Driving Canadian (Ontario) License Plated car in USA ?

I moved to the US a short while ago for employment purposes. I brought my Canadian car with me. In trying to register the car here, I was told I need to switch my Ontario drivers license over to a Missouri license. The Licensing office has told me that I need to do the written test as well as the road test to get a Missouri license. Have others faced a similar situation in repeating the written and road test? Do I have any recourse or should I just comply? I have heard that in IL, NY, PA, MI, etc. that switching a Canadian license over is straight forward and likely no more than a written test.

Depends on the State. I had to the do the full test in a couple of States but since then one of them just swaps it.

You don't usually need to switch DLs over to register a car, because you don't even need a DL to own a car. You only need to register a car if there is an intent to use it on a public highway (not necessarily by the person whom it is registered to).

Impossible to say because it depends on the insurance company really. Also it depends on what State law says, if you actually reside in Kentucky then you need the car to have a Kentucky title and registration.

Your real problem is tax, because an Ontario registration is a residential tie for Canadian income tax purposes, and under US law if you have permanent residency your tax home automatically becomes the US. This makes you subject to dual taxation and there's no way around it if you're a green card holder.

I know it's difficult, but the best bet in this situation is to see if you can get a bank loan and pay off the car financing so you get the title transferred to Kentucky, then you pay back the bank loan.

Steve, I am a green card holder and US resident. We have a cottage in Ontario and an Ontario plated car for use at the cottage. Under the US/Canada Treaty our principal economic ties are with the US, and we pay our income taxes only in the US and the cottage and car are not considered a residential tie for tax purposes.

They are, but your tax home is determined by more than that alone. If your are US LPRs and have more ties to the US than to Canada then your tax home is in the US, but the more ties you have to Canada the more likely the CRA is to deem you resident for tax purposes.

Have a read of NR-73: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/nr73/nr73-08e.pdf

Car registration in Canada is listed as a residential tie for tax purposes, but like I said, it's not purely that which determines where your tax home is.

Hi,

I am Canadian Citizen now living in New York on H4 visa. I brought my Canadian Ontario plate car with me. It is now six month I would like to get New York registration, but I don't know what is the procedure. My car is 14 year old car right now I having TD insurance.

Please advice me what should I do. do i have to pay import duty while it is my property and I am not planning to sell it here just whan to drive it here.

regards

adnan