Jerseygirl

Our daughter has been a student in Toronto for 5 years...used her US licenced car for the last 3.5 years. Now she is working she's been told by Canadian Immigration that the car must be imported and registered in Canada.

Just wondered if anyone has done this? I've Googled and know there's quite a bit of fiddly work involved but financially is it worth it or would it be best to buy a car in Canada?

Thanks.

iaink

dbd33? cant remember if he's actually done it or if his YAL is still driving around on US plates after several years here....

Steve_P

I think Piff Poff and her other half have done this a number of times.

dbd33

One of each. We put the Honda on ON plates while the Land Cruiser is still on CO ones. The mechanics will be edited in here in a moment:

- check with www.riv.ca that the vehicle is acceptable for Canada
- get instructions from www.riv.ca, they tell you what you need from the manufacturer, basically a list of all safety recalls and a letter stating that they have been applied.
- go to the manufacturer, get the documents. Honda were utter arseholes about this, they wanted proof that the car was currently insured in Colorado, something that was none of their business. (It was insured with a US carrier but with a Toronto address, that's legal if the owner is a student, diplomat or certain other sort of long term temporary resident but that wasn't good enough for them, we had to take out a second policy with a CO address). It took several months to get the letter from them.
- take the car to Canadian Tire to have the light switch disabled and the speedometer labelled in French ($850 for the Honda). Note that CT have the franchise, if you go elsewhere they send the car to CT and mark up the bill.
- take the car and the documents to a customs hall for inspection, there's one in Brampton if not nearer to downtown.
- take a form the customs people issue to the Ministry of Transport, get plates.

Not difficult at the Canadian end. There is a suggestion in the riv instructions that one declare the car "exported" to US customs but we couldn't see any merit in doing that and didn't.

Jerseygirl

Isn't it illegal for a Canadian citizen or resident to drive a US plated car in Canada? That's what the Canadian immigration officer told my daughter...said she wouldn't be allowed to take it into Canada again. Gave her 30 days to either import it or take it out of Canada. Presumably the Land Cruiser is insured by an US insurance company...our insurance company will no longer insure the car in Canada now she is a resident and no longer a student.

I know you have to pay approx 6% GST...is there also an Ontario tax levied?

dbd33

Yes but it's not common to be prosecuted. My daughter has been driving on MN plates for three or four years and even got a speeding ticket without this technicality being mentioned. We don't put many miles on the LC and most of those are off the beaten track so we haven't fussed about it. We don't try taking it across the border though.

USAA. They haven't asked about the owner's status. She was a student when we drove it up here.

I don't remember, sorry. I don't recall the overall cost being about $2,000 so maybe $1150 in taxes.

JonboyE

The GST is 5% now. I am less sure about ON provincial sales tax. In BC PST is only applied on a change of ownership, so if you are just registering a car you already own then you are in the clear.

Piff Poff

We have done - older cars but it was pretty simple. I let hubby deal with all the paperwork and stuff but from what I remember (in Alberta) you fax a form and title (and I think the receipt?) to say your bringing a car across the border 72 hours in advance. I believe that is to the US side of things and then you bring the car accross - stopping US side to do some paperwork to sday your taking a car out of the country, then you stop at the Canadian side to pay whatever taxes you may owe. Be careful here, one car we brought accross had a valuation of $22,000 but we only paid $14,000 - they taxed us at the higher amount and we didn't realise until we got home, but a phone call and a fax later sorted that out and we had the refund within the week.

Novocastrian

Until last week's budget that would have been the case in ON as well. Now (or at some announced future date which I don't know off the top of my head), we have a harmonized sales tax (13% total).

OP needs to check the small print of the budget or ask an expert.

Oakvillian

I believe the HST will start in July 2010 in Ontario.

dbd33

What is the advantage of doing this?

Novocastrian

There you go. The top of your head is fuller than mine. (Not, of course, when considering hair issues).

Jerseygirl

Do you have insurance with an US insurance company? Ours have refused to insure the car if it's not garaged in NJ now my daughter is no longer student. I find it odd that they insured it whilst she was student in TO...but refuse to now.

Piff Poff

From what I understand you have to tell the US side that you are exporting a vehicle and the Canadian side that you are importing a vehicle.

Jerseygirl

Yes that's how I understand it. You have to send in the required paperwork to the customs office where you will be crossing...then allow 3 days before you cross. Before leaving the US you go to the customs office...you are given paperwork which you hand in to Canadian customs when you enter Canada.