to import
a vehicle
into Canada
In order to ensure vehicles
manufactured for the United
States market meet Canadian
standards, there are several
steps to follow. This guide
provides a simple summary
of what you must do.
Registrar of Imported Vehicles
405 The West Mall
Toronto, Ontario M9C 5K7
1-888-848-8240
www.riv.ca
• Make sure your vehicle is admissible and can be
modified to meet Canadian requirements by check-
ing Transport Canada’s List of Vehicles Admissible
from the United States. This program covers
passenger cars, trucks, vans, jeeps, chassis cabs,
trailers, motorcycles and snowmobiles less than 15
years old; off-road vehicles manufactured after May 1,
1988 and buses manufactured after January 1, 1971.
• Check the list on the back of this brochure for typical
modification requirements. You can also call us at
1-888-848-8240 or check our web site: www.riv.ca
• Contact the original equipment manufacturer or
authorized dealer of your vehicle to obtain a recall
clearance letter.
You must have this document in
order to pass the federal inspection.
• As well you should obtain information from the
manufacturer or authorized dealer on costs and
availability of parts for the required modifications.
Some manufacturers require an authorized dealer
perform the modifications. Remember that the costs
of the modifications are your responsibility.
• Determine additional costs, such as duty and taxes.
Canada Border Services Agency, responsible for
assessing and collecting duties and taxes, can
be reached at 1-800-461-9999 (in Canada) or
506-636-5064 (outside Canada).
• Make sure you have the required documentation:
title documents, registration, sales receipts,
statement of compliance label and manufacturer’s
recall clearance letter.
• Find out about any additional provincial or
territorial requirements, such as safety inspections
and emissions tests.
• Arrange for insurance on your vehicle.
• Present your vehicle along with original title
document to US Customs prior to entering Canada.
See US Customs web site for detailed information
and contact information for US Customs ports at
www.customs.gov (see end of brochure).
• If you are importing a trailer, you may call RIV to
have your Vehicle Identification Number verified
ahead of time.
• Produce your title documents, registration and
sales receipts.
• Complete Vehicle Import Form – Form 1, which
Canada Customs will provide. This requires a
Canadian mailing address. This form must be kept
in the vehicle until it is licensed.
• Canada Customs will check your vehicle against
Transport Canada’s list of Vehicles Admissible from
the United States. They will also verify the public
VIN and manufacturer’s statement of compliance
label on the vehicle to make sure they match.
• Canada Customs will facilitate the payment of your
nonrefundable Registrar of Imported Vehicles’ fee of
$209 in all provinces except Quebec where it is $224.
• Payment for the RIV fee may be made directly to
Canada Customs with any major credit card.
Canada
Customs does not accept cash or cheques for the RIV
fee. If you wish to pay by cheque or money order,
Canada Customs will provide you with a payment
envelope which must be mailed to the Registrar of
Imported Vehicles. Please note that all personal
cheques will be held for ten business days in order
to allow them to clear the bank. This will use up a
portion of your 45 day time limit.
• Remember that payment of fees and receipt of
the Vehicle Import Form – Form 1 does not warrant
that your vehicle is capable of being brought into
conformity with all applicable federal and provincial
or territorial laws.
• The Registrar of Imported Vehicles will not issue a
federal inspection form or any specific modification
information for a vehicle with an unpaid file.
It is impor
tant that you do not proceed with any
modifications on your vehicle until you receive this
federal inspection form. If the file remains unpaid
for 14 days after importation, we will send the
importer a reminder notice.
How
What to do
before you import at the border
What to do
Registrar of
Imported Vehicles
Registraire des
véhicules importés
Registrar of Imported Vehicles
1-888-848-8240 or check our web site: www.riv.ca
info@riv.ca (email)
Hours of service
Mon. to Fri.: 7:00 AM to 12:00 Midnight (EST)
Sat. and Sun.: 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM (EST)
Canada Border Services Agency
In Canada : 1-800-461-9999 (English)
1-800-959-2036 (French)
Outside Canada : (506) 636-5064 (English)
(506) 636-5067 (French)
www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
Transport Canada
1-800-333-0371 (from Canada)
(613) 998-8616 (outside Canada)
(613) 998-4831 (fax)
www.tc.gc.ca
United States Customs
US Customs requires notification off all self-
propelled vehicles being permanently exported
from the United States. Their regulations state
that at land border crossing points:
1. The required documentation must be submitted
to US Customs at least 72 hours prior to export; and
2. The vehicle must be presented to US Customs at
the time of export.
US Customs recommends that you contact the port
of crossing directly for more information or visit
their website at: www.customs.gov
Numbers
you’ll need
E&OE
Printed in Canada
Dec 2005
Designed by Gottschalk+Ash International March 2003
Transport Canada has contracted with Adminserv Canada
LP to operate the national program of vehicle inspection,
certification and registration, known as the Registrar of
Imported Vehicles.
Adminserv is an affiliate of Livingston International, the
largest customs broker and trade services company facili-
tating two-way trade between Canada and the United
States.
