| Parkway Van Lines 1199 Newmarket Street Ottawa, Ontario K1B 3V1 (613) 744 - 4781 |
Moving From
Canada to The United States
Importing a Motor Vehicle into
The United States
This is the area which seems to cause the most problems when proper steps have not been taken well in advance of your moving date. Your automobile must comply with U.S. Safety and Environmental Protection Standards.
In some instances, a temporary approval can be obtained for a non-performing vehicle, however in those instances, the vehicle must be exported one year after entry with no extensions permitted. Unless you know for certain that you will be in the United States for less than one year, you must take steps to ensure that your car meets the appropriate standards.
The first step is to contact (by letter or fax), the manufacturer of your automobile and request a "Letter of Compliance" to safety and emissions' standards. You will be required to provide the vehicle Identification Number, Make, Model and Year as well as the name of the registered owner. They will arrange to forward a letter advising if your automobile qualifies and what if any upgrades must be done to bring the vehicle to standards.
Your Parkway Van Lines representative can provide you with the contact number for the various automobile manufacturers. if you prefer, you can locate this information on the internet on the National Traffic Safety Association web site at:www.nhtsa.dot.gov
This site also provides a listing of Registered Importers who are able to bring your vehicle up to standard. There is also a listing by year, make and model of non conforming vehicles which have been granted special exemption status and will be eligible for importation even though they do not meet standards.
If your vehicle does not meet emission control standards, it will not be eligible for importation. Individual state emission requirements may differ from those of the federal government. Registration and state licensing is dependent upon satisfaction of that State's requirement, so you should contact the appropriate State's authority prior to importation.
You can link to the EPA Mobile Sources Site from the NHTSA site.
Two useful brochures:
Know Before You Go - Customs Hints for Returning U.S. Residents
Customs Hints for Visitors and Non-Residents
Can be obtained from a local U.S. Customs office or by writing to their office in Washington: U.S. Customs
P.O. Box 7407
Washington, D.C. 20044
Return to: Moving From Canada to The United States
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This site was created and is maintained by:
John Smillie
(613) 724-6259
Send E-mail or Visit my Site
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[ General Moving Guide ] [ Planning for Overseas ] [ Containers ] [ We Pack ]
[ You Pack ] [ How Much ] [ Tips and Hints ]
[ Partners ] [ Storage ] [ Kids ] [ Rights ] [ Usefull Links ] [ Special Needs ]
This site was created and is maintained by:
John Smillie
(613) 724-6259
Send E-mail or Visit my Site