Requirements for Importing a Vehicle into Canada
A & A handles the importation of all sorts of vehicles – cars, trucks, SUV’s, vans, motorhomes, travel trailers, motorcycles, scooters, jet ski’s, sea doo’s, boats and more!
To get started – the fastest way to get a quote for your vehicle is to visit www.borderbuddy.com where you can input your information and get an immediate quote emailed to you.
The vehicle importation process is made simple when you use A & A.
Customs requires the following documents –
- Bill of Sale
- Original certificate of title or manufacturer’s certificate of origin (front and back)
- Recall clearance letter
We can also arrange for the transportation of your vehicle from the seller to your door.
If you are unable to visit www.borderbuddy.com to get an immediate quote – you can email us the following information for us to quote you –
- Year, Make, Model of Vehicle.
- Value (Exact or approximate) of the Vehicle in USD or CAD dollars.
- Whether the vehicle has air conditioning or not.
From there, we can email you over a quote with all charges and fees included.
Import Requirements
Your vehicle must be admissible for import to Canada. View this admissibility list to determine if your vehicle is admissible for import.
All land based self propelled vehicles require 72 hour notice submitted to US Customs prior to export. (Self propelled means anything that moves itself. If you have to tow it or push it then it’s not self propelled.)
Trailers do not require the following: US Customs 72 hour notice and AES filing.
Self propelled means anything that moves itself. If you have to tow it or push it then it’s not self propelled.
US Customs offices have different operating hours and procedures. Contact the US Customs office at the border you will be crossing at to determine the specific requirements.
Importing a vehicle from overseas into Canada?
Please note all vehicles imported from overseas MUST be 15 yrs or older.
Please be sure that the vehicle(s) you are considering importing is/are 15 years or older based on the month & year of manufacture at the time it lands on Canadian Soil. If it is not, DO NOT import it until it is 15 years old as Canada Customs (CBSA) will not admit it into Canada and they will not allow it to be stored in Bond until it reaches the 15 years or older age requirement.
Customs requires the following documents –
- Bill of Sale or Invoice showing the FOB value
- Foreign Export Certificate (also known as a registration or de-registration)
- Fully translated English Export Certificate
- A copy of the Bill of Lading.
Customs does NOT require your Original documents in order to process your clearance. It is suggested that you have your seller send all Original documents directly to you; we do however need clear legible copies to work with.
Additional to our fees, the Government charges that you can expect to pay when importing a vehicle are as follows:
5% GST,
6.1% Duty,
$100.00 Excise Tax for Air Conditioning,
$43.00 CBSA Soil Examination Fee (Up to 3 Vehicles/$43.00 charge),
PST, if applicable in your Province. Payable at the time of registration.
Port & Terminal fees:
You will also be subject to Port & Terminal fees charges by Shipping Agents & Ports. In order to give you an accurate cost on these fees, we will need to see your paperwork.
Destuffing / Drayage charges:
If your vehicles are being imported by Container you will be subject to destuffing/drayage charges from either A & A or your delivery agent. These rates will vary depending on who is handling the delivery but usually range for $350.00 – $500.00 per vehicle.
Port Storage / Container Demurrage:
In most cases, these additional charges are avoidable by sending us your paperwork prior to the arrival of the vessel. These charges can occur due to the following reasons: CBSA related delays, port appointment or carrier availability, warehouse availability. A & A does not take responsibility for the delays listed above.
Excise Tax for Air Conditioning:
Excise Tax for Air Conditioning will be applied to your vehicle unless you tell us IN WRITING that the vehicle does not have air conditioning. Please note that Excise Tax is still charged on a vehicle equipped with Air Conditioning whether the air conditioning is in working condition or not.
A & A is able to arrange transportation form the Port or Warehouse of arrival to your door. If you are interested in this service please advise in writing your desired delivery location & if this is a commercial or residential location.
The Import Process:
After the ship lands in Canada, the containers are discharged & CBSA does a soil exam on each vehicle. It is recommended that the vehicles be thoroughly washed before loading as CBSA will detain vehicles that they deem dirty for washing at the Import’s expense. The soil exam can at times take up to 2 weeks to complete & port storage is not uncommon if delays occur.
Once the soil exam is completed the following things will happen (in no specific order):
– We will collect all duties/taxes/brokerage/destuffing/dockside charges/agent/port/handling fees owing and submit the file to CBSA for clearance.
– The container will be moved from the Port to a warehouse
– The container will be destuffed (unloaded)
– The entry will be submitted for final clearance with CBSA
Once we have received final clearance with CBSA the following will happen:
– We will notify the Port/Warehouse of release & confirm they have all their releases in order
– Once they have confirmed we will make arrangements with either the importer or their carrier to remove the vehicle from the Port/Warehouse
– Once we have received the stamped documents back from CBSA the import portion is mailed out via Canada Post standard service unless another method is requested in advance.