Passenger vehicles
• Recall clearance letter
• The vehicle must bear a manufacturer’s valid
statement of compliance label at the time of
importation, otherwise a manufacturer’s letter
of compliance will be required
• The Registrar of Imported Vehicles will mail a
Canadian statement of compliance label to you
after passing the federal inspection
• Valid alpha-numeric 17-digit VIN
• Metric speedometer and odometer labels (provided
by inspection centre)
• Daytime running lights, if manufactured after
November 1989
• Infant restraint kit, if manufactured after 1988
• Child tether anchorage, for most passenger cars
manufactured after 1988 (refer to Admissibility List)
• 8 km/hour bumpers (refer to Admissibility List)
• French supplementary restraint system label for
airbags that require periodic maintenance
Trucks, MPV’s, motor homes, minivans, chassis cabs
• Recall clearance letter
• The vehicle must bear a manufacturer’s valid
statement of compliance label at the time of
importation, otherwise a manufacturer’s letter
of compliance will be required
• The Registrar of Imported Vehicles will mail a
Canadian statement of compliance label to you after
passing the federal inspection
• Valid alpha-numeric 17-digit VIN
• Manufacturer’s cargo capacity label if manufactured
after April 1, 1999
• Metric speedometer and odometer labels (provided
by inspection centre)
• Daytime running lights, if manufactured after
November 1989
• French supplementary restraint system label for
airbags that require periodic maintenance
Trailers (including travel trailers, boat trailers,
utility trailers, air braked trailers, and machin-
ery mounted on a trailer frame that is capable
of being towed or drawn on a public roadway)
• Recall clearance letter
• The vehicle must bear a manufacturer’s valid
statement of compliance label at the time of
importation, otherwise a manufacturer’s letter
of compliance will be required
• The Registrar of Imported Vehicles will mail a
Canadian statement of compliance label to you
after passing the federal inspection
• Valid alpha-numeric 17-digit VIN
• Lighting
• Reflectors
• Travel trailers only - Manufacturer’s cargo capacity
label if manufactured after April 1, 1999
Motorcycles
• Recall clearance letter
• U.S. statement of compliance (S.O.C. Label), at
the border
• The Registrar of Imported Vehicles will mail a
Canadian statement of compliance label to you after
passing the federal inspection
• Valid alpha-numeric 17-digit VIN
• Metric speedometer and odometer labels (provided
by inspection centre)
• All Lights On
Restricted-Use Motorcycles
• Recall clearance letter
• Off-road statement label
• Reflectors
All terrain vehicles manufactured after April 1988
• Recall clearance letter
• Off-road statement label
• All Lights On, for existing lights
Snowmobiles
• Recall clearance letter
• U.S. statement of compliance (S.O.C. Label) or
Snowmobile Safety Certification Committee label
(SSCC), at the border
• Headlights On, if manufactured after 1988
• Lighting
• Reflectors
• Kill switch
Snowmobile cutters
• Recall clearance letter
• Reflectors
• Rigid tow bar
Buses
• Recall clearance letter
• The vehicle must bear a manufacturer’s valid
statement of compliance label at the time of
importation, otherwise a manufacturer’s letter
of compliance will be required
• The Registrar of Imported Vehicles will mail a
Canadian statement of compliance label to you
after passing the federal inspection
• Valid alpha-numeric 17-digit VIN
• Metric speedometer and odometer labels (provided
by inspection centre
• Daytime running lights, if manufactured after
November 1989
• French Supplementary Restraint System label for
airbags that require periodic maintenance
• Emergency exits, labels and mechanical
• Manufacturer’s cargo capacity label if manufactured
after April 1, 1999
Modification and inspection
requirements
• Within 10 days, you should receive a letter from RIV
with your inspection document (Form 2) which
details what must be done to bring your vehicle
into compliance.
• It is your responsibility to complete the necessary
modifications within 45 days. The Motor Vehicle
Safety Act allows modifications to be performed by
the mechanic or garage of your choice, however,
some manufacturers require that an authorized
dealer or agent performs the modifications. In all
cases we recommend that you contact the Original
Equipment Manufacturer or authorized dealer to
discuss parts availability and costs or warranty issues.
• Make sure you keep receipts for all your modifica-
tion work. These must be presented at the time of
federal inspection, along with the Vehicle Import
Form, Inspection form and the recall clearance letter.
• The RIV has contracted Canadian Tire, with 430
locations across Canada, to perform our federal
inspections. In many cases, Canadian Tire can
perform certain modification work, as well as
performing the provincial inspection.
• The Registrar of Imported Vehicles has also
contracted a number of independent inspection
facilities to perform the federal inspection. A list
of these facilities will be included in the mail out
of your inspection package.
• When you pass the inspection, the inspection centre
will stamp your Form 1, that you will have to present
to the provincial or territorial licensing authority,
which may require additional testing.
• Within approximately one week of passing the
federal inspection, we will send you a new Canadian
Certification label with instructions on where to affix
it to your vehicle.
• If the vehicle fails the inspection, you’ll have to
pay additional charges for another inspection. If the
vehicle cannot pass the inspection within the
45 days, it will have to be exported back to the
United States.
• If you have any questions or require any information
that will assist you in meeting the 45 day time line,
please call us at 1-888-848-8240. We’re here to assist
you 7 days a week
after the vehicle
enters Canada
What to do
