Bringing a Canadian Car over to the USA

You mean a TN visa.

Regardless of status, you are allowed federally to bring your car down for one year without formal importation. You decalre this at the border, and fill a form. You cannot sell the car in US if you do this. You must prove that you are only staying one year. This is typically done by students.

The problem with this is that all states require TNs (unlike students) to register and plate their cars withing 30-90 days of arrival in that state. The states don't view TN as temporary, because you are working, rather tahn going to school.

So there is limited benefit to not importing your car federally, because if you do not, you can't do all the other things your state will require, and you may also have trouble insuring it in US (your Cdn insuarnce will not cover you). Also, if you total the car in an accident, you can't scrap it in US, since you can't hand over the title to anyone unless you imported it, so you will be stuck hauling it to Canada ($$). Additionally, if your TN last longer than a year (no one I know overturns their life for a one-year TN -- they always stay longer), you can't extend this period of non-importation, so will need to do this process anyways.

So, federal importation is the simplest way to go, and you start this by getting the letter from your Cdn carmaker attesting that the VIN meets all NHTSA requirements. This thread has links on this. Then register, plate, and insure the car in US.

Hi again,

Further to my previous posts, I was wondering if someone can provide me with additional input/advice with issue below.

I'm on F-1 visa and I have obtained letter of Compliance from Nissan USA.

I drove from Ontario to Florida and I was hoping I permanently import my vehicle, but CBP in Buffalo offered only temporary import since I'm not US resident. At that point I decided to hold off and research all of my options.

With temporary import, I needed every year to export my car back to Canada and then re-import again to US (which it will cost me quite a bit)

I wanted to permanently import and avoid yearly charges/expenses of export/import and also wanted to have FL plated car to avoid expensive Canadian insurance.

I guess right now I have following options:

1) Import car temporarily and get FL plates (but then every year I have to export it back to Canada and re-import it to US)

2) Keep Ontario plate and try to find US insurance that it's willing to insure my vehicle (need to find out if I'm allowed and for how long can I drive with Canadian plated vehicle here in FL)

3) Keep Ontario plate and see what it will cost me with Canadian insurance to drive here in FL.

I'm just leaving to local DMV office and find out what my options are, but I just though to ask you and see if anyone can share their experience similar to mine.

Thank you in advance.

Sounds about right. It would be good to remember however that TN's, even if they get only a one-year duration instaed of the now-common 3-year, will be allowed to import, since they are becoming 'residents' in terms of cars.

I read through the entire posts, but couln't find answer to my situation. Maybe, I missed something, but here is what I'm thinking.

I'm flying to the US under TN visa and my transit time is in toronto is only about an hour and 15 minutes. I'm afraid the time is not sufficient to process my TN visa. I, therefore, decided to drive to Osdensburg to get my visa stapmed. But, at this point I'm little confused with my car.

If I import my car at Osdensburg and then drive back to Canada, and give my car and all other furnitures to the moving company, will they face problem at the border, because the car has already been imported?

Is it a requirement to import the car by myself, or I can just give the car to the shipping company and then import the car on paper then fax the papers back to the shipper. Or, I just go, get the visa, and come back without importing the car. And then fly into the US, leaving the car with the shipping company to take care of the whole import process.

Thanks in advance for your suggestion.

You need to import the car yourself. No one else can do it for you, exept a spouse. It will not matter if the car is already imported when the movers bring it down. All a vehicle import is, is a few papers that you bring to the DMV to show CBP let it in and it conforms to US standards.

I answered this three times, but the new site keeps deleting my answer.

You need to import your car, no one can do it for you. When you import it, the moving company, with proof of your TN, will be able to bring it to the USA for you. The import process is super easy and requires very little. As far as the US government is concerned, we only do the paperwork for you that states we allowed it in the country and that it conformas to US standards. The state you move to will do the rest.

I have stumbled onto this site and I am thrilled. I am trying to find out info for my son who purchased a car from a lady who had purchased it from a Canadian who came to Oklahoma for school. We have the bill of sales for the vehicle but when the student brought the car into the states, he did not get paperwork for future sale of the car here. I don't know the exact name of the paper. He sold this car after he graduated and his family purchased him a BMW. The lady that bought it drove it and never changed the plates and then sold it very cheaply to my son because it was to much trouble to do what ever it took to be able to put Oklahoma plates on it. We are trying to figure where to start or even if it is worth it to do this. THe car is a older Taurus but in really good shape and would make a great work car. Can someone please start us in the right direction, since we are not Canadian the words and terms I have seen mean nothing to me. I would appreciate any help we can get. Thanks

The car needs to be formally imported at a customs POE (usu. at the airport). You are correct that the original student was not allowed to sell it in US, so nor is the lady, and now nor is your son -- until it is formally imported.

I would try to have your son get all the required paperwork (which includes a letter from the Cdmn carmaker saying that the model is allowed to be imported into US). If he can't get this, he should be either bringing it back to Canada for someone there to use, or handing it back to the lady for his money back.

I am a Canadian and will be attending a 2 year MBA program in Chicago, IL, starting this August. I currently have a VW on lease until November 2012. I have checked with the Illinois Secretary of State regarding driving with Canadian plates and a Canadian DL, and they said that I can do that for the duration of my stay as a student. My insurance will also extend coverage for the entire time, providing I return at lease once every ten months, which should be no problem.

I understand that I am not supposed to bring the leased vehicle into the US, and that it says on my Lease Agreement that I'm not allowed to use the vehicle outside of Canada. However, I also know that it's common for people who are leasing vehicles to travel to the US. Will I run into any issues at the border crossing with a student visa and a Canadian leased vehicle? Is there any chance they will not let me enter the country with this car? Considering that I will continue to make regular payments and maintain a Canadian address, is it really a big deal to take the car with my to Chicago until the lease is up?

Really need some good practical advice here, and not just a DON'T DO IT answer. Thanks in advance.

Hello, I have a question... I drove my car over the border in June and went through the whole vehicle import process @ US customs. However, I just realised today that I did not get a copy of the EPA form... therefore it seems I won't be able to apply for a NJ license plate. Does anybody know what I should do at this point?

Thanks a lot in advance!!!