importing from US to Canada

[DUDE1125]

I'm starting my midlife crisis and have been looking for a vintage vw that's in pretty good shape to restore or buy already restored for Sunday drives. I see so many ads on the West Coast of the USA that seem very appealing. I was wondering how much trouble it is to import an older VW (pre 69) into Canada. I can't figure out the Canada Border Services Agency website. If it' a project car does it need to be running?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

[CoBro]

Go to one of your local Canadian auto dealers and see if they can help you with that. A business may have an easier time getting a VW through customs. Find the one you want in the US, arrange to buy it through the dealer and pay them a fee for the shipping and paperwork. Good luck!

[evansdd3]

To the best of my knowledge, importing a vehicle more than 25 years old is pretty easy and free of GST - though you'll have to pay provincial tax so I recommend you bring it into the country through Alberta! Canada Customs and Revenue (CCRA) has flyers full of information on importing vehicles from the States. Before you go you'll have to arrange insurance with your insurance company. I thikn that if you bring in a vehicle less than 25 years old then you hav to be abl t prove that it has ben subject to every dealer recall and refit since it was new. That should be possible by getting the VIN and asking a VW dealer to run it through their database.

I've never done it but I've been tempted many times. Let me know how it turns out for you. Good luck.

David

[BuglyBaja]

It's actually not that hard. I just brought a shell up from the states and there are a few things you need to do.
First, if you buy a vehical from the states and want to bring it over the border I'd suggest finding an importer to cover it. They'll know exactly what you'll need. You can pretty much just leave it up to them.
If you want to bring it into the country yourself you'll need to do a few things first. After you buy it or whatever you'll need to send a copy of the title to the border crossing three days before you intend to return with the car. If you dont do this there are fines and stuff. Simply fax it into them and tell them when you get there with the car that you've sent it in... they will have it on record. Next VW's are not a problem to bring over the border because they are over 25 years old. They are antiques so it isnt a big deal. If you intend to register it up here it'll cost you about 300 dollars at the border. Have the bill of sale... the original title and everything with you to speed it up. thats about it.
Again, just find an importer they'll tell you everything you need to do. It's pretty simple with old Bugs.

[vwboop]

You must get a form from US customs and give them the info about the vehicle 72 hours in advance (along with a copy of the title and bill of sale). Then you must call them after the 72 hours and confirm it is OK to export the vehicle from the US to Canada. Don't worry about routing through Alberta, at the border you will have to pay GST only (PST you will pay at the time you register your vehicle in Canada, vehicles 25 yrs and older are Duty exempt). They will fill out a form 1 at Canada customs which you will need to register the vehicle in Canada. Once in Canada the vehicle will need to be safety inspected before you can register the vehicle.

[DUDE1125]

Thanks for all the helpful information.

The idea of road trip to buy a vw sounds like fun but who knows maybe I'll find something close to home. There just doesn't seem to be many mostly rust free vw in my area. I did see a split van on my way to garage sale. From looking at the plates it has been parked for a couple of years and looked in great shape. There was no visible rust on the outside. There was an older Fiat Syper parked beside it so maybe they'll only want one project.

Thanks again for the info and I look forward to driving a vw van once again.