HELP! Car Import from Canada to U.S.

[Dreamman 1]

I am taking my Hyundai to us from Canada. I am paying a us importer to do all the paperwork to cross boarder. Hyundai does not issue the is comliamce letter I tried that. You have to pay an importer. It's around $700! I am leaving in 2 weeks and waiting for the importer paperwork now. What a pain in the ###!!

There is no cost for the letter and they will email it right away. However it not the letter you will need, it only states Canadain compliance. There is no stickers on the cr either that sate its us compliance.

[Flames9_RN 358]

some do it, some do not. Nissan back in 2004 faxed me what I needed in a matter of minutes.....But I sold the car

[Cyteen 0]

I realize this is an old thread, but it is still a relavent issue. I recently inherited a 2006 Hyundai from my late Dad who lived in Brampton. I thought I had collected all the info necessary and done everything necessary to successfully import. That is, until I drove across the continent and was denied clearance at Blaine Washington.

I got in touch with Chevrolake Motors in Delta BC who straightened it all up relatively quickly and aside from the extra $1300. for their fees and duties, painlessly and professionally. Worth the look if you're stuck.

FWIW, it seems that Hyundai are the worst of the lot from lots of conversations. Getting clearance for a 2008 or later model apparently, is impossible as the US DOT REQUIRES tire pressure monitoring which Canadian imported Hyundais don't have and can't be retrofitted.

Hope this helps a few of you.

[Sugarplease 16]

So I have a Toyota Corolla 2015 that I want to bring with me when I cross the border in June 2016. I financed the vehicle and because I owe money to Toyota they will NOT provide me with a compliance letter (jerks). So I called Toyota in the us. They are in the process of e-mailing me the forms I will need to import the vehicle. Hopefully this will be ok. I am trying to get a hold of border control to ask them in advance if what I have will work. I'm not sure if anyone else has come up against this issue but I thought I would post my experience here.

I know this is an older thread but maybe its a good thing that people still post here on occasion. If anyone has any advice for me I welcome it.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Sugarplease

[NikLR 13,227]

You don't own the car. You won't be okay.

You can violate your lien agreement by trying to import a car you do not own.

[Ash.1101 1,756]

Yup! The bank technically is the owner of the car until the car is paid off, once it's paid off and the lien is removed, you are the owner of the car.

[Clifford27 11]

Well I am going to add myself to this thread.

I am heading to California from Toronto. Plus want to take my vehicle with me, the current plan was to drive it to Cali with my clothes and some personal stuff that I didn't trust the movers.

What do I need to do before I make this drive? I own the vehicle there is no money owing on it, so I would think its just paper work showing that its mine. Not sure what else can be done as I wouldn't have a valid dirver lic in california and insurance yet for the vehicle.

Any help would be huge so I can have it looked after before I leave in early 2016 as I don't want to get stuck at the border trying to enter with it, plus I don't want to have issues if I get to Cali with it, because drivintg back to Canada will be a pain, and I am sure selling it will be difficult also.

Thanks

[oncefuturealien 45]

Well I am going to add myself to this thread.

I am heading to California from Toronto. Plus want to take my vehicle with me, the current plan was to drive it to Cali with my clothes and some personal stuff that I didn't trust the movers.

What do I need to do before I make this drive? I own the vehicle there is no money owing on it, so I would think its just paper work showing that its mine. Not sure what else can be done as I wouldn't have a valid dirver lic in california and insurance yet for the vehicle.

Any help would be huge so I can have it looked after before I leave in early 2016 as I don't want to get stuck at the border trying to enter with it, plus I don't want to have issues if I get to Cali with it, because drivintg back to Canada will be a pain, and I am sure selling it will be difficult also.

Thanks

Suggest you read the rest of this thread at least to learn some of the other things you need besides proof of ownership

[GVMack 9]

Hi everyone,

I`m trying to figure out what my best option is, my bmw is here with me in US, I have not been able to drive it either as it needs to be imported, and my insurance has expired.

I kind of want to bring it back to Canada to have my brother in-law sell it for me,

how can I do this with out the temp insurance? ICBC won`t sell me temp insurance, I have WA drivers license.

Will there be a problem as to how long the car was out of Country?

Thank you.

Edited November 18, 2015 by GVMack

[NikLR 13,227]

how long as it been down?

[GVMack 9]

2 years.

[NikLR 13,227]

You may want to have it serviced first if it hasnt been driven in 6 or more months.

After that Im unsure. You may want to talk to an importer and the CBSA to see what they would say about bringing this car back to Canada. You may have to ship vs drive it.

[Sugarplease 16]

Ok, so I have my compliance letter and it states that i dont have a tire pressure monitoring system. Border says i have to get toyota to install one. Toyota says it cannot install one. Has anyone been able to import their vehicle without the TPMS??? I have a 2015 Toyota Corolla. it's brand new....

I'm so stressed with this damn thing. Any advice would help.

[NikLR 13,227]

Probably not as it's a requirement in the USA vs running lights in Canada for example.

Call an importer maybe?

[canadianalien 0]

I am considering importing my 2007 Lexus into the USA. I got a letter of compliance from Lexus which states that it complies with FMVSS save the following "Certain minor labeling requirements contained in FMVSS101 (Controls and Display) pertaining to the instrument panel". Will this cause issues at the border?

Furthermore, as I was reading through the thread, I realized that you have to pay the sales tax at the time of registration. Is this on the original purchase price? The car is 9 years old, I don't know if it's worth paying another 8.25% (Texas) or if I would be better off selling the vehicle and buying another..

Thanks!