Car question, again
May 1st 2001, 8:22 am
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
I will be landing in Canada towards the end of the year. I tried to find out about
bringing our cars, but I can't find quite the right answer.
My car is a '91 Buick Park Avenue. It is an American car, so I should be able to
bring it, but I don't enter Canada from the US. Will that be a problem?
I read that the regulations apply to cars younger than 15 years only. Does that mean
I can trade in my wife's Ford, which we cannot bring anyway, for a 15 year old
Mercedes and bring that without problems? Hard to believe.
Any help or experience would be appreciated, Adriaan
bringing our cars, but I can't find quite the right answer.
My car is a '91 Buick Park Avenue. It is an American car, so I should be able to
bring it, but I don't enter Canada from the US. Will that be a problem?
I read that the regulations apply to cars younger than 15 years only. Does that mean
I can trade in my wife's Ford, which we cannot bring anyway, for a 15 year old
Mercedes and bring that without problems? Hard to believe.
Any help or experience would be appreciated, Adriaan
May 1st 2001, 11:23 pm
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Adriaan Buijs wrote:
> My car is a '91 Buick Park Avenue. It is an American car, so I should be able
> to bring it, but I won't be entering Canada from the US. Will that be a
> problem?
A 1991 Buick Park Avenue, originally built for the US market, should be admissible
for importation to Canada. See the following page on Transport Canada's web site:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/Impor...h/im3gms_e.htm
All importations of used vehicles into Canada must go through an agency called the
"Registrar of Imported Vehicles" (http://www.riv.ca). You need to contact the RIV and
ask them for instructions.
I don't think the fact that the car is being imported from Europe will be a problem,
as long as it was originally built to meet US standards. But check with the RIV, just
to be sure. Make certain, of course, that the person you talk to understands that the
car is a US model (since vehicles built for Europe are =not= importable and can =not=
legally be modified on an aftermarket basis to meet Canadian specs).
> I read that the regulations apply to cars younger than 15 years only. . . .
> Hard to believe.
It's true. Passenger vehicles which are at least 15 years old at the time of
importation are exempt from Transport Canada safety standards. See the following
pages on Transport Canada's web site:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importusa/impxus_e.htm
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/Impor...h/im2gen_e.htm
> Does that mean I can trade in my wife's Ford, which we cannot bring anyway, for
> a 15 year old Mercedes and bring that without problems?
Yes. Even if the car was built for Europe (which would normally make it
non-importable), you can import it if it's at least 15 years old. I think you may
still have to work with the RIV in this case, but ask them just to be sure.
> Any help or experience would be appreciated.
Keep in mind, of course, that it's going to cost you a fair amount of money to
transport a car to Canada from Europe. Also, you may have trouble finding the right
maintenance or replacement parts in Canada; Canadian dealerships and mechanics might
not even have the parts lists required to look up exactly which parts they should
use. Unless the vehicle in question is a keepsake in excellent condition, I would
strongly suggest you consider selling it before you move and buying another car after
you arrive in Canada.
Rich Wales [email protected] http://www.webcom.com/richw/
*NOTE: I've lived in both Canada and the US and have dual citizenship.
*DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer, professional immigration consultant,
or consular officer. My comments are for discussion purposes only and
are not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice.
> My car is a '91 Buick Park Avenue. It is an American car, so I should be able
> to bring it, but I won't be entering Canada from the US. Will that be a
> problem?
A 1991 Buick Park Avenue, originally built for the US market, should be admissible
for importation to Canada. See the following page on Transport Canada's web site:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/Impor...h/im3gms_e.htm
All importations of used vehicles into Canada must go through an agency called the
"Registrar of Imported Vehicles" (http://www.riv.ca). You need to contact the RIV and
ask them for instructions.
I don't think the fact that the car is being imported from Europe will be a problem,
as long as it was originally built to meet US standards. But check with the RIV, just
to be sure. Make certain, of course, that the person you talk to understands that the
car is a US model (since vehicles built for Europe are =not= importable and can =not=
legally be modified on an aftermarket basis to meet Canadian specs).
> I read that the regulations apply to cars younger than 15 years only. . . .
> Hard to believe.
It's true. Passenger vehicles which are at least 15 years old at the time of
importation are exempt from Transport Canada safety standards. See the following
pages on Transport Canada's web site:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importusa/impxus_e.htm
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/Impor...h/im2gen_e.htm
> Does that mean I can trade in my wife's Ford, which we cannot bring anyway, for
> a 15 year old Mercedes and bring that without problems?
Yes. Even if the car was built for Europe (which would normally make it
non-importable), you can import it if it's at least 15 years old. I think you may
still have to work with the RIV in this case, but ask them just to be sure.
> Any help or experience would be appreciated.
Keep in mind, of course, that it's going to cost you a fair amount of money to
transport a car to Canada from Europe. Also, you may have trouble finding the right
maintenance or replacement parts in Canada; Canadian dealerships and mechanics might
not even have the parts lists required to look up exactly which parts they should
use. Unless the vehicle in question is a keepsake in excellent condition, I would
strongly suggest you consider selling it before you move and buying another car after
you arrive in Canada.
Rich Wales [email protected] http://www.webcom.com/richw/
*NOTE: I've lived in both Canada and the US and have dual citizenship.
*DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer, professional immigration consultant,
or consular officer. My comments are for discussion purposes only and
are not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice.
