Thinking about bringing a Canadian car to the U.S (with you while moving)?
Moving a car from Canada to the US involves a *lot* of hassle, especially
if the car is old, or the car only uses the metric system (like the speedometers
using km/h only). However, in cases where a new employer is ready to pay
for moving expenses (as was the case for me) or you *really* don't want
to sell your car (which may be a problem in itself if you do, especially
if your moving time frame is very small), then you'll have to deal with
some of the following things:
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Moving the car from A to B (across the border)
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Getting the certificate of conformity by your manufacturer
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Getting the EPA stamp of approval
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Getting the DOT stamp of approval
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Filling the 3299 Customs form
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The smog test
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Registering the car
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Getting insurance for the car
Moving the car from A to B.
First of all find a company that will move the car. This can be the
same company that moves all household goods, it can be a company that moves
just cars, or you can drive it there yourself: The company that moves
the household goods: This company will basically weigh the car in as
part of the household goods and put it in the same trailer. Considering
the cost of transporting goods per pound in this manner, this is *not*
the most cost effective alternative. However, it might be a lot simpler.
If it's a good moving company and you tell them to keep the cost down,
they will probably help with the other alternatives and probably also take
care of most of the paperwork. The company that moves the car only:
This company moves the car and only the car. Now, there are many ways to
do this and the cost varies from method to method:
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By train: Moving the car by train was my first idea. I was told that some
companies did that in the US, so I called CN and CP, who referred me to
a smaller company. I then discovered this smaller company only moves cars
in Canada. I could not find a company that would move my car by train to
the US, however, I was told have my car moved, say, to Vancouver, then
have it moved or drive it to California. It was too complicated for me.
Another option, I discovered, was to drive the car to US city close to
Montreal and then have it moved to California. This was also too complicated
for my taste.
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By truck: This method seemed to be the simplest way at this point. The
company basically comes over, drives the car to a loading location, puts
it on a special trailer and moves the car to a desired location (California
in this case). Many of those companies only deal with short distance or
only in Canada, so you'll have to do some shopping. In my case, I could
only find one company that would move my car to San Francisco, so it was
pretty simple. Here's the phone number of one moving company: Traffic
- (416)234-0400. The following documents
might/will be needed by the moving company:
Copy of Car Registration
Copy of Proof of insurance
Copy of Certificate of conformity, stamped by the EPA and DOT (see
previous topics)
Copy of Passport photo and Work VISA
Copy of Driver's license
Customs form 3299 - Declaration for free entry of unaccompanied articles
Form - Supplemental declaration for unaccompanied personal and household
goods
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Driven to the US by someone else: Some companies specialize in moving cars
by driving them. Paying a fee (350$ CAN for example) and for the gas, and
the car will be there in about ten days. The only problem is putting about
5000km on the car. Other than that, it seemed simple (and cheap!) enough,
but I ultimately chose to move my car by truck, since my employer was paying
for it.
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Drive the car to California yourself: Well, other than the fact it's an
additional 5000km on the car, you'll have to drive for five days straight
(10 hours a day), it's not a bad idea. Also, if moving household goods
in a small truck, it might be possible to somehow tow your car behind (ask
the company where you rented the truck). I thought about using that solution,
but my time frame was too small and I really did not want to take the risk
of driving in unknown territory for extended periods of time (which would
augment my chances of either getting lost or having an accident).
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Getting a certificate of conformity from your car manufacturer
This certificate is needed in order to get the stamp from the DOT and
EPA, and ultimately, it is needed by the company moving the car. It also
proves the car meets all the requirements to enter the US. Call a dealer
and ask how to get a certificate of conformity. Chances are, they'll give
the number of the national manufacturer's office (for me, it was Volkswagen
of Canada). Call that phone number and ask them about the certificate.
At that point, send them a copy of the car registration. If possible, send
it by fax, it'll be faster. Otherwise, send it by snail mail. Once sent,
make sure they have it and they're working on it (I had to send it three
times before someone noticed I was in a hurry!). Also, this can take a
couple of weeks, and since you'll have to get the EPA and DOT stamps afterward,
give yourself a good couple of months to get the whole thing done. At some
point, they will send the certificate of conformity by snail mail (or ask
for it to be sent by fax!). This is actually written by the US manufacturer
specifying that the car meets US standards, so don't be surprised (mine
was from Volkswagen of America). The certificate should be a small written
letter indicating that the car meets EPA standards (if it says it doesn't,
well, you'll have to check with the EPA) and DOT standards (except for
some minor things).
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Getting Approval from the EPA
When I called in January, there was a partial shutdown of the government
and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) was part of that shutdown.
The message heard when I called basically said that as long as I had the
certificate of conformity, I did not need further approval from the EPA.
