US to Canada car shipping

"Shipping a car to Canada" covers two situations that look alike on a map and are nothing alike at the border. Figuring out which one you're in is the first thing we do.

If your car went south in the fall on our snowbird service, you're in the first column. If the car has a US title, you're in the second, and the rest of this page matters a lot.

Bringing your Canadian car home

We schedule pickup at your winter address, the driver records the car's condition, and the carrier reports the vehicle to the Canada Border Services Agency before arriving at the port. CBSA treats any car arriving by commercial carrier as an import, even one that left Canada a few months earlier, so the reporting has to be right. Returning Canadian vehicles don't go through the Registrar of Imported Vehicles.

Importing a US-bought car

1. 1

   Check admissibility and recalls

   Transport Canada publishes which US vehicles can be imported. You'll also need a recall clearance letter from the manufacturer confirming there are no open safety recalls on the VIN.

2. 2

   Clear the US export

   CBP requires the original title and export documents, including an electronic export filing, at the port at least 72 hours before a used vehicle leaves the US by land. A car with a lien needs the lienholder's permission to be exported.

3. 3

   Import at the Canadian border

   The vehicle is declared to CBSA, a Vehicle Import Form (Form 1) is completed, and duty and taxes are paid.

4. 4

   RIV inspection and provincial registration

   After entry, you complete the RIV process and inspection within the deadline RIV sets, then register the car in your province.

Transport pricing follows the season more than anything. Northbound demand out of Florida and Arizona peaks from March through May, when snowbirds of every nationality head home, and eases the rest of the year. Beyond that:

• Where the car starts. Southwest Florida and the Phoenix area sit on major interstates. A pickup in a small Texas town is a longer reach.
• Where it's going. The GTA, Montreal and the Lower Mainland are the easiest deliveries. Northern Ontario or interior BC take more time.
• Type of trip. An import needs more document handling and timing around the US export window.
• Vehicle and carrier type. Size, weight, and open versus enclosed.

Our quote covers transport and the carrier's border handling. On a permanent import, government charges are paid to the agencies and aren't part of the shipping price: CBSA duty if the car isn't of CUSMA origin, GST/HST, the air-conditioning excise tax and the federal Green Levy where they apply, plus the RIV fee. We'll tell you which ones to expect.

A return trip from Florida to the Toronto area typically runs 4–7 days once the car is loaded; see Florida to Toronto. Arizona back to the Lower Mainland is a similar length; the corridor is described on Vancouver to Arizona. The constraint is the pickup window in spring: if you're aiming for the weeks around Easter, book by February.

An import adds steps before the truck can roll: the recall letter (allow a week or more), a lien release if there is one, and the 72-hour CBP export window. Build in two to three extra weeks from purchase to delivery.

For a Canadian car coming home

• A scan of your passport and current Canadian registration.
• Copies of the paperwork from the trip south, if you shipped the car down.
• A signed authorization for the carrier.
• An empty car. Florida purchases go in your suitcase, not the trunk.

For a US-bought car

• The original US title, signed over to you, and the bill of sale.
• A lien release, or the lender's written permission if a loan remains.
• The recall clearance letter from the manufacturer.
• Your passport or proof of status in Canada.

Leaving the US. CBP's rule for exporting used vehicles requires the title and export documents at the port at least 72 hours before a car crosses by land. That clearly applies to a US-titled car being imported into Canada. For a Canadian-registered car going home after a temporary stay, the paperwork is lighter, and we confirm the exact list for your vehicle at booking rather than guessing.

Entering Canada. The carrier reports the vehicle, and anything in it, to CBSA before arrival. That's why we ask for an empty car. Returning Canadian cars skip the RIV. Imports go through it: Form 1 at the border, the RIV fee, and an inspection within RIV's deadline. Then comes provincial registration, which in Ontario usually includes a safety standards certificate.