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Importing a car into Canada from the US is a relatively simple process. The first step is to check with the Canadian government if the car you wish to import is admissable. Vehicle importation from the United States webpage from the official Candian transportation site provides you with a list of models which are admissable and inadmissable. According to the government website: "Vehicles originally manufactured to standards other than the U.S. or Canada, are inadmissible into Canada under the current laws. The program regulates passenger cars, trucks, vans, jeeps, chassis cabs, trailers, motorcycles, off-road vehicles and snowmobiles less than 15 years old and buses manufactured after January 1, 1971. "
Next check for modification requirements to make your car meet Canadian standards. For instance, Canada may require that your vehicle has day-time running lights.
Then contact the manufacturer or dealer to obtain a recall clearance letter. This ensures that your vehicle has had any upgrades required through manufacturer recall. You must have this document in order to pass the federal inspection.
Determine additional costs such as import duties and taxes applicable. You will then be required to pay 6.1% duty (if it's not made in the USA) plus the usual PST and GST.
If the car you want to import is older than 15 years, the riv information above does not apply and you can usually import it without much hassle and inspection. However, you will have to comply with certain regulations, such as daytime running lights, to have it operable in your province.
So importing a car to Canada from the USA can be a fairly straight-forward process if you understand the general steps involved. For those that don't want the hassle, you can hire a broker to do the work for you. Another alternative if you're looking to purchase a used car or lease return vehicle is to check used car lots in Canada. Many used car dealers in Canada are now importing their inventory from the US and can offer these vehicles at substantial savings.
If you import a car into Canada yourself then be sure to keep the exchange rate in mind as fluctuations in this rate can have large impact on your purchase price.
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