How to Register a Canadian Car in US
To reside in a country without any difficulty an individual needs transport that is must for a comfortable life because to move from one place to another we need transport. Its very fast era and to be with its speed we also have to do our take fast on time without any delay. If you want to reach your office on time private car is needed if you want drop your kids at schools and academies on time then you are needing a car of your own , if you want to access a hospital in emergency you need a car.
Canadian and US government also provides public transport in the form of taxis, buses, metros AMD trains etc. That are nowadays also very fast and can drop on your desired destination but the comfort of own car is not replaced by public transport.
Cars of Canada:
Many people of US are living in Canada for work purpose or for study if they are moving back to US and want to have a car of them in US means that they want to import their car to US for a comfortable life because cars are important every where. If you are also a person who wish to import his car to US from Canada legally then we are here to provide you with a step by step guide that will help you to complete this process easily and legally.
Step 1:
First of all you have to meet the requirements of US customs that are set by:
* Department of Transportation (DOT) form HS-7
* Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) form 3520-1
The applicant has to follow the rules AMD regulations set by these authorities.
Requirements by transportation department:
All the cars that are driven 25 years less them they should meet the standards of Federal motor vehicle safety that are set by the transportation department. Every Canadian car has a sticker of FMVSS under the hood or inside the car door. If a car contains such a sticker then you should feel lucky that your car is already meeting the requirements of transportation department. To meet the requirements of department transportation if your car is not having a FMVSS sticker then you should consult the manufacturer note that their is difference between dealer and manufactures that will issue you your cars FMVSS certificate.
There are also some cases in which the manufacturer of your cars does not provides you a FMVSS certificate so be fore importing your car you should apply for this certificate if the manufacturer is not willing for FMVSS certificate then you should visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website that can help you to find a list of manufacturer contact information.
If you still did not got the FMVSS certificate then don’t worry still you can import the car by using a register importer.
Regulations of environmental protection agency:
After the requirements of transportation department you have to meet the regulations of environmental protection agency that has its own standard for the car safety you must comply with these rules to import a Canadian car to US.
Canadian cars have also a sticker for the verification of regulations of environmental protection agency that is present in your car that is has a description of Vehicle Emission Control Information” as well as also the name of regulatory body. If your car does not contains such a sticker then again you have to request a letter to the car manufacturer to issue a certificate EPA that will meet all the needs set by the EPA other wise the process of importing car could be complicated.
Step 2:
If you are completed with all the requirements then here you are ready for the second step that is to contact your local US custom and border protection office near to you. Most of the offices of custom border protection has a significant number that one can use to contact them to import a car. If you are doing the import of car first time then this is the best platform for the basic information needed for the car import that is to confirm required documentation, hours of operation, and other regulations.
Moreover with the requirements of form of transportation department and the form of EPA you will also need a car Canadian bill of sale and registration.
Step 3:
Now you are ready for the third step that is the second last step toward your car importation that is to get an auto insurance for your car that will allow you to drive the vehicle so before import you have to secure with a car insurance policy.

Requirements for auto insurance:
The requirements of the auto insurance are not same because each insurance policy set its own requirements list but generally you will need:
- * the vehicle registration
- * bill of sale
- * a valid Canadian driving license
- * International Driving Permit.
Step 4:
This is the last step and finally you will get your car transported into US successfully if you follow all these steps one by one completely. The last step is to register your Canadian car in US to have all the process done legally the applicant has to register the car with state department of motors before driving it. For this you also have to search the regulations of registration of your state because each state has its own rules and regulations for registration.
Although the general requirements are:
- * the vehicle’s bill of sale
- * proof of foreign registration,
- * the US customs forms.
These were the steps when you are importing your car from Canada to US that can really help you out.
Other then this most of the people residing in US travel to Canada for the purpose of purchasing cars because cars in Canada are on affordable cost and low tax. But the car importation process is little bit complicated that can spin any ones head so thats why most people choose a transport company to do the car import process for them.
