Ship a car from Montreal to Florida

Quebec has sent winter residents to Florida for generations. Hollywood Beach and Hallandale are the best known, and many more Quebecers settle around Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Palm Beach County and Central Florida. The run is about 1,300 to 1,700 miles (roughly 2,090 to 2,740 km). Jacksonville marks the near end and Miami-Dade the far end; most Broward addresses land close to 1,600 miles.

Shipping the car spares you two days on the Northway and the New Jersey Turnpike. Every customs rule that applies is laid out in Canada to US car shipping, form by form.

Cars leave Quebec on A-15 and cross at Lacolle–Champlain. From there, I-87 (the Adirondack Northway) runs past Plattsburgh and Lake George to Albany. It gets real snow from November on and is the likeliest place for weather to cost a few hours. At Albany, carriers split:

• The Thruway to I-95. I-87 follows the Hudson south. Most carriers skirt Manhattan on I-287 and the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, then take the New Jersey Turnpike onto I-95 and run the coast to Jacksonville, Daytona, Palm Beach and Broward.
• Inland on I-88 and I-81. Some drivers avoid New York–area traffic by heading to Binghamton and down I-81 across Pennsylvania and Virginia before swinging back toward the coast.

Either way, the Atlantic coast is the natural end of the line. A car headed for Tampa or Sarasota will usually be one of the later drops.

Southbound demand from Quebec builds in October and peaks from November until shortly before Christmas. Northbound demand clusters in March and April. Many Quebecers also work around RAMQ, which currently requires 183 days of physical presence in Quebec per calendar year; confirm the rule with RAMQ before you fix your dates.

• Book in September or early October for a November pickup.
• Think about tires. Quebec requires winter tires from December 1 to March 15. If yours are already on, they'll spend the winter in Florida heat. If the car comes home before March 15, it needs them again on Quebec roads.
• Heading north in spring is handled through US to Canada car shipping.

Open carriers are the standard choice for a daily driver. Know what's on the roads in late autumn: Quebec and northern New York use salt and abrasives heavily once the snow starts, and an open trailer's lower deck catches some spray and grit. A wash in Florida usually takes care of it. You can request the upper deck; whether the carrier can honor it depends on the load.

Enclosed is the right call for a collectible, a car that just came back from the detailer, or anything low enough that ramps are a worry. Fewer enclosed trucks cross at Lacolle, so give us extra notice.

Montreal's older neighborhoods are hard on big trucks. In the Plateau, Rosemont, Villeray or Outremont, expect the handoff on an artery such as Saint-Denis, Papineau or Van Horne. Downtown and Griffintown condo owners will need to drive out of the garage to a street with room for the truck. In Westmount and NDG, Sherbrooke is usually easiest.

• Snow removal: from November, borough snow-clearing operations post temporary no-parking signs and tow cars left on the street. If pickup falls on a snow-removal night, leave the car somewhere legal, a driveway or an unsigned block, and let the driver know where it is.
• The South Shore (Brossard, La Prairie, Saint-Lambert, Longueuil) is on the way to A-15 south, which makes for the simplest pickups.
• Laval, the North Shore and the West Island go smoothly; the usual handoff is a commercial lot just off the autoroute.

Oceanfront condos along A1A in Hollywood and Hallandale, or on Galt Ocean Mile in Fort Lauderdale, sit on narrow barrier-island streets a full carrier can't always use. The usual answer is a meeting point on the mainland side of the Intracoastal. See our Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Orlando pages for local details.

If you're arriving after the car, a neighbor or your building manager can receive it, check it against the pickup report and sign the bill of lading for you.

The rules are federal, so a Quebec car is treated like any Canadian one: HTSUS 9804.00.35 lets a nonresident's personal vehicle in without duty, provided it's out within a year and never sold in the US. Since you're not crossing with it, the carrier's file includes CBP Form 3299, the HS-7 and EPA 3520-1 declarations, and your signed authorization. What's specific to Quebec is the paperwork you send us:

• Your SAAQ registration certificate (certificat d'immatriculation) and a passport copy for the registered owner.
• A lender or lessor letter if the car is financed or leased.
• An empty car, apart from the spare tire and standard equipment.