxed back to U.S. customs at Blaine. Not every port has the same rules, I have heard that some want the original title not a copy, that is why it is best to contact them. The worksheet is just a fill in the blanks sheet of basic information about the truck and purchaser. U.S. customs wants this information 72 hours before the truck crosses the border, and weekends and holidays do not count! Oh yes and if you send it past 3:30 pm their time, the clock starts the next morning.

5. Follow up. 1-2 days after sending your info to U.S. customs, call or email to find out whether they got your fax. Don't assume they did. They will reply whether they got it and in my case they had already cleared it for export, after the 72 hours was up of course. Now you wait. Canada customs does not require any advance notice.

6.At the border. Stop at U.S. customs on the way out. Those of you familiar with crossing will know that there is no reason, much less room, to stop at U.S. customs on your way out. In my info packet it had instructions on where to park when you get to the border. You must have the original title, signed over, and the original bill of sale and original worksheet. Go into the U.S. customs building and go to the vehicle export desk. Hand them all of your paperwork, they will then go and get the copies that you faxed them, look to make sure it's the same, and if all is good, as it should be, they will stamp the original title as exported, enter some info into the computer and hand you back your originals. The vehicle is now exported. In my case noone even came out to look at the truck, I guess I have a trustworthy face!

7.Canada Customs. When you pull up to Canada customs, tell them you are importing this truck. They will ask you to declare the value of the truck and everything else you may have bought, in my case it was a suitcase full of Coors original! They will hand you a little white slip with the numbers you just gave them and tell you to go inside to the desk and pay. They will also ask if it has A/C in order to have you pay your tax on that. I understand that if the vehicle is in the RIV program you pay the RIV fee right there. You will fill out a couple lines on a form, it'll get stamped and you pay the cashier. This form is important as you will need it in order to register it.

8. Registering it. My experience is only in Alberta but it may give you an idea for all provinces. To register it you will need an out of province inspection. So take the form you just got from Canada customs including your bill of sale(I just took all my paperwork that I had compiled up so far). This is the stupid part, go to the registry office and say you want to register said truck, and they will give you a request for an out of province inspection form that you have to pay ten bucks for. Yes you must pay them 10 bucks for them to ask you to get an inspection. Take the request form to the mechanic doing the inspection because he will not do it without it. When it passes, the mechanic will give you the inspection form to take to the registry with your insurance and bill of sale so you can register it. You're done, congrats!

Sidebar. Transporting the vehicle.
I drove my vehicle home, and some have asked how does this work. In the U.S. the plates stay with the vehicle, so if the plates/tags are good the vehicle is considered registered and can be driven, provided you have insurance. Normally if you were a U.S. resident you would just go down to the DMV and transfer the title to your name after you bought it, but since you are canadian, there is no way or need to. At the border you must remove the U.S.plates and put on the intransit sticker you got BEFORE you left Canada. I of course contacted my insurance company before leaving to go pick it up and put insurance on it and got a fax copy of the insurance card. Like I said this is how the Alberta rules work, all other provinces may be different.

Well I think that's it. I'm sure I will remember something later and want to add it. Please feel free to fill in anything I have missed or ask any questions. This of course should serve as a guideline based on my experience and your situation may be different so I don't think of it as the bible, but it should give you a very good idea as to what is required to export a truck, hope this helps someone. Dave

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Originally Posted by 71/454

Sidebar. Transporting the vehicle.
I drove my vehicle home, and some have asked how does this work. In the U.S. the plates stay with the vehicle, so if the plates/tags are good the vehicle is considered registered and can be driven, provided you have insurance. Normally if you were a U.S. resident you would just go down to the DMV and transfer the title to your name after you bought it, but since you are canadian, there is no way or need to.

The only tidbit of info I could add to this is that this section is not entirely correct. Not all state's specifically allow the plates to stay with a sold vehicle, especially when purchased by a non-resident (state or country). They are typically returned to the state as they are state property. I can find no solid information to back this up on the WA DMV's crappy website. But I do know in New Jersey the plates must be surrendered by the seller back to the state or transferred to a new vehicle.

That being said I've purchased plenty of vehicles that the plates should not have been on because sellers aren't exactly aware of the proper rules of sale. What may need to happen to ensure full legal compliance is a trip to the local US DMV with the title, proof of insurance, the pope as a personal reference and whatever else the dmv wants for identification and the new owner would purchase a Non-Resident Temporary Registration Tag. These are usually good for anywhere from 15-30 days from what I've seen. Tape it in the window and away you go.

[Already Gone]

Great info and very factual. I've never imported a truck but have imported a few Honda Goldwings in the last couple of years. You said you weren't sure if they collected the RIV fee at Canada Customs and I will confirm that they do. The Customs people will phone RIV on the spot and RIV will want a credit card number from you for the fee. I think you can do the RIV thing on your own once you get home but its probably easier for you to let the Customs people do it for you there.