Importing a US Camaro into Canada

[cletus]

I recently bought a new Camaro in the US and imported it to Ontario, so I thought I’d document it for others to follow. If enough of us do this, we can use NAFTA to stop the car manufacturers from gouging Canadians (or as they put it, they charge what the markets will bear)

Note that I used cars.com, cargurus.com and carlocate.com to get opinionated on price, and to locate the one I wanted.

Closing the deal :
1. Put a deposit down with your credit card ($500 in my case)
2. If it’s a dealer, get them to include a trip permit as part of the deal (send them a scanned copy of your drivers license). They have way more experience dealing with their states licensing dept
3. Also get a front bracket for a license plate included as part of the deal (if required)
4. Arrange for insurance (you just need the VIN), and send a copy to the dealer. My company gave me 20 days from the purchase date to prove I had the car registered in Canada

Prior to leaving Canada/on the way to the US :
1. Get a bank draft in US funds, made out to the seller/dealer name
2. Fill out this form if the bank draft is more than $10K, and drop it off on the Cdn side of the border before crossing : http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/forms-formulaires/e677.pdf
3. Declare the bank draft at US Customs; they’ll check who it is made out to (so they can confirm you are not buying drugs/terrorists)
4. Make sure you have the address of the US Customs where you will be crossing so you can fill out the FedEx destination

At the dealer :
1. Get your bill of sale
2. Get your Title (used car) or the Mfg’s statement of Origin (SO) (new car)
3. Get the service department printout confirming no recalls
4. Ensure they have not removed the US SOC sticker on door (US Statement of Compliancy) (not sure why it would be missing, by Cdn Customs will look for it)
5. Get the temporary vehicle permit mounted
6. Have them make you copies of the title/SO for US Customs (2) and Canada Customs (1), and also 1 for your glove box
7. FedEx the ORIGINAL title/SO and 2 copies to the US Border where you plan to cross
8. You should have the following in your glove box in case your pulled over : 1 copy of the Title/SO, the trip permit receipt, the bill of sale, your insurance slip


At the US Border :
1. Technically they want 72 hrs from FedEx dropping off the original Title/SO…I crossed at 71 hrs. Beware that they only do car exports Mon-Fri 8am to 4pm. Weekends do count, though, in the 72 hr wait
2. They’ll inspect the VIN on the car, and stamp your Title/SO stating exported. No cost for this

At the Cdn Border :
3. Need Bill of Sale + Statement of Origin (new car) or title (used car)
4. Here’s what they charge you, and you can pay via credit card :
· US amount on your bill of sale, LESS your $800 US exemption for being in the US for more than 48 hrs (assuming you didn’t use it all up on something else)
· Above is converted to $ Cdn based on the current exchange rate that exists the day you crossed the border
· They add $100 air conditioning excise tax, so you can get HST tax on this tax (nice)
· You pay 5% GST on the above. Your provincial licensing office will use this same starting point for the provincial tax
· You also have to pay the $100 AC excise tax (above was just the tax on this tax (again, nice))
5. They give you Form 1, which you need later for RIV registration and provincial licensing
6. Keep the receipt on taxes paid, as the provincial government will use the same exchange rates and starting amounts

At Home :
Note that 1) and 2) below are independent of each other
1. Take care of RIV :
· Pay $220.35 RIV fee (195+tx) online with credit card
· Fax/mail/scan & email recall confirmation letter to RIV that you got from the dealer service department
· Within a few hrs, you can download the RIV Form to take to Cdn Tire…no appointment needed..takes them 5 minutes
· Eventually RIV will mail you a Cdn compliance sticker to apply to your driver’s side door
2. Go to Licensing office with
· Form 1 from Border
· Border tax paid bill (they use the same exchange rate and purchase price including the $100 AC excise tax)
· Title/SO
· Insurance slip
· Plate portion if your transferring existing plates ($10 fee)
· Safety and etest forms if a used vehicle
You can pay the prov tax with a credit card
3. In my case, I had to scan form1 and your Ontario ownership and send to your insurance company

Notes :
1. If your buying a new car, the fact that there is no title/ownership can confuse some of the border agents, but rest assured, the Mfg statement of Origin is sufficient
2. You only pay tax where the car is registered, so you will pay no tax in the US
3. If your buying a new car that is non-current (ie a brand new 2011 model purchased in 2012), Cdn Tire and the agents at Services Ontario will tell you that an etest and safety is required. Ask the Services Ontario folks to call their help line, and the help line will confirm that neither is required, and as long as they state “new” in their system, the system will not ask for etest/safety confirmation numbers. Apparently, the New Vehicle Info Statement (NVIS) number that accompanies all Canadian purchases allows the system to avoid asking for these numbers on non-calendar yr new cars, so it confuses them if they do not have this NVIS number (since a new US car has no NVIS number)
4. I’ve heard of some folks not bothering to stop at US Customs for exportation (avoids the 72 hr delay)...the Cdn Customs Officer explicitly asked us if we had gotten the US Customs stamp, otherwise we’d have to return to the US.

