Shipping a Car from Canada

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Safety Requirements

The vehicle needs to have been originally manufactured to meet all US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety standards. Cars that are certified to Canadian vehicle safety standards are also eligible for import, because many of the requirements are the same. Even so, the Canadian vehicle manufacturer will have to formally certify that your particular vehicle meets all U.S. federal standards in order for you to be able to ship a car from Canada to the US.

Importing from Canada is Straightforward

In general, importing a car to the US from abroad can be a complex and costly undertaking, especially if the car is not designed to meet US safety, emissions and environmental standards. Fortunately, importing a car from Canada is not very tricky at all, and can be achieved in a fairly straightforward manner. Typically, you can import a car from Canada either on a permanent basis or on a temporary basis.

Temporary and Permanent Imports

If you are importing a car from Canada temporarily, you can get an approval permit to keep it in the US for up to one year as long as it is intended for personal use, and so long as you do not plan on selling the car. If you plan to keep the vehicle longer than one year, you will need to submit a written request to the U.S. Department of Transportation at least 30 days before your temporary permit expires. When your permit expires, you will need to show proof that you exported the vehicle back to Canada. For a temporary import, you generally do not have to show that the vehicle is in compliance with US safety standards.

Using a Registered Importer

If you are shipping a car from Canada to the U.S. on a permanent basis, you will need to show that your vehicle is compliant with all safety requirements. If your vehicle is not compliant, you will still be allowed to import the vehicle through what is known as a Registered Importer or RI. An RI is a person or company that is qualified to make modifications to imported cars in order to bring them into compliance with US safety requirements. You will have 45-days to bring your car in compliance. During that time, you will be required to deposit a bond amount equivalent to 150 percent of the value of the car. In case you fail to bring the car into compliance within the allotted time, or if you haven’t exported it back by then, you will forfeit that money.

Emission Requirements

When shipping a car from Canada, pay attention to US emission requirements. Though the emission requirements in both countries are more or less the same, the forms that are required to be filled when you bring you car in from Canada are different depending on model years and vehicle class. Generally speaking, it is easy to ship a car from Canada to the US, but you can make it easier on yourself if you hired a professional open or enclosed auto transport service to haul your car across the border for you.