Saw that perfect car of your dreams on the TV last night? Does it have everything you have been looking for? Now what is stopping you from buying it? It must be a complicated import procedure from the US, right?
Anybody who has ever tried to tackle the task at hand on their own will vouch for the fact that importing a vehicle from the US is not such an effortless task. It involves a myriad of official papers and procedures. This is exactly why taking service from companies like Clearit Canada can be very useful.
In this article, we will briefly look at how to import a car to Canada from USA.
The main three authorities involved in the importation of your vehicle into Canada are:
- Transport Canada
- Canada Border Service Agency
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Transport Canada has a contract agency called Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) which makes sure that all the safety standards and paperwork of the imported vehicle is under the Canadian standards.
All the above agencies require their own set of documentation to be submitted for smooth clearance of import formalities.
Crucial documents that need to be presented include:
- Original title
- Bill of sale
- Certificate of Origin
- Recall clearance letter
- NAFTA
- Export certificates
Also, an export filing is required to be filled at the Automated Export System (AES), 72 hours before. Once this is successfully done, an Internal Transaction Number (ITN) will be issued.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) demands some criteria be fulfilled before allowing vehicles inside Canadian borders. Some of them are:
- If your vehicle is used for agricultural activities or for moving the ground, then it should follow the guidelines laid down by CFIA for approval.
- The vehicle should be free of soil and other plant-based debris in order to prevent harmful pesticides in Canadian soil.
Further, the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) also dictates its norms to be followed at the entry border where the importer can confirm the details or use an agent to do it for him/her. The documents required are:
- The title
- The bill for sale
- Transport Canada import form 1
- Form B15/B3.
Once all this hectic paperwork is completed, your vehicle can be admitted into Canadian soil and taken for registration. Once the nominal registration fee at the RIV is paid, get your vehicle registered into your name. Form 2 will be issued on your name by Transport Canada after all dues and fees are cleared.
Clearly, all these steps are complicated and only an experienced import broker can make things easier. So, if you want the import to take place smoothly and save your time, hire an import broker now!
