1. Check the big list list of vehicles that you can import: http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/VAFUS/list/VAFUS.pdf. Otherwise you might as well stop here.

Importing cars from the US

http://www.riv.ca/english/

http://www.pcb.ca/vimp.asp

Step 2 isn't required until step 6, but it can take awhile, so start early.

1. Check the big list list of vehicles that you can import: http://www.riv.ca/english/US_vehicle_admissibility.pdf. Otherwise you might as well stop here.
2. You'll need a memo from a dealership stating that there have been no recalls on your car. If you call the dealers around here, they'll know what you're talking about.
3. Go to the US border at Blaine with your car and your title. If you go south on 99 you'll see that you can either go through the peace arch or the truck crossing; take the truck crossing. You can tell the border folks that you want to make an inquiry or not. Regardless, as soon as you cross the border, on your right there's a big building. On the left hand side as you come in, there's a desk, and a sign up list to talk about vehicle exporting. There's no washroom (, and bring a book. The people you need are not open as often as you'd like; I think that they're open from 10-3:30 M-F, but you should be able to call the phone # on the website to find out. You'll also need the name, address, and phone # of who sold you the car, but they probably won't care so much about this (we bought our car in 2000, and they didn't care at all about it). Make sure you get the name of the person who takes your title, and have a copy of it for yourself, too. Theoretically the car isn't supposed to go into Canada for 72 hours after that, but the border folks said that they don't really care for us; that restriction is mostly for people who are selling cars.
4. Come back at least 3 business days later (it can't hurt to call ahead to make sure they're ready). Get your title, which they'll stamp as cleared for export.
5. Drive across the border and stop in at the nice Canadian Customs place. They'll have RIV form 1 for you to fill out and will require that export stamp you got in the US. They'll send that in, and then they'll eventually send you an RIV form 2.
6. Once you have the RIV form 2 and the letter of recall clearance (step 2), you're ready to get your car inspected. You'll probably need both the provincial and the Canadian inspection. The official agent for this is Canadian tire - http://www.canadiantire.ca. It'll probably be somewhere between $200 and $500.
7. The last step is getting your car insurance and license plates. Since all insurance is through the provincial-run ICBC, you get both at the same time. You will need written proof that you have had 8 incident free years in order to get the lowest rate (ask for this paperwork from your insurance company before you enter Canada, and make sure to get all drivers on the form). You can get your insurance anywhere you like, but for the most part the deals are all the same. BCAA seems to have pretty good service.

-- RachelPottinger - 10 Apr 2005