I drove my USC's Truck Home

[lynamon 0]

This weekend I travelled down to Cleveland on Thursday and planned on coming home on Saturday evening. It snowed there and snowed alot and when I tried to head home back to Canada in my Honda Civic the whiteouts were too bad so I stayed until Sunday afternoon. There was so much snow in downtown Cleveland that I was clearing snow off to the level of the hood of my car ...

With a few attempts to get my car out to the road we parked it and agreed that I would take Ed's 2005 GMC Sierra home because I had to work today.

When I got to the boarder the duty guard at the gate told me that it was not allowed to bring a US citizens vehicle across the boarder and told me to go inside to talk to the guards there (my heart sank as it's a 3 1/2 hour drive back to Cleveland .. it was 9:00 at night and I had my 8 year old son with me!!!).

The guard inside was very nice when I told him my situation .. he had heard that the game had been cancelled in Cleveland due to the snow. He told me that he would issue me an I-99 which would allow me to have the truck in Canada until next Saturday .. what a relief!!!

Just thought that I would share

[together2love 0]

Didn't know that either. You are pretty lucky.

[CutienPurg 0]

We were told the same thing when my husband ( then fiance) borrowed our friends truck and trailer to bring some of my stuff up to his place. The POE officer was very sweet about it and allowed him to pass, she even waved the duty on the furniture after he told her he was recently divorced and moving into a different place.

[mozplay 29]

Same thing happened to me a couple of years ago. I was visiting David who lived south of Syracusse at the time, over March Break. It rained the entire week and my poor leaky old truck would not start. I drove his car back (which was also a death trap) and was pulled aside as well. The lady let me go on home ( I crossed in Buffalo and was living in Toronto) after I promised her not to drive it but to get rides to work until David brought my truck back. She said it was not considered legal for Canadians to drive a car that was licensed and insured by a USC. I considered myself damn lucky as well, at the time, and very grateful I was dealing with Canadian customs and not US customs.

Mo

[Jasman0717 9]

Its nice to hear that there are people working for the USCIS who have hearts!

[Cdn_Ali 11]

She said it was not considered legal for Canadians to drive a car that was licensed and insured by a USC.

Anyone know why this is considered illegal? My fiance checked with his insurance company and the car we want to bring across the border (temporarily) would be covered if driven in Canada. I would understand if we were importing the vehicle & it was staying in Canada. But if the car is ultimately going back to the US????

Did border control give a reason why it is illegal?

[mozplay 29]

It would be legal for the USC to drive it, but apparently from what I was made to understand, we (Canadians) would not be covered under the insurance terms as the car is outside of the US and NOT being driven by the owner.

I could be completely wrong as to why, mind you. This is just what was explained to me.

Mo

[Sabovee 0]

Same thing happened to me last year. I borrowed a friends car (mine died) to drive home to Kingston from Maryland. Got stopped at the border. Lovely border dude told me "Not to try and run"... uh huh... but that I couldn't bring the car over because it looked like I was trying to import it - and I'd need to pay taxes and show a proof of purchase to do that. I had to leave the car at an airport in Alexandria Bay and call my mom to come get me.

I loved his little speech about not trying to run across the border with the car....

[DeadPoolX 9]

So wait a minute...

Does this mean that you're NOT allowed to bring an vehicle from the United States into Canada? What if it's on a semi-temporary basis? I mean, longer than a vacation but shorter than "forever." In other words, something along the lines of five or six years.

I was thinking of driving my car up to Canada and crossing that way and being with my fiancee. I have all the paperwork for my car. We would both be coming back to the U.S. eventually (as I said, after about five or six years), and I would like to have my car with me.

What's this about the Canadian citizen not allowed to drive the vehicle? So only I would be legally allowed to operate it? That does limit my car's usefulness, if that's the way it works...

What if, when I got to Canada, I bought different auto insurance? Canadian auto insurance that covered myself and my fiancee? Would that work or not? Or could I keep my American auto insurance for me and purchase Canadian auto insurance for my fiancee?

