Yet another car import question (well two)

[bluegreen 0]

I have my car down here in CA and am still driving around with my BC plates, so I am working or sorting it out.

When we lived in CO in the Spring, I called the inland port and was told it was super easy to import, I didn't even need the letter of compliance since I have the EAP AND DOT stickers, etc. So I have been working away on making sure I can register it.

So yesterday I called the port in San Diego and they said that since I am now a permanent resident, I cannot import the car as part of my personal belongings and it must be imported formally through a registered importer and I have to pay all import duties, etc. They said that K1-3 visa holders and those on temporary work visas can import their cars for a period of one year only ad that those cars are not eligible for resale in the US. Then the officer said the problem with the DMV is that they don't really pay attention to this and allow people to re-register their cars every year for years. But he said there would be a problem if they tried to sell the car.

This really sucks. I don't want to sell my car! Now OR in the future. I had to call every registered importer all the way up to Sacramento before I even found someone who would deal with my '05 Toyota rather than "high end european imports only". The guy I finally did reach thought that was ridiculous and that this particular port is really #######. He said it would totally not be worth my money to use his services because it is so expensive and time consuming.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Is it worth just trying to take my car to a different port? I wish I had just done it in CO where they had a completely different story.

On to question two. When I DO eventually register my car at the DMV in Cali, they require proof of insurance. Will my BC insurance work for this? I called Allstate, who insures our other car, and they will not insure my car till it is registered. Ugh!! No win situation!

Any insight MUCH appreciated! This is 5x more complicated than immigration!

Edited January 9, 2009 by bluegreen

[Krikit 1,165]

Why don't you try another POE? From the CPB Find Answers site it says:

"If you failed to formally enter the car when you drove it into the U.S., you can file the entry and pay duty at your nearest CBP office."

[bluegreen 0]

Why don't you try another POE? From the CPB Find Answers site it says:

"If you failed to formally enter the car when you drove it into the U.S., you can file the entry and pay duty at your nearest CBP office."

I think I might try that:) I did call the POE at Otay Mesa, but they said I'd have to go to the San Diego Office as it was closer to me. But if I actually just WENT there it might be different...worth a shot!

[BermyCat 1]

The insurance thing is so weird. Phil just called USAA and added me and my car to his policy. They asked him for the numberon my I-94 for some reason but that was the only unusual thing. I got the insurance policy information in the mail yesterday and now I should get off my butt and go reregister the car.

So far, I love USAA. Much of Phil's family are officers in the marines to we're lucky enough to be able to use them.

~ Catherine

[bluegreen 0]

The insurance thing is so weird. Phil just called USAA and added me and my car to his policy. They asked him for the numberon my I-94 for some reason but that was the only unusual thing. I got the insurance policy information in the mail yesterday and now I should get off my butt and go reregister the car.

So far, I love USAA. Much of Phil's family are officers in the marines to we're lucky enough to be able to use them.

~ Catherine

I have heard USAA is awesome!! But we aren't eligible to use them. Such a bummer! I might just try calling Allstate again and not making such a big deal about asking questions on the Canadian car thing. Just try adding the car to our policy. Then I am double insured for a while, since in order to cancel your ICBC policy you have to return your plates. In person. But I can't insure the car in the US without plates. And I can't get US plates until the car is insured in the US. Man! But maybe I'll ask around a bit and see if there is any way to get USAA. My brother in law is ex-military and he has it...

[JillA 2]

The insurance thing is so weird. Phil just called USAA and added me and my car to his policy. They asked him for the numberon my I-94 for some reason but that was the only unusual thing. I got the insurance policy information in the mail yesterday and now I should get off my butt and go reregister the car.

So far, I love USAA. Much of Phil's family are officers in the marines to we're lucky enough to be able to use them.

~ Catherine

I have heard USAA is awesome!! But we aren't eligible to use them. Such a bummer! I might just try calling Allstate again and not making such a big deal about asking questions on the Canadian car thing. Just try adding the car to our policy. Then I am double insured for a while, since in order to cancel your ICBC policy you have to return your plates. In person. But I can't insure the car in the US without plates. And I can't get US plates until the car is insured in the US. Man! But maybe I'll ask around a bit and see if there is any way to get USAA. My brother in law is ex-military and he has it...

Geico insured me here on my Ontario plates, they didn't care about the plates! As soon as I had my Geico proof of insurance I was able to get my PA plates.

[bluegreen 0]

Well update I called Allstate again and spoke to someone else who said it was not a problem. So that is taken care of. We'll probably switch from Allstate at some point because we don't think they are the greatest, but we have a great rate so we'll stay for now. Just shows that if you don't get the answer you want/need, just keep asking different people until you do:)

So now my main problem remains this importing business! I am thinking I'll just drive it to Otay Mesa or San Ysidro and try there. I did read more through the link that Krikit included, and it does obliquely reference that NON residents can import their cars easily and duty-free for up to a year. It does not really say anything about residents importing cars for personal use, just for re-sale. I should have done this while my AOS was pending!!