But some people are ready to roll their sleeves and want to do all the steps by themselves then here we are with the full details how you will import a car from Canada to US that will really help you.
Some Additional steps to import a Canadian car to US:
•If you are sure that your car is fully compiled with the requirements set by FMVSS and transportation department then you can move ahead to start the car import process. Now you should be ready with the following things:
- * One will need a car sale bill that is clearly displaying VIN code and the name of the buyer that is your name.
- * Then you will provide the car origin or manufacturer certificate registration and title of the car.
- * You should also show the letter of manufacturer that will show the issuance of FMVSS certificate of your car of your car was not having the sticker of FMVSS that is present inside the car door or under the hood.
- * You car should also have a temporary insurance card or and license plate from the province or territory of purchase.
* The following forms are also required:
- HS-7 Form
- EPA Form 3520-1
- CBP Form 7501
- * The Canadian residents also have to pay the PST and GST of their car but if you are not a resident of Canada then you are free of this.
- * Now when you have full filled all the requirements and you also have filled the forms needed with valid information then you have to clean your car spray it and their should be no foreign containment in the imported cars said by the agricultural department.
- * The importer of the car then should call the US customs and border protection office to inform that you are coming and after reaching the first gate of the border you should tell the officer at duty that you are a citizen of US and importing a car to US from Canada for personal and family use. The duty officer will ask about one of the documents you are having for verification and then will forward you to the parking lot.
- * Now you have to move to the building with all the documents present in your file AMD present them on the desk. You have to attest all the forms before leaving the office because this attestation is required when you are going to register your car in Canada.
- * At the office you will wait for 10 to 20 minutes for the review of the forms after which you have to pay a duty fee that is 2.5% of your car purchase rate.
- * If you don’t have CBP form then you can pay $800 for this exemption and the pay the duty fee if you are a returning citizen of US from Canada.
- * Once all the paper work is finished the papers are stamped then you are ready to enter with your car to US.
Registration of Canadian cars in US:
After entering US you are not free you have to visit the office of Tax Assessor to register your Canadian car and to get its title in US before going to the office you have to call the office because if anything extra document is needed then you will take that extra document with you to avoid any difficulty.
Requirements:
Some general documents you have to carry are:
- * Title form
- * Application for License Plate form
- * valid driver’s license
- * proof of insurance.
Cost of registration:
The cost of registration is not fix because it will vary depending upon your location that in which province you are living and registering a car. So keep in mind here also you have to spend few hundred dollars in total to get the title of your car and to get it registered.
At last you are free of all the boundries and are ready to enjoy rides in your newly imported car. It was quite a lengthy process but if you want to have a register Canadian car in US then you have to go through this whole process to enjoy legal driving of your newly imported car.
Difference of Canadian and US cars:
Mostly the auto standards for Canadian and US cars are same but all are not identical there may be some difference that you have to keep in mind. According to this some cars may meet both the auto standard of Canada as well as US but there may be some cars of Canada that will need some adjustment to meet the standards of US cars. So before importing a car to US you should be sure about the auto standards are met or not other wise you have to make some changes to meet the auto standards of US.
Auto standards of US:
According to the EPA and transportation department of US if the Canadian car is having one from below auto standards then it is identical to US cars and is allowed to nr imported:
- * There should be an emission label that will states that this Canadian car is certified to united states EPA federal emission statement.
- * A letter from the manufactures of the car that will state that the car complies with the EPA and department of transportation and also a certificate of FMVSS if the car is not having that one.
Also keep in mind that in US you have to get the car register and also get a license for it to drive it in the United states.
Also be in a good financial state to bear all the expense of car with its original purchase prize and the extra charges imposed for the import of your car so that you should be able to do all the process smoothly with out any difficulty.
Then you can use your brand new imported car to explore the beautiful places of United States with your family and friends thats I think a great experience. Good luck for your new imported car to successfully imported into US ready to drive.