Going to import a pick up truck from the U.S. in the next few weeks. I found this site to be very useful (http://www.auto-broker-magic.com/Canada_Import.html), does anybody have any other information other then what has been already said on the above site?

 

Jim, I haven't done this myself but I have looked into it recently.

I looked at the site and I am little confused about step 3 of the process. I was planning on towing the car home so I would have avoided the need to drive in the states. I am wondering whether it would be possible to get a temporary permit from the Canadian Ministry and use it rather than having to attend a DMV office in the States? It may save you some time. I would call and find out.

I'm not sure about the type of vehicle you are importing so the below may be irrelevant.
At step 11 the duty on non North American cars is around 6%. I think it is also due at the border. A quick call to canada customs will clarify that too.

 

Jim, I've done this many times and the process has changed over the years. The best thing to do is to start at the Registrar of Imported Vehicles (www.riv.ca) where you'll get step-by-step instructions. Transporting the vehicle out of the US is the biggest hassle of the whole thing. In my experience some states are less willing to issue temporary trip permits than others, especially when the vehicle is being transferred out of state by a non-resident. Trailering the vehicle is the best way, yet slapping your own ON plates may be the most tempting option for some people. An Ontario temporary trip permit will allow you to enter Canada hassle-free from which point you can begin the process (at the border). Canada Customs will advise what to do beyond that point. The process works well and is well documented at RIV.

 

+1 for riv

 

Thanks guys....I will be driving the vehicle home, now what to do about lic. plates

 

I just brought an 88 323 GTX over last week. REALLY easy because the car is over 15 years old. The car still had South Dakota licence plates on it so I basically just drove it straight across.
As long as you have the title and a bill of sale from the seller, your good to go.

The form they fill out for you at the boarder lets you legally drive the vehicle for 45days within Canada while you get it certified or e-tested ect. They told me not to just drive it around because I had this paper, its really just to transport the vehicle from the boarder to your mechanic.

 

So do you have to get temporary trip permits from each state that you drive through?

 

I didn't check out the link, but here's a pretty thorough link as well. I think what most people overlook is to give the guys at the border a heads up that you're coming across. They even recommend trying to find someone who will be woking when you cross. Submit all the documents a couple days before and then when you cross, ask for the person you dealt with earlier so they are already up to speed on what's going on and you can get through as quickly as possible.

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=459523

 

^^^Thanks^^^

Very information discussion there. Exactly what I was looking for. Only it appears there is no concrete answer. Oh well, I'll have to see what happens.

 

Jim, when you get this figured out and go through the process, maybe you can help me in the spring/summer when i go to bring an FD across. I've been looking stateside, and there's lots of tempting vehicles in the carolinas!

-Matt

 

Are you speaking of Canada customs, or US? Because US customs very specifically requires your documentation to be submitted to the crossing you will be using a minimum of 72 hrs in advance.

 

i'm pretty sure they need 72 hours in advance with the title at customs i have run into this before while bringing motorcycles across

 

72 hours is right. I used 'couple' when I should have used 'few'.