[Flames9_RN 358]

San Ysidro--Isn't that the main 1 between San diego and Tijuana?? That is 1 super duper busy POE!!! Stumbled across that many a night,lol

Edited January 9, 2009 by flames9

[bluegreen 0]

San Ysidro--Isn't that the main 1 between San diego and Tijuana?? That is 1 super duper busy POE!!! Stumbled across that many a night,lol

It certainly is! We don't stumble across it that much anymore, even with my Mexican-citizen husband, because it is getting just a bit sketchy down there.

Maybe it is SO busy that they will just fill out my forms and send me on my way instead of this whole registered importer thing that the San Diego office is insisting on.

[trailmix 77]

San Ysidro--Isn't that the main 1 between San diego and Tijuana?? That is 1 super duper busy POE!!! Stumbled across that many a night,lol

It certainly is! We don't stumble across it that much anymore, even with my Mexican-citizen husband, because it is getting just a bit sketchy down there.

Maybe it is SO busy that they will just fill out my forms and send me on my way instead of this whole registered importer thing that the San Diego office is insisting on.

[HannahP 119]

Huh. This thread kind of went over my head & I wanted to clarify a few things:

Are you basically "importing" your stuff when you first drive over the border and activate the visa? (I never really thought about it like that.)

My husband was a PR when he went to get his plates changed from Alberta to Kansas and didn't have any problems. Is that different, somehow?

*scratches head*

[bluegreen 0]

Huh. This thread kind of went over my head & I wanted to clarify a few things:

Are you basically "importing" your stuff when you first drive over the border and activate the visa? (I never really thought about it like that.)

My husband was a PR when he went to get his plates changed from Alberta to Kansas and didn't have any problems. Is that different, somehow?

*scratches head*

Exactly. Cars are a little different to personal belongings, though. According to the person I spoke with on the phone, if you import your car when you have a temporary visa (like a work visa or a K visa), you are a "non-resident" and so are allowed to import your car for a period of one year for personal use only. They are supposed to give you a form which states this, which you then give to the DMV when you go to register your car. However, he did admit that the DMV does not really keep proper record of this, and that at the end of the year, they just tend to send a renewal notice instead of saying, "hey, you need to either take your car back to Canada (or wherever), or have it imported properly by a registered importer before you can re-register it." This seemed to be a major thorn in the side of the person I spoke to.

When you drive across the border and "import" your car, you are supposed to have all this stuff with you in order to do it, like your manufacturers compliance letter and proof of ownership, etc.

However, what I am beginning to realize and what was also hinted to me by one of the nicer registered importers I spoke to yesterday, is that the DMV is (predictably) not au fait with all this, so even if you have not really "imported" your car with all the paperwork, you can really just sometimes go there and register your car and they never even ask for it. This is fine unless you decide you want to sell your car in the US later down the line. I think lots of people do this without even realizing that they are supposed to formally "import" their cars.

In fact, this entire thing seems to be based around importing your car for personal use vs. re-sale, which is very annoying because I do not wish to re-sell my car. I wish to drive it with california plates so that I do not get a gigantic fine for being here longer than 30 days with out of state registration.

In my case, I did not have the option to import my car when I drive across the border, since I entered as a visitor. I guess this is my penance for adjusting straight from my visitor status:)

I am sure that is clear as mud..

*edited for bad spelling

Edited January 9, 2009 by bluegreen

[Flames9_RN 358]

San Ysidro--Isn't that the main 1 between San diego and Tijuana?? That is 1 super duper busy POE!!! Stumbled across that many a night,lol

It certainly is! We don't stumble across it that much anymore, even with my Mexican-citizen husband, because it is getting just a bit sketchy down there.

Maybe it is SO busy that they will just fill out my forms and send me on my way instead of this whole registered importer thing that the San Diego office is insisting on.

Just getting sketchy,lol

[HannahP 119]

Nope! I get it now. I just don't think we did it completely legally, like you're trying to do. He didn't have a letter of compliance when he crossed the border, nor did we ever receive a letter stating that we needed to get it re-registered in Canada/imported properly.

We actually just assumed that when his registration expired on his Alberta plates, we'd just need to take it in! Our troubles started when he lost his registration, which was expired so Alberta didn't have a copy on record. Got about a dozen different answers as to whether a bill of sale would work (both from USCIS and the local DMV) but in the end, I guess we managed to bumble through it.

Isn't it odd how un-standardized some parts of this process are? (Like being able to get an EAD at JFK still, etc.)

[bluegreen 0]

San Ysidro--Isn't that the main 1 between San diego and Tijuana?? That is 1 super duper busy POE!!! Stumbled across that many a night,lol

It certainly is! We don't stumble across it that much anymore, even with my Mexican-citizen husband, because it is getting just a bit sketchy down there.

Maybe it is SO busy that they will just fill out my forms and send me on my way instead of this whole registered importer thing that the San Diego office is insisting on.

Just getting sketchy,lol

Uh huh, you're right, let's say sketchy-er than ever:)