After the interview

[crypto 0]

Hi,

I've got my visa interview in Montreal next week and have a couple of questions:

1) Assuming the interview goes well and I'm issued a visa am I able to drive my Car over the border on my first point of entry?

2) Assuming I can drive my car over, would I be able to bring anything with me (e.g. my TV, computer, etc)?

My wife is currently living in the USA and I would like to bring a few delcate things with me during my first trip across.

Also, does anyone know how I can bring the rest of my belongings across? (e.g. an entire uhaul truck worth) Do I require additional paperwork for that?

Thanks a lot,

Mike.

[canadian_wife 1,822]

Yes, you can drive across the border. That won't be an issue. If you are importing your car, make sure you follow the proper procedures for that. And yes, you can bring anything you need, also make sure you follow proper customs procedures for that as well.

Good luck - you might want to post this on the Canada forum so you can get advice from those who have already crossed at a land POE

[HeatDeath 430]

Importing a car is from Canada is usually fairly straightforward. You need to contact the dealership or manufacturer and order a "compliance letter" This is actually a pair of letters prepared by the manufacturer that state that your particular car (you give them the VIN when you order them) was US DOT compliant at it's time of manufacture, and that it is up to date on all it's recalls. Expect to pay 80-100 bucks for these letters.

Once you have these, look up the "Blue Book" value of your car. The border officer at the PoE will need to know it. If you end up guessing, it's better to be a little low than a little high, as some states or counties will charge you a certain percentage (1-2%) import tax based on the value you state.

When you get to the PoE, and finish all of the other visa business, tell the border officer you want to import your car. They'll look over the compliance letters, ask you for the value of your car, and fill out and stamp an import form. Then you're done.

Later, when you're getting settled in the US, and you want to go to get US plates for your car, you show the DMV your compliance letters and the import form the PoE did up. Depending on the state and county you may have to get some inspections or emissions tests done on your car as well. You show all of this documentation to the DMV, along with proof of ownership (so make sure you have your Canadian title/registration/proof-of-insurance (which in Manitoba are all the same thing). As I mentioned earlier, they'll want to charge you some money, which will either be a small percentage of the value of the car on the import form or a flat fee, and then they'll issue plates and a local title deed for your car.

As for bringing stuff down, you can bring all of your property down anytime in the next 10 years, no problems. The only thing you'll have to watch is make sure that none of your household items are too new, or obviously in unopened original packaging. They may want to charge you import tax if something is obviously too new to be "household effects". The only paperwork you should need is a basic inventory list, e.g "Box 1 - Books, Box 2 - Dishes, Box 3 - Clothes," etc.

[crypto 0]

Thank you!