Whether you want to take advantage of lower U.S. car prices, you are moving from the U.S. to Canada or you have found a ‘one-of-a-kind’ collector car south of the border, you may need to ship your car across the border.Shipping cars across the U.S./Canada border is fairly common, but that doesn’t make it easy or straight-forward, especially for the first time importer.The following points will give you a better idea of the process:

1. Register the Vehicle – In Canada, you are required to register a car bought in the U.S. with the Canadian Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) before you ship the vehicle. The RIV has a vehicle admissibility list on their website at www.riv.ca.
2. Meet Safety & Emission Control Standards – Many standards for safety and emissions are different between Canada and the U.S.. The car(s) you ship must meet the Canadian standards.
3. HST – You must make arrangements to pay HST on the assessed Canadian value of the car before it is imported.
4. Warranty Coverage – Many car manufacturers will not honour the warranty of a U.S.-bought car in Canada. You should contact the manufacturer of your vehicle(s) to confirm their policy on warranty coverage.
5. Check the Vehicle Recall List – You can’t import cars into Canada if they are on a safety recall list. Get your vehicle identification number(s) and consult the manufacturer for recalls on your car.
6. Cars 15 years old or older. Here’s some good news. Cars that are 15 years old and older can be shipped into Canada from the U.S. without duties or registration with RIV.
7. Customs Broker – A customs broker is needed when you ship anything across the U.S./Canada border.

 

More Good News: If you choose the right shipping company to import your car or cars, they will take care of a lot of the paperwork and help you through the entire process.

If you have any other questions about shipping a car from the U.S. to Canada, please don’t hesitate to call Precision Truck Lines at 905-851-1996, we’ll be happy to answer them.