Importing Car to the US

[larrysgirl 0]

Hi there...

I'm sure there's a thread out there somewhere about taking your car across the border but I don't remember seeing any about going through the Peace Arch crossing.

I will be moving to Honolulu when my visa is approved, so unfortunately I can't just drive there! I found a company who specializes in shipping from the West Coast to the Hawaiian islands. However, I have to drive my car from Vancouver to a port in Seattle to do so.

I have my letter from the Canadian manufacturer that says my car is A-OK. Just wondering if I need to get a letter of approval from EPA and/or is there anything else I need to prepared to show at customs? Did you have to pay duty?

Thanks a bunch!!

[jhags 0]

I just crossed the border with all my stuff and car from Winnipeg last week at the Pembina North Dakota crossing. I had made a list of all my stuff and the car compliance letter from Diamler Chrysler. I also had a cat with all the paper work

When I got to the border they looked at my passport and asked if I had any beef and to go on through and then walk the package in. They took about 45 minutes stumbling through the package and they said thats all i needed. They never looked at any of the cat, car, or moving items and said thats all they needed.

However some places do require that letter of compliance so yes its a good thing to have. You will need it to register the car in the US for sure...atleast here in Texas you do!

Good Luck!

Hi there...

I'm sure there's a thread out there somewhere about taking your car across the border but I don't remember seeing any about going through the Peace Arch crossing.

I will be moving to Honolulu when my visa is approved, so unfortunately I can't just drive there! I found a company who specializes in shipping from the West Coast to the Hawaiian islands. However, I have to drive my car from Vancouver to a port in Seattle to do so.

I have my letter from the Canadian manufacturer that says my car is A-OK. Just wondering if I need to get a letter of approval from EPA and/or is there anything else I need to prepared to show at customs? Did you have to pay duty?

Thanks a bunch!!

[larrysgirl 0]

I just crossed the border with all my stuff and car from Winnipeg last week at the Pembina North Dakota crossing. I had made a list of all my stuff and the car compliance letter from Diamler Chrysler. I also had a cat with all the paper work

When I got to the border they looked at my passport and asked if I had any beef and to go on through and then walk the package in. They took about 45 minutes stumbling through the package and they said thats all i needed. They never looked at any of the cat, car, or moving items and said thats all they needed.

However some places do require that letter of compliance so yes its a good thing to have. You will need it to register the car in the US for sure...atleast here in Texas you do!

Good Luck!

Hi there...

I'm sure there's a thread out there somewhere about taking your car across the border but I don't remember seeing any about going through the Peace Arch crossing.

I will be moving to Honolulu when my visa is approved, so unfortunately I can't just drive there! I found a company who specializes in shipping from the West Coast to the Hawaiian islands. However, I have to drive my car from Vancouver to a port in Seattle to do so.

I have my letter from the Canadian manufacturer that says my car is A-OK. Just wondering if I need to get a letter of approval from EPA and/or is there anything else I need to prepared to show at customs? Did you have to pay duty?

Thanks a bunch!!

Thanks for sharing your experience!

(P.S. they asked if you had any "beef"???)

[WretchedMidget 0]

When I imported my 98 Toyota Camry two years ago, I just needed the safety letter from Toyota. I didn't have to pay duty on it, even though I had just purchased it a few months earlier, but I did have to pay state taxes on it when I registered/plated it in Indiana.

Hope that helps a little!

[SENKA 0]

I brought my Mazda3 2005 with me back in July, and had to have a bank letter that the car is paid off along with the letter of compliance. They also charged me import fee since the car is made in Japan. If it is made in North America, there is no import fee. I didn't know that.

Good luck

[Jersey Girl 2]

If you have a compliance letter from the manufacturer, that's proof that the car meets EPA standards. No other letter is required. When I imported my Honda (for personal use) there was no duty.