Moving to Canada from the US as a student, any advice as car registration/insurance? (home, to buy)
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I am a US citizen who will be moving to Mississauga/Toronto this summer as a student for a two-year degree and I want to bring my car along. I will be living in Canada for the duration of the program. My car was purchased in the US and it is registered in the US. After talking with Trip Canada, I understand that I do not need to import my car because I will only be in Canada temporarily. However, I am not sure about how to insure my car. Ideally, I would love to keep it registered in the US, because I plan to return to the US after my studies, but get insurance that covers my car while I'm in Canada. Can anyone recommend any insurance companies that will cover a US car in Canada? I have heard about Intact Insurance, but I am unable to get much information because I have not found a place to live yet and so I don't have a postal code to find a broker. Alternatively, does anyone know if it is possible to get a license and insurance in Canada if my vehicle is registered in the US? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Seeing that you plan to live in the Province of Ontario.....
READ the information website of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation re the legal requirements to bring a US registered car in to Ontario. They are the final word on the ins and outs of this situation.
In my experience, MOST US automobile insurance companies will NOT insure a car that is being driven on a daily basis, outside of the USA. Seeing that you plan to be in Canada for two years, that is a lot more than a "short visit " .
Furthermore, you may not know that SOME cars that are sold in the USA are NOT compliant with Canadian safety and/or emission standards. Bearing that in mind, you need to read this website, provided by the Canadian Federal Government, who are the legal authority on IMPORTATION of vehicles in to Canada.... any part of Canada ! You have to meet their standards, first, before you can register a car in a particular Province, such as Ontario.
So, to sum up. You need to IMPORT the car, meeting the Federal Government's standards and regulations . HINT it's not that complicated... BUT you can't just show up at the port of entry, and think that it will be OK. Planning and preparation are needed, before you get there. AFTER you have been approved for IMPORTATION into Canada, you also need to do a Provincial registration and get a Ontario Driver's License, too. That Ontario registration will include a safety inspection and an emissions test. The DL will be easy, provided that you have a 100 percent unrestricted State DL from your home state, with more than two years of actual driving history. Did I mention that we use the Metric measurement system here ?
Now, for some personal advice. Sell the car, buy one in Canada, sell it when you go home. Easy peesy ? Right ? That way you still need to get a Ontario DL but the rest of it is way easier.
Seeing that you plan to live in the Province of Ontario.....
READ the information website of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation re the legal requirements to bring a US registered car in to Ontario. They are the final word on the ins and outs of this situation.
In my experience, MOST US automobile insurance companies will NOT insure a car that is being driven on a daily basis, outside of the USA. Seeing that you plan to be in Canada for two years, that is a lot more than a "short visit " .
Furthermore, you may not know that SOME cars that are sold in the USA are NOT compliant with Canadian safety and/or emission standards. Bearing that in mind, you need to read this website, provided by the Canadian Federal Government, who are the legal authority on IMPORTATION of vehicles in to Canada.... any part of Canada ! You have to meet their standards, first, before you can register a car in a particular Province, such as Ontario.
So, to sum up. You need to IMPORT the car, meeting the Federal Government's standards and regulations . HINT it's not that complicated... BUT you can't just show up at the port of entry, and think that it will be OK. Planning and preparation are needed, before you get there. AFTER you have been approved for IMPORTATION into Canada, you also need to do a Provincial registration and get a Ontario Driver's License, too. That Ontario registration will include a safety inspection and an emissions test. The DL will be easy, provided that you have a 100 percent unrestricted State DL from your home state, with more than two years of actual driving history. Did I mention that we use the Metric measurement system here ?
Now, for some personal advice. Sell the car, buy one in Canada, sell it when you go home. Easy peesy ? Right ? That way you still need to get a Ontario DL but the rest of it is way easier.
You can thank me now.......
Jim B.
A few corrections:
1. There's no such thing as prior approval for importation. You just drive the car up to the border as you are coming into Canada, and fill out a vehicle import form at the customs secondary inspection hall. There, they will also assess an import duty on your vehicle. In most cases, you do not have to pay any duties if your car was manufactured in North America, thanks to NAFTA trade agreements. You can easily check your manufacturer location on your car label (driver side door). How do I know this? I imported my U.S. vehicle last year when I moved to Toronto and did just that.
