Border requirements for Americans buying cars from Canada

[seann]

Hi,
Can someone who has been through this tell me what an American can expect returning to the border with a used race car with a bill of sale from a Canadian seller.
Thanks,
Seann

[Lotus7]

Usually the only headache is getting the EPA clearance. For street legal cars that challenge applies to cars under 25 years old.

Pretty straight forward to get an exemption for a formula car regardless of age; a spec miata or similar might be more challenging re: convincing them that it'll never be on the road. If it appears to them that you could easily convert it back to street, expect problems.

[Dan Lipperini Jr]

I brought through a sports racer and the only question asked by the nice young lady were “whether it was street legal”, “could it ever be driven on the streets” and “does it have a title”. I told her that if there was some special paperwork that she could fill out so that it would be legal to drive on the streets and get a title for, I would buy her dinner. A quick smile and laugh and then off I went.

I bought a formula ford decades ago and ended up fully wrapping it in tarps and straps because of the horrible weather. I brought all the paperwork I had and when I arrived at the crossing, they asked what was under the cover. I showed pictures of everything and told them that they are welcome to look under the tarps, but wanted it wrapped back up for the trip home. The snow/sleet/freezing rain was so bad nobody took me up on the offer and I paid some small duty and drove on through. This was 2 decades ago, so I doubt it would go the same way in todays world.

Bring copies of any and all paperwork, a copy of the original ad for the car, copies of text or email strings with the seller and payment documents. There should only be some basic duty but the more of a race car it is, the easier it should be. Formula car shouldn’t be much trouble. Modern converted street car under the 25 years rule is likely a “no-go”.

[Lotus7]

... and told them that they are welcome to look under the tarps, but wanted it wrapped back up for the trip home.

them re-wrap it ????? LOL, just FYI, the border guards have the legal authority to totally dismantle your vehicle if they feel they have sufficient suspicion, and have ZERO obligation to put anything back together

[Dan Lipperini Jr]

Funny isn’t it. I brought an open trailer because the wind and weather was so bad, with the enclosed it would have been a difficult trip. We put a tarp on the trailer, pushed the car on it, pulled it up and put another tarp over top. After securing it with several tie-downs, it was ready for the trip home. By the time I got to the border, it looked like I was trailering a huge ice ball!. It was so damn cold and crappy out, I went into their office and nobody wanted to go out and even uncover it. Yes, I got lucky, but that was a LONG time ago. I still look back and laugh at how both of those cars came across.

[chrisw52]

Hi,
Can someone who has been through this tell me what an American can expect returning to the border with a used race car with a bill of sale from a Canadian seller.
Thanks,
Seann

just went through this with an engine.

1. the buyer needs to fill out EPA form 3520-1
2. the buyer will need to write a letter to the EPA for the EPA exemption number that you will need on 3520-1 to complete.
3. To import the car you have to document that the car will never be able to be used on a public road. For my race engine, I needed a letter from the engine builder and another letter from me (the buyer) promising that I will never put my racing Kent engine into a steetable car.
4. make sure everything is properly signed and dated in blue ink, bic #2

At that point, I got Britian West Motorsports involved to handle he shipping. You will need the documentation you used to get the EPA exemption certification, plus a bill of sale, log books, etc for customs at the border.

It took me about 4-6 weeks to collect all the documentation and receive the EPA exemption letter and get all the customs documentation ready. that was the longest part. Shipping to California only took a week by comparison.

[halcyon]

There are many variables (type of car, age of car, where it was originally sold, etc). All of the documents and procedures are available online. My best advice is to familiarize yourself with the required documents and then call the border crossing where you plan to cross, explain what you plan to do, and confirm with them what is needed. It's still possible that you will encounter an agent who isn't well-versed, so knowing what's required is critical. You should also take time to educate yourself on what taxes will be required. For example, the last car I bought out of Canada was a reimportation to the US, so no taxes required. Agents may or may not get the tax status correct, so you need to know in advance what is required.

[billtebbutt]

There are many variables (type of car, age of car, where it was originally sold, etc). All of the documents and procedures are available online. My best advice is to familiarize yourself with the required documents and then call the border crossing where you plan to cross, explain what you plan to do, and confirm with them what is needed. It's still possible that you will encounter an agent who isn't well-versed, so knowing what's required is critical. You should also take time to educate yourself on what taxes will be required. For example, the last car I bought out of Canada was a reimportation to the US, so no taxes required. Agents may or may not get the tax status correct, so you need to know in advance what is required.

This is good advice. I would also suggest that use of a broker be considered - they can be extremely helpful to the point of doing it all for you should you wish to pay for the privilege. And, even if a full service broker is used, it pays to be familiar yourself with the rules and policies.

For example, I used a broker for going the other way (USA to Canada). Despite being assured by the broker that I could import the car at any of the Fort Erie/Niagara Falls/Buffalo bridges, you CAN'T! Only one of the bridges is equipped to process that transaction (Queenston IIRC). And I was subsequently successful in getting an HST rebate where the broker was certain I would not. Having said all of that, I would use a broker again, just perhaps not the one I used previously.

best,
bt