Importing Car from the US - how to?

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[lowfat]

Wasn't directly related to the previous shipping thread so I thought I'd start a new one. Seems like a few people around here have done this recently. Anyone want to post what to expect from the paper, where to get the paper, etc.? I'm sure there is a few people at least thinking about this lately

[4WARNED]

Not quite sure what you mean by paper? do you mean MSO / title/ etc.?

Beyond.ca has a really good posting about importing from the US.....it's about an hour of reading but everything is there...

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/107279/jaymez-importing-from-the-states-thread-/

Basically, have the paperwork (title (or MSO), export worksheet, bill of sale) faxed to Whitlash, MT three working days prior to your crossing.......you can cross anywhere...Whitlash simply sends those papers to the crossing you plan on entering in. They (US customs) will stamp your title for EXPORT and you proceed to the canadian side...

6% GST applied at the border (and you pay for it on the spot), check to make sure the car was built in North america, otherwise your subjected to another 6% duty fee...

RIV fee of $206 at the border, $100 A/C fee at the border and you get Form 1 for RIV once all of this is completed. Have the recall letter showing all is completed on that vehicle..and complete any mods required to meet Canadian standards. RIV will want this before they send you Form 2. Go to Crappy tire and get Form 2 completed and car inspected.

If vehicle has not been registered to anyone before (i.e. it's new), you don't need an out of province inspection. If it's used, get an OOP inspection done.

With OOP in hand, along with Form 2 stamped and your bill of sale, you can now register the car and get an AB plate.

Now, i know there are always exceptions to the rules, but this is the procedure. Did it for a GT500 4 months ago, and headed to OHIO in two weeks for something else now too...

[lowfat]

Thanks for this. What I meant was the paperwork...edited. Where do you get the export worksheet? The recall letter is from the manufacturer? You mentioned sending the title to Whitlash...im not sure I understand. If you haven't purchased the car yet you wouldn't have this yet?

I didn't read the beyond thread yet (it's long) but I will.

Thanks again,
Ryan

[4WARNED]

Export worksheet here...

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/export/export_docs/vehicle_exports/

About the title, read the part on the link above....the title needs to be signed over to you PRIOR to being faxed....that's where buying from a private party gets tricky because they won't sign it over until the money changes hands, and you won't do that until you see/drive the vehicle. They won't accept unsigned titles (they only want to process paperwork for vehicles that will be exported...not the thousands of maybes...)...

The title (front and back) along with the worksheet go to Whitlash, MT...faxed. On that worksheet, you tell them the border crossing you plan on coming across and Whitlash will send the docs to that crossing. Make sure you're planned border crossing is open for vehicle exports during the time you plan on crossing...some are business hours only, and others are 24hours...

Let me know if you need anything else....i'm a little too familiar with the inner workings...

[Conekilr]

Ryan

The export worksheet can be gotton from here http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/export/export_docs/vehicle_exports/

If a newer vehicle (less than 15 years old) the recall letter has to come from the Manufacturer

The title...I had the owner sign and fax me a copy of the title which I then faxed to US Customs along with the worksheet...I also told them which border point I was crossing at...

A couple things to note:

The 3 day notice that US customs require prior to exporting the vehicle from the US is 3 BUSINESS DAYS

If you are bringing the vehicle back yourself have the following with you:

A copy of the information you faxed to US customs, the Original copy signed by the owner of the Title, the bill of Sale all for US customs:

For Canadin customs you will need:

the Original Title that was stamped by US customs
Proof of how much you paid for the car (copy of Money order)
A copy of the AD advertising the Car for Sale...Whatever you do, DO NOT try to misrepresent how much you paid for the car to Canadian Customs...If they believe you are misrepresenting the true value of the car, they can assign a value on their own for the purposes of calculating the taxes owed..

It really is quite easy if you have all you ducks in a row....It took me about 20 minutes to complete the entire process (exporting from the US and importing into Canada)...

Hope this helps

[_Rod_]

The 3 day notice that US customs require prior to exporting the vehicle from the US is 3 BUSINESS DAYS

Yeah these guys seem to have it covered.  Although I thought it was 72 hours, not three business days.  I just imported a vehicle and bought the car at noon on Wednesday, and brought it across at  2 PM on Saturday (73 hours after I faxed the title), no problems.  I called the border on Friday and they didn't have the paperwork done, but it was fine when I got there on Saturday.

Before you start dealing on a car, be sure to ask if they have the title in hand.  If not, don't bother (unless the car is so rare that you are prepared to wait for it).  If they don't have the title in hand, there may be a lien on it, and the title won't be released until it is paid in full (there may be other reasons why they don't have the title too, I'm not sure).  I believe it is quite common for it to take a couple of weeks to get the actual title once you buy a car where the seller doesn't have the title in hand.

Do a carfax report on any cars you are interested in (it's the least you can do).  Also, I got a car from Arizona and I was able to call a DMV branch to check to see if there were liens on the car.  Liens are also listed on the title in both the states I bought from (Arizona and Utah).  Be sure to ask if there are any state taxes that you might get dinged with.  I talked to two dealers in Arizona and one (large) said they have to do the transaction out of state to avoid tax.  The other one was the guy I bought off, and he didn't charge tax, but he might have to pay it (I think it was 2% or 3% in Arizona).  Utah didn't have any tax problems (just had to show them my drivers licence).

