Going back to Canada

[Canerican 242]

Good morning Visajourney family,

 

I have a question that is not visa related but has to do with going back to Canada. 
 

I am intending on going back to Canada to be closer to my children but am also going to be coming to Florida multiple times each year. 
 

Is there any way that I can keep all of my insurance, etc in Florida instead of Canada?

 

To clarify, I am a dual Canada/USA citizen.

 

Thank you for your help. 

Edited April 10, 2023 by Canerican

[Mike E 11,739]

10 minutes ago, Canerican said:

Is there any way that I can keep all of my insurance, etc in Florida instead of Canada?

What kind of insurance?

 

What else besides insurance? 

[Canerican 242]

Just now, Mike E said:

What kind of insurance?

 

What else besides insurance? 

Car insurance, plates, etc. everything. Would prefer to not change everything over. 

[Mike E 11,739]

4 minutes ago, Canerican said:

Car insurance, plates, etc. everything. Would prefer to not change everything over. 

If you leave the car in Florida fine.

 

If you will be operating it more in a province of Canada than anywhere else, it will need insurance and plates for that province.

 

What is the “etc”?

 

[Canerican 242]

1 minute ago, Mike E said:

If you leave the car in Florida fine.

 

If you will be operating it more in a province of Canada than anywhere else, it will need insurance and plates for that province.

 

What is the “etc”?

 

Thank you. 

[Lil bear 4,189]

12 minutes ago, Canerican said:

Car insurance, plates, etc. everything. Would prefer to not change everything over. 

 

25 minutes ago, Canerican said:

Good morning Visajourney family,

 

I have a question that is not visa related but has to do with going back to Canada. 
 

I am intending on going back to Canada to be closer to my children but am also going to be coming to Florida multiple times each year. 
 

Is there any way that I can keep all of my insurance, etc in Florida instead of Canada?

 

To clarify, I am a dual Canada/USA citizen.

 

Thank you for your help. 

Not instead of ..  you are not a visitor of either country …but if you are keeping a FL address as your  US residence … even a family members address .. you can keep licensing  insurance plates (swap plates on arrival in FL) current and active at the same time as having all the Canadian equivalents 

Edited April 10, 2023 by Lil bear

[Canerican 242]

5 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

 

Not instead of ..  you are not a visitor of either country …but if you are keeping a FL add

So this would all depend on how long I am in FL and whether or not I have a Florida address?

[Canerican 242]

1 hour ago, Lil bear said:

 

Not instead of ..  you are not a visitor of either country …but if you are keeping a FL address as your  US residence … even a family members address .. you can keep licensing  insurance plates (swap plates on arrival in FL) current and active at the same time as having all the Canadian equivalents 

Questions for clarification:

 

So, for Canada, I would have an Ontario license plate that would be registered and have a Ontario drivers license?

 

Then for the US I would have a Florida license plate that would be registered and retain my Florida license?

 

Is this legal?

[Mike E 11,739]

29 minutes ago, Canerican said:

Questions for clarification:

 

So, for Canada, I would have an Ontario license plate that would be registered and have a Ontario drivers license?

 

Then for the US I would have a Florida license plate that would be registered and retain my Florida license?

 

Is this legal?

Generally,  a non commercial vehicle gets one license plate from the jurisdiction where the car spends most of its time.

 

Generally a driver gets one drivers license from the jurisdiction where the driver spends the most time.

 

I’ve lived in Florida and visited there countless times. Not once did I see a motor vehicle with two license plates except for a commercial truck. The same is true of any other state or province I’ve lived in or visited.

[Canerican 242]

8 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Generally,  a non commercial vehicle gets one license plate from the jurisdiction where the car spends most of its time.

 

Generally a driver gets one drivers license from the jurisdiction where the driver spends the most time.

 

I’ve lived in Florida and visited there countless times. Not once did I see a motor vehicle with two license plates except for a commercial truck. The same is true of any other state or province I’ve lived in or visited.

Respectfully, I was asking if it is legal to have license plates from two different countries. 

 

The reason I am asking is because I am finding conflicting information and cannot find anything official. I will call one of the agencies to get a firm answer.  

[Mike E 11,739]

21 minutes ago, Canerican said:

Respectfully, I was asking if it is legal to have license plates from two different countries

In Canada and the U.S., the federal government does not have authority over license plates issued by provinces and states. The federal governments do regulate vehicle importation though.
 

Out of 50 states and 10 provinces I am sure you will find some that allow it. You might even find some that require it. 
 

The discussion has evolved from can one avoid getting new license plates to can one have license plates from two states/provinces on the same vehicle. 
 

You will find out for sure when you go to provincial DMV to get provincial plates and the Florida DMV to renew. The Florida DMV might be notified that vehicle was imported into Canada, which might void vehicle title. 
 

 

[Canerican 242]

50 minutes ago, Mike E said:

In Canada and the U.S., the federal government does not have authority over license plates issued by provinces and states. The federal governments do regulate vehicle importation though.
 

Out of 50 states and 10 provinces I am sure you will find some that allow it. You might even find some that require it. 
 

The discussion has evolved from can one avoid getting new license plates to can one have license plates from two states/provinces on the same vehicle. 
 

You will find out for sure when you go to provincial DMV to get provincial plates and the Florida DMV to renew. The Florida DMV might be notified that vehicle was imported into Canada, which might void vehicle title. 
 

 

Thank you for your information. 
 

As I stated in my last post, I will call the provincial government to discuss. Things can change and that is okay. Again, thank you for your input. 

[jskibo 588]

Not sure how you would get plates on a car in the US if the car has a Canada title?  Not sure how canada works but lets say random US state (kentucky) isn't going to give you license plates if the car shows a title in another state, let alone another country.

[mam521 2,062]

If you are returning to Canada as a primary residence, CBSA is going to make you import the vehicle, pay taxes on it and register it with RIV. Once in Ontario, you’re going to have to go through the process to get it registered and insured. You will also have to get an Ontario DL. 
 

If you want to return to Florida as a primary resident, you will have to reimport the vehicle to the US and go through the whole process. You will have however many days to get it registered in FL and get your license switched. 
 

If you are returning to Canada as a primary residence and visiting the US more in a fashion like a snowbird would, I would look at that information. I suspect you can follow the drive it in the US for up to a year before needing to import it. With that in mind, you’ll have to check with your insurance issuer for how long they will cover your vehicle in the US. 

[Canerican 242]

9 hours ago, Lil bear said:

 

Not instead of ..  you are not a visitor of either country …but if you are keeping a FL address as your  US residence … even a family members address .. you can keep licensing  insurance plates (swap plates on arrival in FL) current and active at the same time as having all the Canadian equivalents 

@jskibo Above is what I was responding to regarding clarification questions. 
 

@Lil bear what did you mean when you made the above comment? Did I misinterpret your comment? Please see clarification questions. 
 

3 hours ago, jskibo said:

Not sure how you would get plates on a car in the US if the car has a Canada title?  Not sure how canada works but lets say random US state (kentucky) isn't going to give you license plates if the car shows a title in another state, let alone another country.

My vehicle is a Florida title with Florida plates currently.