Observations :
1. RIV is a waste of effort and $’s for cars recently built in US or Canada...they already know that these cars meet the Cdn specs. For GM cars, simply leave the headlight controls on AUTO so the DRL’s come on when the car is started. You can also use the Camaro’s DIC menu to change to km’s if you want to.
2. The savings are substantial
a. US MSRP seems to be 5% less than the Cdn dealer net
b. Destination charge was $900 in the US vs $1495 in Canada
c. Dealer fees in the US were $120 vs $800 in Ottawa
d. You pay Cdn tax on the lower US purchase price minus your $800 exemption...this tax savings alone is around $1000, so it more than pays for your US vacation while you wait the 72 hrs
3. GM Canada will not warranty the car until you’ve had it 6 months and 12000 km...so any issues in that time frame would have to be resolved in the US

Document Checklist : see enclosure

[78RS_to_112SS]

Great info well put together.
thank you.

[Cam2011]

Wow, it might be easier to just order a camaro piece by piece and assemble it in Canada.

[2xSSRS]

Originally Posted by Cam2011

Wow, it might be easier to just order a camaro piece by piece and assemble it in Canada.

I think you could have just moved to the US.

[RollaMo]

Kind of ironic, since the car was built in Canada in the first place.
Lot of trouble, just to get it back "home".

I understand the reasons people do it though.
Harley owners do the same thing getting a U.S. bike into Canada.

[Bonanza7]

Seems like a hell of a lot of trouble just to get a Canuck built car back to where it was made.

[tonyko1]

That is why I only play by the rules at the end of a gun..........

[camarozzzz]

This is very informative!!! Job well done!!

On a note though, I would just like to add that you forgot to mention - or maybe I skipped over it - that lots of dealers in the states won't sell to Canadian customers either new or used vehicles.

[Micawber]

Thanks for your work compiling this! I'm copying and forwarding the info, if you don't mind.

[Mightygrasshopper]

Great info! Will definitely look at this option in the future

[abaucom21]

Excellent. Your table shows this is not really complicated. I had previously imported 2 autos so just give yourself a week or more to get your paperwork together and get required documents to border crossing 72 in advance. At the border should not take more than 20-30 mins. if you don't arrive a peak hours.
You will save $1000's. Only reason I did not buy my Camaro in the states was the 12,000 Km and 6 months stipulation from GM before you can register your warrenty with GM Canada (sucks as Ford has no such warrenty restrictions). I have had my 2011 for exactly two years and it only has 6,700 km.
Funny story. When getting one car inspected at Canadian Tire (10 mins.) it did not have a child restraint bracket. Inspector pulled one off the shelf ($6) and dropped it in the trunk. He said I was required to have the the bracket "in the car", did not require that the bracket was "installed in the car" (LOL).

[ijaved]

Originally Posted by cletus

I recently bought a new Camaro in the US and imported it to Ontario, so I thought I’d document it for others to follow. If enough of us do this, we can use NAFTA to stop the car manufacturers from gouging Canadians (or as they put it, they charge what the markets will bear)

Note that I used cars.com, cargurus.com and carlocate.com to get opinionated on price, and to locate the one I wanted.

Closing the deal :
1. Put a deposit down with your credit card ($500 in my case)
2. If it’s a dealer, get them to include a trip permit as part of the deal (send them a scanned copy of your drivers license). They have way more experience dealing with their states licensing dept
3. Also get a front bracket for a license plate included as part of the deal (if required)
4. Arrange for insurance (you just need the VIN), and send a copy to the dealer. My company gave me 20 days from the purchase date to prove I had the car registered in Canada

Prior to leaving Canada/on the way to the US :
1. Get a bank draft in US funds, made out to the seller/dealer name
2. Fill out this form if the bank draft is more than $10K, and drop it off on the Cdn side of the border before crossing : http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/forms-formulaires/e677.pdf
3. Declare the bank draft at US Customs; they’ll check who it is made out to (so they can confirm you are not buying drugs/terrorists)
4. Make sure you have the address of the US Customs where you will be crossing so you can fill out the FedEx destination

At the dealer :
1. Get your bill of sale
2. Get your Title (used car) or the Mfg’s statement of Origin (SO) (new car)
3. Get the service department printout confirming no recalls
4. Ensure they have not removed the US SOC sticker on door (US Statement of Compliancy) (not sure why it would be missing, by Cdn Customs will look for it)
5. Get the temporary vehicle permit mounted
6. Have them make you copies of the title/SO for US Customs (2) and Canada Customs (1), and also 1 for your glove box
7. FedEx the ORIGINAL title/SO and 2 copies to the US Border where you plan to cross
8. You should have the following in your glove box in case your pulled over : 1 copy of the Title/SO, the trip permit receipt, the bill of sale, your insurance slip


