Importing from US -> Canada

[68dream]

hi guys, im a real fan of your forums..been reading them for a couple years now! awesome job and a wealth of information!!

ive been dreaming of a 68 charger my whole life and am now in a financial position to start investing in one. since most of them are in the US, ill be importing it to Canada.

from what ive read its fairly straight forward being a vehicle older than 15 years...GST, maybe an excise tax or two. im wondering if anyone could throw any more information my way. it will most likely be a rolling chassis ill be bringing in on a trailer.

is a title all i will need? any help is much appreciated!!


chris in vancouver BC 

[doctorpimp]

As long as the car is over 15 years old, all you pay is GST and PST. 
The ORIGINAL Title has to be at the US customs border crossing point 72 hours prior to you crossing with the car.  I FedExed the title to the border station and called to make sure it was there and asked when I could come through with the car.  The US side was easy for me, Canada Customs was the hardest...
You have to fill out a couple of forms and pay the Taxes.

[greatwn73]

What doctorpimp has said is correct but we have the seller send a copy of the ownership (title) to the border where we are crossing and verify its there before picking up the car. Keep in mind that the US border only handles the export certain hours of the day usually 8-5 and plan your trip that way.

[68dream]

yes, right.

by original you mean the sellers' title and NOT photocopied?

also, could anyone recommend any reliable shipping companies? ive read horror stories of some. 

thx guys !! 

[doctorpimp]

yes, right.

by original you mean the sellers' title and NOT photocopied?

also, could anyone recommend any reliable shipping companies? ive read horror stories of some. 

thx guys !! 

Yes the seller's original not a photocopy.
I used DAS (Dependable Auto Shippers) http://www.dasautoshippers.com/
The car has to be running though, and you have to get the title to them before they'll ship across the border.  Cross border is about twice as expensive as stooping before the border.  If you live close enough, you can have the car shipped to one of their terminals in the US and import the car yoourself.  It cost $950 to ship from San Diego to Syracuse NY.  That's almost clear across the US so it's not that bad...

[greatwn73]

Sorry to disagree but a fax copy of title is all the US border requires to search title before allowing the vehicle to cross. Never give up the original title and if trailering the vehicle yourself the title should be with the car if stopped.I've brought back three vehicles in the last two years and always used the same border crossing with no problems. The US is only concerned whether the car has a lein or is stolen.

[doctorpimp]

Sorry to disagree but a fax copy of title is all the US border requires to search title before allowing the vehicle to cross. Never give up the original title and if trailering the vehicle yourself the title should be with the car if stopped.I've brought back three vehicles in the last two years and always used the same border crossing with no problems. The US is only concerned whether the car has a lein or is stolen.

I brought one back in July...
The US Customs agent told me that ONLY the original title was acceptable.  They used to take a fax/photocopy and the original on the day you cross the border, but not anymore.
http://www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/export/export_docs/motor_vehicle.xml

"To export a motor vehicle from the United States, the exporter must provide documents that demonstrate proof of ownership.  In almost all cases, this will be the certificate of title.  The original ownership documents, or a certified copy, and two copies must be presented to U.S. Customs.Exportation at land border crossing points. For those vehicles exported by rail, highway, or under their own power.

The required documentation must be submitted to Customs at least 72 hours prior to export; and

The vehicle must be presented to Customs at the time of exportation."

The only copy allowed is a certified copy, signed by a notary $$$

[greatwn73]

Yes you must have the original when you cross but a copy is only nessessary to do the search.If you give them the original before crossing and they lose it your screwed.

[DC_1]

I have brought back 3 cars and never stopped at the US side yet.....or sent them a copy of the title......I know I am taking a chance but my cousin is a Customs Officer at the Windsor/Detroit Boarder. She told me 9 times outta 10 they don't hassle you if you didn't stop on the U.S. side. Especially if it is an old classic type car. If you get a younger officer who has been on the job less than 2 years they may go by the book and send you back to the U.S. side........A more seasoned Customs officer won't go through the hassle and not even mention it to you. The purpose of stopping on the U.S. side is just to get the stamp of approval that the car isn't stolen.

They should open the frigen boarder up anyway......the amount of money and effort spent to keep this ridiculous boarder is stupid in my opinion. There is smuggling and criminals crossing every day....It hurts business and tourism more than keeps the bad guys from doin business......and for us Canadians it is just a money grab.......heaven forbid we buy anything anywhere with out our government getting their pound of flesh!!!!

[dodgecharger-fan]

Yes you must have the original when you cross but a copy is only nessessary to do the search.If you give them the original before crossing and they lose it your screwed.

Absolutely correct. When I brought my Charger over, I learned all that's mentioned above the hard way - standing in the customs office with the car on a flatbed.
I dropped the car in the parking lot and went home. When I went back the next day with the paperwork, they just made a photo copy and handed back the original to me.

BTW, if the state where you are purchasing the car from does not or did not require titles for that year of car, then a signed bill of sale is all that is required. That was the case for me. My CHarger came from Connecticut. They didn't have titles back then and my car never did have one. The bill of sale and a printout of the eBay transacation fro backup was all I needed.

Canada customs just wants the taxes. GST.
You pay PST when you register it in your province - at least that's how it is here in Ontario.
Hint: get an appraisal and register it right away. If you wait until the car is done, the appraisal will be more and that's what they use to calculate the PST. (I learned that the hard way too!)

[68dream]

thanks for the tip charger-fan...less taxes is always nice.

after more research ive found coming back into canada is nothing more than taxes and some forms to fill out.

thanks again guys

[dodgecharger-fan]

at Canadian Customs, that's true.

But you still should stop at U.S. Customs and clear it through. That means getting a copy of the title to them 72 hours in adavnce and showing up with the original when you bring the car across tha border.