Please help- Canadian car across border with K1

[hazeleyez26 0]

My fiance is from Canada and he just got his K1 visa approved today!! Yay!! As soon as he gets his visa, he will be on his way to the U.S. We have a few questions if someone could please help us out..

1. Will he have a hard time bringing his canadian car across the border on his K1 visa?

2.Can he cross without importing it?

3. If we don't import it, does he still need a letter of compliance?

Thank you so much!!

[Ontarkie 14,413]

~~Moved to the Canada forum, from K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures~~

[ricnally 259]

This is confusing. He wants to bring his car, but not import it?

[hazeleyez26 0]

Yes, he wants to bring his car but not import it. We want to either import it at another time or give it to his family in Canada. We just haven't decided yet and he also wouldn't have all the papers he needs in order to import it at the border.

[ricnally 259]

I brought my car into the US when I came on another type of visa (one year), and didn't realize I was supposed to import it. They didn't say anything to me about it at the border, and it wasn't until I tried to register it in the US that I found out I needed to import it. I had to go to a POE to do it. (And I may be wrong, but I don't think you can do it at an airport. I'm in California, so I just went to an actual port on the coast). If you're going to have the car in the US for any kind of extended amount of time, you'll have to register it.

Edited June 3, 2014 by ricnally

[canadianplum 20]

You can cross without importing it, but can't register it without the proper import paper work and each state has different laws on how long you have to register your car after moving, I would check your states law on registration. One other thing I would check is how long your Canadian insurance is valid for in the US, mine was like 4 months or something like that. Good luck.

[Krikit 1,165]

He has up to a year to bring it in without importing it. After that he will need to either go to the closest POE to import it or return it to Canada. Here are a couple of useful links:

http://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1664/kw/vehicle/related/1

[Krikit 1,165]

Regarding the insurance, CanadianPlum has a good point. State Farm wouldn't insure my car any longer than 4 weeks after entry. GEICO picked it up without US registration and drivers license no problem.

[Weston3220 4]

best to import right away as insurance in the states is cheaper

thats my plan, just to have three months of insurance my date of entry give me enough time to register and do all the DMV stuff, then on to cheaper US insurance wooot

[NikLR 13,232]

best to import right away as insurance in the states is cheaper

thats my plan, just to have three months of insurance my date of entry give me enough time to register and do all the DMV stuff, then on to cheaper US insurance wooot

My husband's insurance for our Jeep is just as much as my old car was.

Interesting....

[Weston3220 4]

Maybe it's fiancee insurance USAA, and adding 2nd car isn't double the price, I mean I pay $1700 in Vancouver I think its going to cost half that in San Diego

[NikLR 13,232]

Maybe it's fiancee insurance USAA, and adding 2nd car isn't double the price, I mean I pay $1700 in Vancouver I think its going to cost half that in San Diego

OMFG your Vancouver insurance is expensive!

I paid 1200 per year (split into 2 payments) in Alberta but only because I'd never had insurance under my name before. The car was old. LOL

Our jeep is about a grand. We pay another 70 bucks per year for the bike. We got a better deal with allstate than USAA.

[Weston3220 4]

My 94 Cherokee was $1200ish? My 12,Veloster is $1700 they says its a "sports car", even tho its a 1.6L ha

I know van island is half price of Vancouver but also i live like across the bridge from DT Vancouver

[ricnally 259]

Yes, BC insurance is ridic.

[hazeleyez26 0]

Thank you so much everyone for the info. We are still worried... we called the border crossing and the lady said that it all depends on the border guard on whether or not you have to import the vehicle. Some border guards don't even ask about it and other border guards ask why you are not importing it and want you to import it. We don't even know what to do... we don't have enough money to import it or make sure it meets US standards and we are getting married in a few weeks. Does he cross the border and chance it? or maybe it's better to sell the car...