Registering a Canadian car in NJ

Hi,

I've found a lot of helpful responses with regards to importing a car from Canada to the US, but nothing seems to directly answer the question related to my situation.

To make my long story short, this is my situation
- Moved to the US (NJ) about a year ago for work (currently on TN, but filed my H1 petition this year)
- Obtained a NJ license about a year ago
- Bought a car in Toronto 2 years ago through financing and brought it with me to the US
- Have almost paid the loan in full (another month to finally pay it off)
- Had all paperwork sorted out at the customs (I have all the signed documentation from them)
- Tried to register my car at a local DMV (NJ MVC), but was denied because I had no information regarding my title, and lien. I mentioned in passing that I bought my car through financing, and they insisted that I either have the title or transfer the title of the car from lienholder. My Ontario "owner's registration" did me no good.

Since lien and title are the terms that do not exist in Canada, I have no way to provide the information they seem to be insisting on consistently. I've made 3 visits to a local NJ MVC, and all I hear is the same response - "you need to transfer your title, and you need a lienholder release form", neither of which I can provide for them because my car has been registered in Ontario, and I am getting financing through TD Canada (TD doesn't have its business (Canadian operations) registered in the US). TD Canada has no clue as to what I am talking about when I ask them for a lien interest release form. They were nice enough to type up a custom letter stating that I effectively own the vehicle under financing terms with TD, but that did me no good either. I feel like I've hit a dead wall with no obvious answer or helpful response from local authorities.

Before I go back to that MVC, I'd like to know EXACTLY how one would register an imported vehicle (from Canada). The people I talked to at MVC didn't seem knowledgeable about registering foreign vehicles, and they only insist forms/data that only pertain to the US system.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated (I am sooo frustrated...)

You did not elaborate too clearly on what documentation you executed at the border.

You require a letter from the manufacturer of the vehicle stating that it complies with U.S. safety and emission standards on official letterhead. If you drive a Nissan, you will have to get in touch with Nissan North America. If it is another manufacturer, get in touch with that manufacturer. Be warned however as it may take several days or weeks to actually receive it. You may have to make some phone calls.

The manufacturer's letter should specifically reference the vehicle serial number of your car and be signed by an official of the respective manufacturer.

You bring that letter to the border and request that the CBP prepare an importation document. They should know how to do that.

Then bring the importation document that the CBP prepared and bring it to the MVC and ask them to title and register the vehicle. They should know how to do that but they need the importation document as an essential component of the process.

This is so crazily easy, I am surprised that you got the run a round.

Thanks, MC, for your response.

I have a GM Torrent, and I have that letter from GM Canada stating that it's fully compliant with the US emission standards and etc. I also have the importation documentation from CBP as well.

The problem with registering my vechile wasn't at the customs, but at a local DMV where staff gave me a less than helpful response each time I went.

Like I said in my previous post, they were insisting on my "title" document, and lienholder interest release form, neither of which I can provide because my car was purchased and registered in Toronto. I have a valid owner's registration, but the DMV folks didn't seem to care because it's not a US document that they are used to seeing.

I spoke to the head of that DMV office as well, but he kept saying that I need to bring the two documents. They actually seemed unsure of what to do with my car at first, and hinted that paying off my loan in Canada "might" be the only way they could register my car, but it wasn't a firm answer. I am just baffled as to why DMV would care whether my Canadian loans are fully paid off, especially when CBP gave me the go-ahead.

I wish it was "crazily easy" like you described. Hell, I just wish someone would just tell me exactly what I am missing to have my car registered.

You need a NJ title to register it, to get it you're probably going to need a bill of sale. Because the car is financed, you have no way of getting this. The way out of this situation is to get a loan from a bank or wherever, pay off the car, get the bill of sale, get the title, then you can register it.

Thanks, MC, for your response.

I spoke to the head of that DMV office as well, but he kept saying that I need to bring the two documents. They actually seemed unsure of what to do with my car at first, and hinted that paying off my loan in Canada "might" be the only way they could register my car, but it wasn't a firm answer. I am just baffled as to why DMV would care whether my Canadian loans are fully paid off, especially when CBP gave me the go-ahead.

It almost sounds like they don't know how to do their job. They should know how to handle an imported car coming into the U.S. especially with an importation document. Steve probably has some good pointers.

I agree on your point regarding as to why your Canadian loans would even be an issue here or relevant. That is mind-boggling. It looks as though your biggest stumbling block here is that you don't actually 'own' the car if I may use it in that context. Someone I knew drove their BMW through a Vermont crossing a few months back and the CBP knew it was a leased car and all sorts of questions were asked. You would be surprised what the DHS computer knows about you, way more than the Canadian government computers.

One thing that I noticed about New Jersey and New York over the years is how stringently and methodically they have carried these kinds of things out with respect to the law. Don't break any laws in that state, they love their laws!

Just maybe in another state, it would have been crazily easy although I realize it is no consolation for what you are enduring here.

It works the same way in reverse, if you have a US car on finance you can't register it in Canada for the same reason.

I have encountered similar problem with VA's DMV, the thing is that they are mainly a service center and they don't much more than what is available on their website. They also asked to have my headlight checked and my odometer converted, because they confounded odometer and speedometer... They wanted a DOT release bond, a neither them or me could tell what this was... Turns out I don't need a DOT release because I never had and never needed a DOT bond...

You have to tell them that in Ontario your registration is the same thing than their title. You don't have any other options.

The lien is your copy of your financing contract with TD. So TD is the lienholder, and MVC will send the title to them (so you need to provide address and phone and fax number, would be a good idea to explain TD first what this circus is all about and get a contact ie. a physical person with whom MVC should do business.) When you are done paying, TD is supposed to send the title back to you with a letter saying that they release it to you (since TD obviously doesn't know what is a lienholder release form, a letter will have to do it - keywords are going to be important - I am not at this step yet so I can't help) and then you need to go back to MVC to have the title transferred.

It's been a very long time since I've done it, but as I recall I used a bill of sale (or something similar from the dealer) because I remember at the DMV they said they were going to charge me sales tax based on what it said on the bill, until I produced the Customs paperwork saying it was duty-free personal effects (and the EPA paperwork). Then they issued me a title and I could register it. Some States require an emissions test before they'll issue a title (and some require it before issuing a registration).

That odometer thing in VA sounds bizarre, I know in Alberta they ask for an odometer reading but it's optional, you don't have to provide it and I've never encountered it in the US either.

I remember confusing the hell out of a Montana State Trooper with all the metric conversions.

"Do you know how fast you were going?"

"Erm, about 120 km/h."

"What? Let me see your licence."

Very puzzled look crossed his face when he read it.

Still gave me a ticket though, although he squashed in all the metric measurements in the boxes.

I just had my car (from BC) registered at MA recently. MA DMV knows that the only Canadian province that has car titles is NS. So my BC owner's registration card was good. I had to get customs form 3299 for DMV. I found that the people at MA DMV weren't too picky and weren't there to give me a hard time. I don't even think they really look at the documents that closely, as long as I gave them something.

My brother had a similar experience than hmw in Boston. I guess they are use to see Canadians