Hello we are going thru admin processing for our us visa which is taking some time, so my wife has decided to move to Canada until the process is over. She wants to bring her car to canada with all the research I have done and the contacts I have made by custom brokers they are clueless as to how this can be done.

Does anyone have any experience in this and which companies we can contact to have this done....she wont be driving so the car needs to be transported on a carrier. Any advise will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ahh! You two have been waiting a long time!

There is good information here: http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/menu.htm including a list of vehicles that are admissible.

Hope they suddenly approve your visa and there won't be any need for you to move, however if that isn't the case I hope you enjoy Canada

The only thing is if she declares that she will return then she (might) get out of the taxes. If she wishes to stay, she must declare it at the border and ususally it will need to be brought into compliance with Canadian regulations. Daytime running lights, km on the speedometer, emissions, etc. You need to take it to a mechanic and have a safety inspection done if you want to get a Canadian license plate. You are better off waiting for a few months to see what happens since it might be worth it to not to import the vehicle.

I can answer your questions but I need a bit more info before I can answer your questions. Is your wife a citizen of Canada? How long has she been in the US? What is her status in the US right now? Is it a US car (purchased in the US)? How long has she owned the car? How old is the car? When was it manufactured? What make and Model? You do not need to use a customs broker and would only if she was using it commercially or selling it commerciall (like a car dealer).

does your wife have status in Canada or is just going up for an extended (not to exceed 6 months) visit?

I would listen to neiks!! She is a Canadian Custom Border agent!!! and she rarely lies,lol

We are going to be going thru something similar....I am selling my car soon, as the lease is up in May. Jim (hubby) has a Tahoe that he doesn't drive so we will be shipping it here from California. I just did a search online for car carriers, contacted about 5 of them & they all emailed me quotes. The best one I got is less than $2,000...cheaper than driving it 1800 miles & no mileage put on the vehicle. In the long run, we will save $$. He will add me to the insurance and there won't be any problem as it can be in SK for 3 months at a time. If I have to, I'll drive to the border at that point, into the US, turn around & come back.

jen

you're the Canadian right? Canadian citizens and residents can't drive non-Canadian plated cars in Canada. For a Canadian citizen to drive a US car in Canada, the car has to be imported into Canada with a letter from the manufacturer that the car meets Canadian safety regs, pay the duty, get an inspection and get it plated in your province.

ya been a few people on VJ get stuck on the USA side trying to bring a USA plated car into Canada!! Canadian Border patrol would not allow it!! One would think that if ya did get it across and then got into an accident9Cdn driving), one may find out they have NO insurance!!

CHeck out the registrar of imported vehicles...

www.riv.ca

Thank you all for the extremly valuable information. I am the Canadian Citizen she is a US Citizen and will currently have a visitor status atleast for now. The Car is Honda Civic 2003 and we have the title in her name, the letter of recall and the sales contract and the car registration in us under her name. Since our USA immig process seems to have hit a roadblock we are exploring just living in Canada as to us the most important thing is living together whether that is/was in USA or in Canada. So in short my wife will be exporting the car from USA and importing it in USA and hopefully the process should go smoothly. Thanks again and any further suggestions or advise will be appreciated.

Thanks,

as long as she's a visitor, she won't be exporting or importing the car. but if you're applying for Canadian PR for her, then yes she'll need to export the car from the US and import it into Canada. Then down the road if/when you move back to the US, she'll just need to show the exporting papers and get a returning vehicle paper (I can't remember exactly what this form is called) from the POE. bringing the car back to the US should be pretty strait forward

The wife cannot import her car until she receives status in Canada (permanent residency). She can drive the car in Canada as a visitor, but make sure to call the U.S. insurance company and get a non-resident proof of insurance (most insurance companies can provide you with one). If she were to try to import the vehicle prior to having residency in Canada, she would be subject to excise taxes and other taxes and treated as a car dealer (and it's very expensive). While she is there, just keep up the U.S. insurance payments as she will be unable to get Canadian insurance on the car.

By the way, the rates that Canadian insurance companies charge is outrageous anyway. I had a 2002 Dodge Caravan insured in Toronto (liability only) for $120/month. I have a 2001 VW Jetta (full coverage including collision) for $60/month. Go figure...

I shipped a vehicle from California to Buffalo (I live 3 hours from Toronto) and saved money since the transport company didnt have to ship the vehicle over the border...just an idea if its significantly more for them to take it over the border (and less paperwork), and then you can just drive it though the border...

Rena

1. Canadian residents can NOT drive US vehicles in Canada. They must be imported, have the GST and any duty applicable paid. It must also enter into the RIV (Register of Imported Vehicle) program and be subject to a Federal safety.
2. Your wife can only be in visitor status in Canada, therefore there is no need to import it. She can not register or insure it in Canada and will have to maintain her US insurance. Also, please note, that only she (the US resident) can drive the vehicle in Canada and you (the Canadian resident spouse) will not be able to drive it in Canada. If you (Canadian spouse) are wanting to use it in Canada then it will have to be imported.

3. If you decide to apply for Canadian PR status for your wife then she will have to import the vehicle when her status is granted.