Ship a car from Florida to Toronto

This is the second half of the snowbird season: getting an Ontario car from Florida back to the GTA, roughly 1,150 to 1,600 miles (about 1,850 to 2,570 km) depending on which coast it's leaving from. Flying home and letting the car follow means you can leave when you're ready, without two or three days on the interstate at the end of the season.

If the car went south by carrier, you already know the routine. The northbound trip differs in one way that matters: the paperwork is for Canadian customs, not American. That side is laid out in our US to Canada car shipping service page.

Gulf Coast cars from Naples, Sarasota or Tampa ride I-75 north through Atlanta, Chattanooga and Cincinnati to Detroit, then cross at the Ambassador Bridge or at Port Huron. Atlantic-coast cars from Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach often go up I-95 to the Carolinas, then up I-77 across Virginia and West Virginia before crossing into Ontario at Buffalo or Lewiston.

Spring weather is rarely a problem in the South, though an April snow in the Appalachians or on the Ohio stretch of I-75 isn't unheard of. Expect a slower day around Atlanta, where carriers time their runs to miss the city's rush hours.

Northbound demand out of Florida runs from early March through May, peaking in late March and April, especially around Easter. Ontario residents often plan their return around OHIP, which at the time of writing allows up to 212 days outside the province in any 12-month period. Check the current rule before you book, because missing it can affect your coverage.

• Book the northbound trip when you book the southbound one, or by February. Spring space toward Ontario goes quickly.
• If your date is fixed, for a flight, a closing date or an OHIP deadline, our expedited car shipping option can prioritize your pickup.

Open transport is the usual choice, and spring is the kindest season to ship on an open trailer. The salt is mostly off the roads by April, and Ontario's spring rain is the main exposure. If you shipped south enclosed to protect something special, it makes sense to book enclosed for the return too, and to reserve it early, since fewer enclosed trucks head into Canada.

Many snowbirds want to fly home before the car leaves. That's fine, but someone has to release the keys and do the walk-around with the driver:

• A neighbor, friend or condo manager you name in advance can release the car and sign the pickup inspection.
• Gated communities will want the carrier's name at the gatehouse for the pickup date, or you meet the driver just outside. Our Naples, Sarasota and Miami pages cover the local rules.
• Take your photos before you leave Florida, so you have a dated record even if you aren't there for pickup.

Remove your SunPass or E-PASS transponder and empty the car completely before you go. The next section explains why.

Delivery works like any GTA pickup in reverse. Suburban addresses in Peel, York, Halton and Durham are usually simple, and downtown towers usually mean a handoff on a through street a block or two away. Once the car is unloaded, check it in daylight against the Florida pickup report and note anything new on the bill of lading before you sign. See our Toronto page for more on GTA logistics.

Under Canadian law, a car returning by commercial carrier is an import, even if it's your own Ontario-plated car coming home. The carrier reports the vehicle, and anything inside it, to the Canada Border Services Agency before it arrives at the border. A Canadian car going home after a temporary stay doesn't go through the Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV). That process is for vehicles being imported into Canada for the first time.

• Ownership and identity: your Ontario vehicle permit and a passport copy.
• Authorization: a signed letter letting the carrier act for you at the border.
• Anything else the car needs, on either side of the border, depends on the vehicle. We confirm the exact list for your car at booking.