2. Some U.S. insurers will insure your vehicle if it is only in Canada for temporary period of time - meaning that the vehicle will eventually return to the U.S. after a set date. Same thing goes for driver license and registration. If that is the case, there is really no need for you to import the car as you can simply drive your with your current driver license, plates, and registration. I know several American friends who do that because they are here for school. I also know a Canadian friend who went to school with me, and drove his Ontario-plated car for 2 years in North Carolina with no problem. Just make sure you check with your U.S. insurer to get their okay (may require additional premiums).
3. The biggest hassle you have to go through when importing a vehicle is not the Canadian customs (just drive to customs secondary inspection, park your car, then fill out forms, pay duty). Before you exit America, you'll have to notify the U.S. CBP of your intention to export the vehicle. I did it by email last year, at least 72 hours before your arrival at the border. You will also need the original vehicle title issued by your state, and will be stamped by the CBP officer before you drive over the Canadian customs.
Thanks for replying to my post. I have done more digging and I would be able to bring my car under a temporarily import with a study permit. It seems as though most fees are also waived when the vehicle is brought into the country temporarily. If I did temporarily import the car, I would need to get an Ontario DL and register the car there. When you imported your car, was it only temporarily? Just curious if you changed the registration and purchased insurance from a Canadian company. If so, how are the rates compared to a city in the US?
Thank you for the tip about notifying the US CBP. I will be sure to contact them ahead of time.
I'm American and went to British Columbia for grad school. I had a student visa, and was in the country for 4 years. I brought my American car with me.
This is what I learned from the process:
1. Canada doesn't require people with temporary status (e.g. international students) to officially import their cars.
2. Canada wouldn't have cared if I kept my American plates and insurance for the entire time I was a grad student living in Canada. The only thing Canada requires is for all drivers to have proof of auto insurance.
3. No American company will insure a vehicle that 'resides' in Canada (i.e., if you are in Canada for anything more than a vacation, they won't insure your vehicle).
4. Because you need to have insurance while you are in Canada for school, you will need to register and insure your vehicle there.
5. Temporary residents, such as students, are exempt from vehicle importation requirements, but in order to register and insure your vehicle in Canada, you will need to 'Temporarily Import' it, which must be done at the Canadian office of a CA/US border check-point. RIV=Registrar of Imported Vehicles https://www.riv.ca/RIVExemptions.aspx
Note: you can't sell your vehicle in Canada if you temporarily import it.
6. To register your vehicle, you will have to comply with whatever safety and emissions requirements that your province requires. I went to British Columbia with a car that was less than 2 years old, and they said my tires didn't pass the safety inspection, even though they only had about 25,000 miles on them; I had to buy 4 new tires. I also had to pay $360 to get day-time running lights installed in my car, and about $80 for them to perform the emissions and safety inspection.
7. Your insurance will probably be more expensive than it was in the U.S. - especially if you're going to British Columbia, where every vehicle must get auto insurance through the provincial government insurance agency called ICBC in order to have BC registration/plates.
I had 8-years of claim-free driving history, and no speeding tickets or violations of any type, completely clean record...therefore, I received a 40% discount on insurance. Even after the 40% discount, my insurance was about $1,400 per year for a new-ish, basic, sedan-type vehicle. My insurance was only rated for 'pleasure use,' not commuting to work/school, and I also had a discount for having 10+ years of experience. If you have an at-fault claim, you loose your discount, and can slowly build it up by 5%/year...I became a lot more careful of a driver knowing that one at-fault claim would raise my insurance by about $1,000/year!!!
I found a US company that will cover me while in Canada! Liberty Mutual. I called everyone.
Hi Kristenacious,
Liberty Mutual covers you while in Canada with your US registered car? Could you share a website or any other tips for this service? I just emailed customer service but I am hoping to find an agent that knows about this cross-border service.
I'm a US citizen relocating to Toronto temporarily for school. I plan to take my car to Canada with me and am trying to figure out if I can get it insured without having to pay all of the fees for registering, etc in Canada to get Canadian insurance. It's an 2001 VW Jetta diesel, so I'm also a bit concerned about whether the car would even meet Canadian emissions standards.
This forum has lots of good information, but I imagine some of it is outdated. For instance, I just called Liberty Mutual and was told they no longer insure cars in Canada for longer than a short vacation. Any other ideas for US companies that'll insure cars being driven primarily in Canada or other relevant updates to the above information?
If it's only for school, there's no need to import/insure your vehicle. Just maintain your home insurance. It will be recognized.
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