Table of contents
Quick answer
Check admissibility first: Transport Canada keeps a list of vehicles it will accept from the US, and a vehicle that fails inspection cannot stay in Canada even after duty and taxes have been paid. Then the US side, where Customs needs the original title plus two copies at least 72 hours before the car leaves. At the border the CBSA assesses duty, GST and a CAD $100 excise tax if the car has air conditioning. Most US auto carriers stop short of the border, so expect the road move to end on the American side.
First: can the car stay?
This is the question that decides whether the rest of the plan is worth making, and it is the one most people reach last. Canada does not accept every vehicle sold in the United States. It keeps a list.
Read that last sentence twice, because it is the expensive part. A vehicle can clear customs, have its duty and taxes paid in full, and still be required to leave the country because it failed the inspection that follows. The money spent getting it there does not come back.
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The American side: three days, and the original title
Exporting a vehicle from the United States is a customs process in its own right, and it runs on a clock that catches people who assume the border is something you simply drive up to.
Three parts of that matter in practice. The title has to be the original or a certified copy, so a photograph of it is not enough. The filing goes in 72 hours ahead, which means a Friday crossing is a Tuesday task. And if there is a loan or a lease on the car, the lender's written permission is a document you have to request, wait for and carry.
What Canada charges at the border
Assume there will be a bill, and that it depends less on what you paid for the car than on where it was built and what is fitted to it.
So a car built in the United States or Mexico generally escapes the duty, and one built elsewhere generally does not, regardless of where you bought it. The air conditioning charge is small and almost universal. Provincial sales tax is then handled when you register, which is a separate step and a separate payment.
| Charge | Depends on | Paid at |
|---|---|---|
| Duty | Where the vehicle was manufactured | The border |
| Excise tax on air conditioning | Whether the car has it | The border |
| Green Levy | Fuel consumption, on some vehicles | The border |
| GST | The value of the vehicle | The border |
| RIV fee and inspection | The import program | After the border |
| Provincial sales tax | Your province | When you register |
Duty
- Depends on
- Where the vehicle was manufactured
- Paid at
- The border
Excise tax on air conditioning
- Depends on
- Whether the car has it
- Paid at
- The border
Green Levy
- Depends on
- Fuel consumption, on some vehicles
- Paid at
- The border
GST
- Depends on
- The value of the vehicle
- Paid at
- The border
RIV fee and inspection
- Depends on
- The import program
- Paid at
- After the border
Provincial sales tax
- Depends on
- Your province
- Paid at
- When you register
Sources: CBSA Memorandum D19-12-1, Importing vehicles into Canada, Transport Canada, Importing a vehicle from the United States and Mexico
Getting it there: the truck usually stops at the line
A US car carrier moving vehicles between American states is not automatically equipped to cross into Canada, and many do not. Crossing is a customs operation, not just a longer drive.
- Ask directly whether the company crosses the border, or whether the quote ends on the US side. Ask before you accept the price, because the two are not comparable.
- A quote that ends at the border is not dishonest, but it is half a journey. Find out who completes it and what that costs.
- Some moves are completed by a driveaway service, where a driver takes the car across on its own wheels. That is a different service with different insurance.
- The customs filing is yours to make, not the trucking company's, unless they say plainly in writing that they are handling it.
The order to do it in
- Check admissibilityAgainst the Transport Canada list, by vehicle. Clear any outstanding recall before anything else happens.
- Ask the lender, if there is oneWritten consent on letterhead naming the VIN. This is the slowest item, so it goes early.
- Get the title in handThe original or a certified copy. Not a photograph, not a photocopy you made.
- Book the transport, and ask where it endsUS side or through to the destination. Get the answer in writing.
- File with US Customs 72 hours aheadTitle and copies, at the port the vehicle will leave from.
- Clear the Canadian sideForm 1, duty, excise and GST at the border, then the RIV inspection afterwards.
- Register provinciallyA provincial safety inspection and sales tax, which vary by province.
Whether to ship the car at all
It is worth doing the arithmetic before the paperwork. Add the transport, the duty and taxes, the RIV fee and the provincial inspection, and compare that against what the car is worth on the Canadian market and what an equivalent would cost you there.
For a newer, valuable or hard-to-replace car the answer is usually to bring it. For an ordinary older car that is admissible but unremarkable, the total can approach what the vehicle is worth, and selling before you move is often the calmer choice. That is a judgement rather than a rule, but it should be made with the whole number in front of you rather than the shipping quote alone.
Work out the rest of the cost
Frequently asked questions
Can any US car be imported into Canada?
No. Transport Canada keeps a compatibility list of vehicles admissible from the United States, and the vehicle must be on it, clear of recalls and unmodified. A vehicle that fails the RIV inspection cannot stay in Canada even if duty and taxes have already been paid, so check admissibility before you book anything.
How far in advance do I need to file with US Customs?
At least 72 hours before export. Customs needs the original certificate of title, or a certified copy, plus two complete copies. A vehicle leaving by road is presented at the time of exportation, but the paperwork still has to be in three days ahead.
Can I take a financed or leased car into Canada?
Only with written consent from the lienholder or lessor, on their letterhead and naming the VIN. Some lenders refuse outright. Ask early, because this is the item most likely to hold up a date you have already booked.
Leased and financed carsWill I pay duty on a car imported into Canada?
It depends where the vehicle was manufactured rather than where you bought it. The CBSA assesses duty on a vehicle made somewhere other than the United States or Mexico, along with GST and a CAD $100 excise tax if the car has air conditioning. Provincial sales tax comes later, when you register.
Will a US car shipping company drive my car across the border?
Many will not. Crossing is a customs operation rather than a longer drive, and a lot of US carriers end the job on the American side. Ask directly whether the quote takes the car across or stops at the border, and get the answer in writing before you compare prices.
How long does the whole thing take?
The transport is the predictable part. What sets the timetable is the 72-hour customs filing, the lender's consent letter if there is one, and the RIV inspection after the car arrives. Plan in weeks rather than days, and start with admissibility.
Sources
- Transport Canada, Importing a vehicle from the United States and Mexico
- US Customs and Border Protection, Exporting a motor vehicle
- CBSA Memorandum D19-12-1, Importing vehicles into Canada
Written and reviewed by the Haulwide editorial team. Editorial policy
