Tips on importing a car from the US to Canada - added

[banger68]

I just recently imported a 86 Daytona from Ohio to Ontario. Since the question how to import comes up regularly, I’ll share how I did it. It was quite easy actually. Please note that I crossed at Detroit/Windsor so there might be slight differences at other crossings.

First get the current owner to get Recall Sheet from a dealership. Make sure that the dealership stamps it or has there logo so that it isn’t on a generic form. If there are any outstanding recalls, there has to be proof that they have been fixed elsewhere. US customs did not check this in my case, but I had it ready.

You must get a copy of the ownership to US customs a min. of 72 hrs before you plan on crossing. I did one better and got it there earlier and then I phoned to confirm that they had it. Hate to have any surprises after driving 12 hrs round trip to get the car. I was crossing at Detroit/Windsor and the phone # for US Customs there is (313)226-3139. Phone this number aswell to get the fax # to send the ownership.

At the Detroit crossing you do not pull up to the border when returning with the car. You have to go to the Fort St Cargo Facility at 2810 West Fort St. It is right below the bridge, not too hard to find. Go through the automatic gate and go to the left and park at the back. The Customs building is the 2nd smaller building near the front. The 1st building are all brokers. You must have:

Personal ID
Ownership (Title)
Recall Sheet
Receipt

Make sure that the ownership gets stamped. Take all the paperwork and pull the car to the side gate where another officer will check your paperwork and check the VIN. Then you cross the border as usual.

Now you have to stop at Canadian Customs (1-800-461-9999). It is right at the border crossing, just follow the signs. First thing they checked was for the DOT label on the drivers door and check the VIN. They checked for the stamp on the ownership from US customs and filled out a Vehicle Import Form. They will stamp the Vehicle Import Form in two places … I’m told that having both stamps is important. I had to then pay Excise tax (for the AC I believe. It didn’t matter that it doesn’t currently work) and GST on the purchase price.

Now I just registered the car in Ontario as usual. Now if the vehicle is newer then 15 years old, which my car wasn’t, it has to go through the RIV program and be checked if the car is even eligible to bring across. You can find this info on their website. Just a note that both US Customs and Canadian Customs are open 24 hrs so I came through at 2 AM and it was quiet and went straight through, hardly any delays. May be different at other border crossings. Everyone was easy to deal with, (other then one jerk when parking in the back lot at US Customs :mad: ) and I got a lot of info from a person I phoned at RIV even though the car was more then 15 years old.

Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV): 1-888-848-8240 (www.riv.ca)
Canada Customs: 1-800-461-999 (in Canada)
(506) 636-5064 (outside Canada)
US Customs: (313)226-3139

Hope this helps.

[turbovanman]

I moved this to the FAQ section.

[1FastCSX289]

Ive done this, but in the OTHER DIRECTION, coming into the US and also responded over on TD in a similiar manner. From Ontario into NY is a different game. This will save you hours of screwing around or hiring an importer. It took me over 7 hours of calling around and searching to figure this nonsense out.

US customs wants only two things. One.....that the DOT sticker is fixed to the door. TWO.....the PITA....they want a letter from Chrysler that says the vehicle conforms to US EPA and DOT standards. Now, this letter is a problem. Chrysler sucks. They WONT write the letter for you. I was on the phone literally for hours and went all the way up to vice president of customer relations. No dice.

Luckily, I found another way around the letter. If you go to the US EPA website you can track down a list of "pre-approved" vehicles for import. Anything over 21 years old is approved. And any 88-95 chrysler vehicle. Read the forms carefully, it pretty much explains how this works.

The problem for me was that the border patrol was unfamiliar with this loophole to the letter. They were gonna send me back into Canada with the car unless I had "THE LETTER". Luckily, I found SOMEONE who knew what they were doing and let me through. My advice is to call ahead and let them know that you do not have the letter, but you have a copy of the pre-approved list from the EPA. MAKE SURE YOU GET THE PERSONS NAME that you talk to in case they hassle you at the border.


Heres the pre-approval list:

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/canadian.htm

Heres the form you fill out. If the car is 21 years old or older its exempt from EPA cert. You will check either box "FF" or "E" as either conforming or exempt.

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/forms/3520-1.pdf

Hope this helps.