Be sure to tell the seller that you need to have a copy of the title signed over before you pick up the car. On the new car I bought last year, I had to pay for the car before I picked it up, otherwise the dealer would not sign over the title.  I think this is pretty standard (and I don't blame them).  I wasn't prepared to do this on a used car (i.e. I wanted to inspect it before I handed over the cash), but the dealer was OK with signing and faxing a copy to me with only a deposit.  I'm thinking that most private sellers won't mind doing this for you.

There is a list on the www.riv.ca site that lists all the vehicles that can be imported into Canada.  Be sure to check that the vehicle is on the list on the RIV.CA site before you buy it.  The site should also tell you if any modifications are required once you get the car to canada (e.g. bumper modifications, etc.).

Payment:
This is a bit of a problem if you want to pay AFTER you inspect the car.  Canadian banks and US banks are on different systems.  A BANK DRAFT or CERTIFIED CHECK here in Canada is not as 'acceptable' in the states as it is here.  If the seller is a 'stickler' or asks his bank for advise, they may tell you that the cheque will not clear for 10 days.  You better be a sweat talker if you want the seller to give you the car if the bank is telling them it will be 10 days before the cheque clears.  Cash works, but you might not be comfortable with that.  If you pay up front, then you can do a wire transfer (at least there is a paper trail).  You could also do a wire transfer after you have inspected the car, but there is a chance there will be a delay (e.g. 24 hrs) depending on how your bank handles wire transfers (e.g. Royal Bank does it out of the East, and it needs to be in before noon to go through the same day, and even then, they give no guarantees). 

If I were to do it again, I'd pay for an inspection before I went down and then just pay up front with wire transfer.

Good luck and happy shopping!

Rod

EDIT: Oh yeah: Get the longest trip permit you can get (I got 90 day permits), I drove the car around calgary while waiting for all the paperwork to come through.  Saves paying for a temporary permit in Canada while you are waiting for the paperwork...  To be honest, I never really checked to see if the trip permit is valid for the full 90 days in Canada, but I can't see why they wouldn't be.

[Talonman]

I am too trusting I think, I UPSed a bank draft to some guy in MD for a used car I had never seen. But can't complain so far except for the shipping, I was going to drive but man is it a long way.

[lowfat]

Great infomation. Thanks guys.

[_Rod_]

I am too trusting I think, I UPSed a bank draft to some guy in MD for a used car I had never seen. But can't complain so far except for the shipping, I was going to drive but man is it a long way.

Nothing wrong with that, but I think it is a bit different if you are shipping the car.  The risk is a bit less in some ways and higher in other ways.  If you are planning on driving the car 1700 miles, like I did, you kind of want to be sure it is good.  Your risk is even higher if you pay up front AND you are flying down to pick it up.  If you are shipping the car, you have no choice but to pay for the car without seeing it personally, unless you want to fly down and inspect it.  However, you have the option to fix any problems here in Canada, rather than on the side of the road!

I didn't do a pre inpection on this one I just bought, but I wish I had.  I've got to do a bit of work on it, and could have saved the hassle by just buying a different car...  The problems were not enough to walk away from the car once I was down there (and paying the flight home), but I may have walked away if all I'd had in it was $250 for an inspection... 

Also, a bank draft from a Canadian bank is not guaranteed to be and "INSTANT" payment once the seller receives it.  I've experienced this myself (when getting a payment from someone in the US), as well as a friend of mine who paid for a car with a bank draft.  The seller's Bank said it would be 10 days for the cheque to clear.  He was lucky and the seller let him take the car.  If you are picking up the car, don't rely on a bank draft, unless you have verified with the seller that he/she will accept it.

Rod

P.S. If you are buying new, I felt the risk was minimal and I just sent the money.

[rx7racerca]

This is a great thread, sums up what has come up in many threads previously on this topic. Maybe it should be stickied?

[Bullitt]

Another payment method is to open an account at the same branch the seller banks at. Set it up a week, or so, before you plan to take delivery and wire the money into your account. Usually takes a couple of days to get there. If the car passes your inspection, travel together to the sellers (and your) bank and transfer the funds to him in exchange for the title document. Once the transaction is concluded, close your account.

[speedracer]

We'll throw in Archive after.

[JC Inc.]

Rod,

Where did you get this 90 day trip permit?  From Arizona?

I've bought multiple cars in the states and I don't think I've ever gone through the hassle of getting the right in transit permits.  To me, they don't really make sense.  IN Alberta, the intransit permit only can be for 7 days I think.  But RIV can take a while since you have to pass federal and provincial inspections.

So I'm not sure of the "proper" way that you are supposed to be driving the car around until you can register it in canada.  I've usually just stuck a plate on it from another car in my name and kept all my docs and insurance with me in the car.  I don't think thats the proper way, but I've never had any issues, even when I got pulled over by the cops.

[Conekilr]

When I picked up my 993 from Ontario, I had a 30 intransit from Ontario that I drove around with until I got the car registered here....I had no problems with it...

The car I just got I have been driving with the Washington plates on it. I have the Title with me and my insurance just in case I get pulled over...

I believe you have 45 days to transfer/ get the proper registration...I think I read that somewhere but am not 100% sure....

[Rad_Racer]

I believe you have 45 days to transfer/ get the proper registration...I think I read that somewhere but am not 100% sure....

I think that's only if you owned the car and then moved here, but I'm not sure.  The car has to be insured somewhere/somehow to be driven though.