Canadian Customers
With the exchange rate advantage, more Canadians are looking to the states to buy a car and save some money! We here at Lipman's Automotive are happy to work with Canadian customers to put you in the vehicle right for you and save you some cash! The following section will give you a bit of information on the process and steps as well as helpful links to get you started on the import process and take some of the geuss work out of it.
Importing a vehicle into Canada
First we must contact US customs and fax them a copy of the title and purcahse agreement / Bill of Sale, then the vehicle must be presented to US customs at the time of border crossing. Then when you cross the border into Canada you must also notify customs and register in the RIV (Registar of Imported Vehicles), pay the $206.70CAN fee to register the vehicle in the RIV program. You would also have to pay any customs and inport assesments that may apply(normally vehicles manufactured in the US or Mexico are exempt from this fee through NAFTA). You will recieve the Vehicle Import Form - Form 1 from CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency) that is to be filled out by CBSA and you at the time of border crossing. You then have 45 days to have the vehicle inspected and any nessecary safety changes. After the RIV inspection is passed then you can register the vehicle with the provincial liscensing office and insurance. Most vehicles manufactured in the US meet Canadian safety requirements.
Coho Ferry Schedule (Victoria-Port Angeles): http://www.cohoferry.com/schedules.htm
Good reference sites:
How to Import
http://www.riv.ca/english/html/how_to_import.html
Transport Canada's list of admissable vehicles:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/impusae.htm
General modification and inspection requirements:
http://www.riv.ca/english/html/mod_inspect_requirements.html
Candian Border Services Agency's How to Import Pamphlet:
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pub/cp/bsf5048/README.html
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Financing
We do not offer financing for our Canadian customers but will gladly work with you to get financed through your local bank or credit union.