Importing a Motor Vehicle To Canada (the be all end all)
Tired of all the post about this topic so here it is the be all end all... Hopefully this can be made a sticky.
What to do before you import?
- Make sure your vehicle is admissible and can be modified to meet Canadian requirements by checking Transport Canada’s List of Admissible Vehicles (this list includes passengers cars, trucks, vans, jeeps, chassis cabs, trailers, motorcycles, and snowmobiles less than 15 years old; off-road vehicles manufactured after May 1, 1988 and buses manufactured after Jan. 1, 1971. www.riv.ca (1-888-848-8240)
- Contact the original equipment manufacturer or authorized dealer of your vehicle to obtain a recall clearance letter (YOU MUST HAVE THIS DOCUMENT IN ORDER TO PASS THE FEDERAL INSPECTION)
- Make sure you have the required documentation: title documents, registration, sales receipts, statement of compliance label and manufacturer’s recall clearance letter.
- Find out about any additional provincial or territorial requirements, such as safety inspections and emissions tests.
- Arrange for insurance.
- Present your vehicle along with original title docs to US Customs prior (72 hours) to entering Canada. www.customs.gov
- If you are importing a trailer you may call RIV to have your VIN number verified ahead of time.
What to do at the border?
- produce your title documents, registration and sales receipts.
- Complete Vehicle Import Form- Form 1 which will be provided by CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency formally Customs) this form must be kept with vehicle until it is licensed.
- CBSA will check vehicle against Transport Canada’s list of admissible vehicles they will also verify the public VIN #’s and manufacturer’s statement of compliance label to ensure a match.
- CBSA will facilitate the payment of your nonrefundable RIV fee of $182 in all provinces except Quebec where it is $197.
- Payment for the RIV fee may be made directly to CBSA with major credit cards CBSA DOES NOT ACCEPT CASH OR CHEQUES FOR THE RIV FEE.
What to do after the vehicle enters Canada?
- Within 10 days, you should receive a letter from RIV with your inspection docs (form 2) which details what must be done to bring your vehicle into compliance.
- It is your responsibility to complete the necessary mods within 45 days (they can be preformed by the garage of your choice)
- Make sure you keep receipts of all your modification work
- The RIV has contracted Canadian Tire to perform their federal inspections.
- When you pass the inspection they inspection center will stamp your form 1 and you will have to present this paper work to the licensing authority
- If the vehicle fails the inspection within the 45 days it will have to be exported.
Common Modifications?
Motorcycles
- recall clearance letter
- U.S statement of compliance (S.O.C Label) at the border
- The RIV will mail a Canadian statement of compliance label to you after passing the federal inspection
- Valid alpha-numeric 17-digit VIN
- Metric speedometer and odometer labels (provided by inspection centre)
- All lights on
Restricted-Use Motorcycles
- Recall clearance letter
- Off-road statement label
- Reflectors
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