However, the message also stated other constraints (year/make of the car,
etc.), so you will have to check. Since I did not go through the whole
process, I will only state what I know about it. Basically, fill out the
EPA form 3520-1 and send it to the EPA (by fax or snail mail), along with
a copy of the certificate of conformity. They will send back (again, ask
for it to be faxed) the certificate with the EPA stamp a couple of weeks
later. Here's how to reach the EPA:
Phone: (202) 233-9660
Fax: (202) 233-9596
Mailing Address:
Attn.: Prior Approval
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Manufacturers Operations Division
401 M St. S.W.
Washington, D.C.
20460
Courier Service Mailing Address:
Attn.: Prior Approval
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Manufacturers Operations Division
490 South Capital St. S.W.
Washington, D.C.
20024
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Getting Approval from the D.O.T.
In order to get approval from the DOT (Department of Transportation),
all conditions stated in the certificate of conformity must be met (such
as speedometer in miles/hour). You may want to do the modifications yourself
(if you're like me), but be warned: once the modifications are made, you
will need a written confirmation by your dealer, and in this case (that
gave me a lot of grief), dealers don't like to do it.. They would much
rather do it themselves than write an official confirmation for work they
haven't done. Don't ask me why! I mean, it's pretty easy to check a speedometer
to see if it reads in miles/hour correctly, right? Well, I had to go through
five dealers until I found one who agreed to write the confirmation. The
easiest thing is probably to ask the dealer to do the modifications, then
write an official confirmation the car meets the certificate of conformity
conditions. Also, I must stress that the modifications must be made by
your dealer: an independent mechanic will not do. I know,
I tried! Once this is done, send both the certificate of conformity and
the official confirmation to the DOT (fax or snail mail). A couple of weeks
later, they will send the certificate (fax or snail mail) with their stamp
of approval (rectangular with a flower symbol, signed and dated) . When
I called the DOT, I felt like my submission was going to be lost in a pile
of papers for many days, and since I was in a hurry, I could not afford
to wait that long. Fortunately, I talked to a woman named Kathy Rice, who
was very empathic to my situation and put a rush on my submission. This
way, I was able to get the approval the same day. Needless to say, I was
*very* impressed! If they ever do the same for you, please be very thankful!
They'll appreciate it and they'll give even better service! (A rare thing
for government agencies).If there isn't time to have the necessary modifications
made to the car, all is not lost. It's still possible to have the car in
the U.S. for a maximum period of one year. However, it won't be able to
be registered in the U.S., and it will have to remain registered and insured
in Canada. At the end of one year, the modifications will have to have
been made or do all the work in reverse to return it to Canda. Ask the
DOT for more details. It seemed like too much hassle for me. Here's how
to reach the DOT:
Phone: (202) 366-5313 or (202) 366-0385
Fax: (202) 366-1024
Mailing Address:
U.S. D.O.T./N.H.T.S.A.
Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance
Nef 32
400 Seventh St. S.W., Room 6115
Washington, D.C.
20590
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Filing the Customs form 3299 - Declaration for free entry of unaccompanied
articles.
If going through a moving company to move the car to California, fill
out a Customs form 3299, which states what is being moved and asks for
some details on yourself, the owner. Additionally, fill out a "Supplemental
Declaration for Unaccompanied Personal and Household Effect" form, which
comes with the 3299. (Don't ask me why they need it... sounds like plain
bureaucracy to me). Here are some ideas on how to fill the 3299 form (most
of it taken from an information booklet):
Part I: You (the shipper) must complete the following sections of Part
1 of form 3299:
1. Importer's (your) name.
2. Date of birth
3. Date of arrival (the date you arrived in the United States).
4. U.S. Address (if you have no U.S. address yet, put your new employer's
address)
5. Port of arrival (the port - airport for example - at which the importer
first arrived in the United States)
6. Name of arriving vessel/carrier and flight (Example: Air Canada
745)
7. Name(s) of accompanying household member(s).
Part II: The following sections of Part II must be completed:
9. Residency. This section is used to indicate previous and present
residency status. (If you lived in Canada all your life, indicate your
age in the "Length of Stay")
10. Statement(s) of eligibility for free entry of articles. Indicate
the items seeking duty-free entry (Check C. Applicable to NONRESIDENT ONLY,
paragraph 2).
Part III: If your shipments are moving under a Government Bill of
Lading, complete Part III of form 3299.
Part IV: Mark all the applicable boxes and declare any items contained
in the shipment. (Do not check anything. On second page, indicate Make/Model/Year
of car, as well as VIN number..)
Part V: Nothing to fill out in this section..
Part VI: Sign form 3299 in Part VI, Section 2 and date the form in Part
VI, Section 3. The completed, signed form should then be sent to the moving
company. (Also check Section 1, Part B).
Here are some indications on how to fill the "Supplemental Declaration
for Unaccompanied Personal and Household Effect form:
1. Owner of household goods: Your last, first and middle name, in that
order.
2. Date of birth: Month/Day/Year
3. Citizenship: "Canadian"
4. Passport: Country and number
5. Social security number: Your Canadian social security number.
6. Resident Alien No. : Your work VISA number
7. U.S. Address: Your employer work address if you don't have a home
address yet.
