Hi, I'm looking at an o/t car for sale that is in Canada. It was built in Canada and has a Canada title. I'm in the USA. Does anybody know what is involved? Could I fly up there, hop in it and drive it home with no problem and then bring the title to my DMV and transfer it? Are there any restrictions on bringing a car built in Canada into the US? I've never done anything like that before .
Or if I hired a transporter to haul it here, is there any fees or process to get it across the border other than just the fee to haul it?
Thanks, Joel
First question is, what kind of car is it?
This will help to determine if it needs to meet US DOT and EPA specs, if you need a letter of conformity, or if it's exempt.
Second question is how is it crossing the border?
There are a couple options. 1-Have a transport company bring it across for you (Reliable, Allied, etc.). This would be a commercial transaction and require a broker and there will be fees. 2-Meet on the Canadian side of the border and bring it across yourself. 3-go get the car from the seller and bring it across. Options 2 and 3 are both personal importations and there may be some duty on the vehicle. A few years back they changed the NAFTA rule on this. Even if it is made in USA, Mexico, or Canada they will collect duty. The only way to not collect duty is if you can prove it was in the US at one time, and that may even need duty collected. I believe duty is 2-3%, can't recall at the moment.
Third question is how much are you paying for it?
The bill of sale needs to be accurate. Undervalue and you can run into a seizure/penalty on top of the normal fees/costs. You can take $10k across the border, but it must be declared. There are no taxes or fees on the money, but it is a requirement. Anti-money laundering issues. $10k is equivalent to the country you are entering/exiting. Let's say you are taking $9k US ($10,050 Canadian equivalent) across. You do not need to report that to US CBP when exiting, but when entering Canada, you must declare that to CBSA. If the deal falls through and you bring the money back, you must declare it to CBSA when leaving Canada and not required to report it to US CBP upon reentry. If it's $15k (for example), you must declare it leaving and entering BOTH countries since it's over the $10k limit. Don't be that guy who takes a buddy and you each have $7k and say it's not over $10k. That is structuring and will be seized. Too many people try this because they think you pay to take that much across the border.
Fourth question is where will you be crossing?
Call the US and Canadian crossing to see exactly how to do it. Each port is slightly different and may have specific hours. Write down a name of who you spoke to, what time you spoke to them, what number you called, and what answers/info they gave you. If you run into a snag and show you called and made an honest effort and it's bad info from the officer, 99% of the time they will rectify it there if they legally can.
I am not sure what the DMV will charge to register it, but I'm sure they want their cut as well. After you get the stamped papers from US CBP, then you can go to the DMV to register it.