At the US Border :
1. Technically they want 72 hrs from FedEx dropping off the original Title/SO…I crossed at 71 hrs. Beware that they only do car exports Mon-Fri 8am to 4pm. Weekends do count, though, in the 72 hr wait
2. They’ll inspect the VIN on the car, and stamp your Title/SO stating exported. No cost for this

At the Cdn Border :
3. Need Bill of Sale + Statement of Origin (new car) or title (used car)
4. Here’s what they charge you, and you can pay via credit card :
· US amount on your bill of sale, LESS your $800 US exemption for being in the US for more than 48 hrs (assuming you didn’t use it all up on something else)
· Above is converted to $ Cdn based on the current exchange rate that exists the day you crossed the border
· They add $100 air conditioning excise tax, so you can get HST tax on this tax (nice)
· You pay 5% GST on the above. Your provincial licensing office will use this same starting point for the provincial tax
· You also have to pay the $100 AC excise tax (above was just the tax on this tax (again, nice))
5. They give you Form 1, which you need later for RIV registration and provincial licensing
6. Keep the receipt on taxes paid, as the provincial government will use the same exchange rates and starting amounts

At Home :
Note that 1) and 2) below are independent of each other
1. Take care of RIV :
· Pay $220.35 RIV fee (195+tx) online with credit card
· Fax/mail/scan & email recall confirmation letter to RIV that you got from the dealer service department
· Within a few hrs, you can download the RIV Form to take to Cdn Tire…no appointment needed..takes them 5 minutes
· Eventually RIV will mail you a Cdn compliance sticker to apply to your driver’s side door
2. Go to Licensing office with
· Form 1 from Border
· Border tax paid bill (they use the same exchange rate and purchase price including the $100 AC excise tax)
· Title/SO
· Insurance slip
· Plate portion if your transferring existing plates ($10 fee)
· Safety and etest forms if a used vehicle
You can pay the prov tax with a credit card
3. In my case, I had to scan form1 and your Ontario ownership and send to your insurance company

Notes :
1. If your buying a new car, the fact that there is no title/ownership can confuse some of the border agents, but rest assured, the Mfg statement of Origin is sufficient
2. You only pay tax where the car is registered, so you will pay no tax in the US
3. If your buying a new car that is non-current (ie a brand new 2011 model purchased in 2012), Cdn Tire and the agents at Services Ontario will tell you that an etest and safety is required. Ask the Services Ontario folks to call their help line, and the help line will confirm that neither is required, and as long as they state “new” in their system, the system will not ask for etest/safety confirmation numbers. Apparently, the New Vehicle Info Statement (NVIS) number that accompanies all Canadian purchases allows the system to avoid asking for these numbers on non-calendar yr new cars, so it confuses them if they do not have this NVIS number (since a new US car has no NVIS number)
4. I’ve heard of some folks not bothering to stop at US Customs for exportation (avoids the 72 hr delay)...the Cdn Customs Officer explicitly asked us if we had gotten the US Customs stamp, otherwise we’d have to return to the US.

Observations :
1. RIV is a waste of effort and $’s for cars recently built in US or Canada...they already know that these cars meet the Cdn specs. For GM cars, simply leave the headlight controls on AUTO so the DRL’s come on when the car is started. You can also use the Camaro’s DIC menu to change to km’s if you want to.
2. The savings are substantial
a. US MSRP seems to be 5% less than the Cdn dealer net
b. Destination charge was $900 in the US vs $1495 in Canada
c. Dealer fees in the US were $120 vs $800 in Ottawa
d. You pay Cdn tax on the lower US purchase price minus your $800 exemption...this tax savings alone is around $1000, so it more than pays for your US vacation while you wait the 72 hrs
3. GM Canada will not warranty the car until you’ve had it 6 months and 12000 km...so any issues in that time frame would have to be resolved in the US

Document Checklist : see enclosure

This is the best step by step for importing a Camaro from usa. Thanks a lot for sharing. Just one question regarding the HST? so there's no 13% HST to be paid ? cause its made in North America? I was under the impression that I had to pay that but if that's the case importing from usa makes more sense for me, as I am not looking for a brand new and there's tons of options when you are searching for Camaro in us.

[CDN SS]

Originally Posted by ijaved

This is the best step by step for importing a Camaro from usa. Thanks a lot for sharing. Just one question regarding the HST? so there's no 13% HST to be paid ? cause its made in North America? I was under the impression that I had to pay that but if that's the case importing from usa makes more send for me as I am not looking for a brand new and there's tons of options when you are searching for Camaro in us.

You do have to pay HST when you cross the border on the stated value of the car, if it's built off shore (Pontiac G8 for example) you have pay an additional 6.x % on top of the HST.

[OUR72GTO]

Well done. This is exactly why I bought MY 72 GTO , 2 Silverados, 2 travel trailers in 3 different states in the last 7 years and had nice vacations at the same time. Dollar today is almost 103.