8. Foreign Address: Your old Canadian address
9. Reason for moving: "New employer"
10. Employer: Your new employer's company name
11. Position with company: Your new position
12. (error, there is *no* twelve)
13. Nature of business: Your new employer's type of business
14. Name and telephone of company official who can verify above information:
Your new supervisor
15. Name and address of freight forwarders...: Don't fill this section.
16. Shipper Itinerary: Don't fill this section.
17. Certification: Check B. Importer.
18. Signature: Sign the form.
Arrival of the car to the U.S. Customs.
If driving the car to the U.S., stop at the U.S. Customs. If the car
will be driven/moved here, go to the Customs office within ten days. Call
customs and ask them where to go and what papers are needed to officially
bring it in the U.S. For starters, here's what I was told I would need:
Certificate of conformity (with EPA and DOT approval)
Canadian passport
Canadian car registration
Title for the car (if you have such a thing)
Release Document or Bill of Lading (from the moving company)
Customs form 3299 (from the moving company)
IT 7512 Document (from the moving company)
Any other documents from the moving company.
Here is one place you can have the car inspected by U.S. Customs, in San
Francisco:
Phone: (415) 876-2818
Address: 501 South Airport Blvd., San Francisco
Hours: 8 am - 5 pm, Monday - Friday, Don't need
appointment.
One other thing: When the car arrives in California, make sure it is
still insured. This is the only way it can be legally driven in California,
while doing all the work (My insurer gave me 30 days to find a new insurer).
Your current drivers license should still be valid. If everything is in
order, drive the car around for a little while until you get a new drivers
license, new registration and new insurance.
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Smog Test.
In order to register the car in California, it has to pass a smog test.
There might be conditions where it might not have to, but since I haven't
done it yet, please bear with me. Go to a dealer or independent mechanic
and have the car tested. If it doesn't pass, pay the $300 Smog Tax or spend
up to $300 to have it modified to pass the test. At that point, they will
give a smog check certificate, which is needed to register the car.
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Car Registration.
To register the car, go to the nearest DMV Office(Blue Pages, State:Motor
Vehicle Dept.). Take the following:
Canadian car registration
Title for the car (if you have such a thing)
Smog Check Certificate (if required)
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Driver's license.
In order to get auto insurance in California (and probably the rest
of the U.S.) a drivers license is needed. To get the written test, take
the following:
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Canadian driver's license
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Canadian passport
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U.S. Social Security Number
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$12 (you get three tries to the written test, and the drive test)
To get the drive test, take the following:
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Proof that you passed the written test
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An appointment for the drive test
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Canadian car registration
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Canadian passport
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Canadian driver's license
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Proof of insurance in Canada
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Auto Insurance.
When I started calling the various insurance companies, I was surprised
at how different these companies rate their future clients. Some companies
asked me if I ever had accident in Canada or the U.S., some didn't care.
Some asked about past traffic tickets, some didn't. Some considered my
past experience in Canada, some didn't. Here's some of the facts that I
could glean:
If the insurance company considers driving experience from Canada, they
will also consider accidents and traffic tickets. If they are on record,
the premiums will be *very* high. Occasional minor speeding tickets in
Canada are an everyday thing, it is much more serious here in California.
When I was asked how many tickets I had in the past 2 years and I said
4, one company even refused to insure me. Obviously, try to find a company
who will only consider the driving experience and nothing else.
Some companies will consider you to be a completely novice driver with
no experience (in the U.S., that is) , and will charge accordingly, independently
of previous driving experience/record. This is good, since you don't feel
like you have to hide your past from them (see next fact), and even if
the premiums are high (because you're considered a new driver, they're
never as high as in the previous case)
*Never* lie or hide anything to an insurance company. They might just
decide not to cover some tight situation when they discover a lie in the
application. There is some legal issue here, but that's all I know.
No company seemed interested in getting my previous insurer's phone
number. Strange. I would've thought it would've been a good way for them
to get an idea of the risk I represent.
Rates vary a lot from one company to another, so *shop* as much as possible.
One salesperson even told me that he didn't care his rates were really
high, since out they where meeting their quotas anyway. Talk about a customer
oriented business!! Also, make sure to compare oranges with oranges: get
a typical quote from one company and ask the other companies to give you
a quote for the same coverage.
Liability for one million dollars is *very* expensive here, if it's
even offered.
A good idea is to go for a big insurance company. Usually, this means
they'll have more offices, better rates and better coverage. Also, their
service will probably be more professional, and with a big insurance company,
complete packages are offered for home/life/auto insurance, and that means
better rates again. I chose to go with AAA (American Automobile Association)
because they have all of the above and their service is very courteous
(the company was formed to help customers, after all). Check also with
your bank, they might have insurance too.
Some insurance companies might give better rates depending of the kind
of job you do (professional engineer, for example), if the car is stored
in a garage, if the car has an alarm, if you're married, if you don't drive
to work, etc.
This information has been provided by Philippe
Lewis, Shl Systemhouse, California.
415-951-0500x3006.