Help would be very much appreciated in this matter.

[warlord 73]

You can bring a car if you rent it or if you own it. Same thing as if you're driving cross country in someone elses car and they're not with you, good chance if you get pulled over for speeding they will hold you until they can verfiy you have permission to drive that car from the owner. At the border they want to eliminate car theft, and a foreign person driving a US car without owning it or having the owner in it shows a bunch of possible red flags...

[DeadPoolX 9]

You can bring a car if you rent it or if you own it. Same thing as if you're driving cross country in someone elses car and they're not with you, good chance if you get pulled over for speeding they will hold you until they can verfiy you have permission to drive that car from the owner. At the border they want to eliminate car theft, and a foreign person driving a US car without owning it or having the owner in it shows a bunch of possible red flags...

Ah ha. I gotcha.

Okay, well, I definitely own the car, so that's not a problem. However, could my fiancee drive the car in Canada or would I need a new/seperate insurance plan for that? That's what I'm still unsure about.

[Cdn_Ali 11]

We are in the same boat - my fiance bought me a US car so I could sell my Canadian one & we were going to drive it across the border together. It would only be in Canada until I got my visa. But now I find out it would be illegal for me to drive it here unless I 'import' it & register it in Canada - and that's a whole other pain in the butt. (My fiance can drive the vehicle in Canada all he wants...it's just me that can't drive it.) To import a vehicle, there are all kinds of inspections, import fees & duties.

If you find any legal loopholes, please do post.

[neiks 19]

Canada Customs regulations are that a Canadian resident can not use a US vehicle unless duties and taxes are paid on the vehicle. Customs does not regulate anything in regards to insurance/liablity etc. The concern is that the returning resident is using a vehicle that has not had the Canadian duty or tax paid on it.

Consider yourself extremely lucky to be allowed to enter Canada driving it and I wouldn't do it again if I were you - now that you know!

We are in the same boat - my fiance bought me a US car so I could sell my Canadian one & we were going to drive it across the border together. It would only be in Canada until I got my visa. But now I find out it would be illegal for me to drive it here unless I 'import' it & register it in Canada - and that's a whole other pain in the butt. (My fiance can drive the vehicle in Canada all he wants...it's just me that can't drive it.) To import a vehicle, there are all kinds of inspections, import fees & duties.

If you find any legal loopholes, please do post.

You (Canadian resident) can drive the car only if a you have your fiance with you (non Canadian resident). There is no legal loophole and if you are found driving the US vehicle in Canada without having properly imported it or without having your fiance with you, you are running the risk of having the vehicle seized.

QUOTE(warlord @ Apr 11 2007, 08:15 AM)

You can bring a car if you rent it or if you own it. Same thing as if you're driving cross country in someone elses car and they're not with you, good chance if you get pulled over for speeding they will hold you until they can verfiy you have permission to drive that car from the owner. At the border they want to eliminate car theft, and a foreign person driving a US car without owning it or having the owner in it shows a bunch of possible red flags...

Ah ha. I gotcha.

Okay, well, I definitely own the car, so that's not a problem. However, could my fiancee drive the car in Canada or would I need a new/seperate insurance plan for that? That's what I'm still unsure about.

No, US vehicle must we proper ly imported and have the duties and taxes paid on it before the Canadian resident can drive it legally in Canada.

What's this about the Canadian citizen not allowed to drive the vehicle? So only I would be legally allowed to operate it? That does limit my car's usefulness, if that's the way it works...

It has nothing to do with "citizenship" It is where the person legally "resides". Ie, you don't have your legal status in the US then you are still considered a "resident of Canada".

Its nice to hear that there are people working for the USCIS who have hearts!

Actually, those would be Canadian Customs Officers they would be dealing with!

[Flames9_RN 358]

soo, in other words, ur lucky Neiks was not standing guard that day!! lol hard core to the bone!!

[neiks 19]

soo, in other words, ur lucky Neiks was not standing guard that day!! lol hard core to the bone!!

I think I may be mellowing now being a mother.