Exporting to Canada

[kpaske]

...it also has to have the paperwork in place before you bring it to Canada. You only have a certain amount of time to get it approved by RIV, or it goes back to the states. My importer, a local Ford dealership - had experienced two failed attempts. Both cars were purchased but refused entry - one being on the "not approved list" and another that didn't have the paperwork in place and took too long and some complications arose. Both cars had to be re-sold in the US.

I've looked over the RIV site a little bit just to help understand what all is involved, and from what I read, the only thing that needs to be done in Canada when crossing the border is submitting the Vehicle Import Form 1 - then the buyer would have 14 days to pay the RIV fee and taxes, and a total of 45 to complete the rest of the requirements. Is there more to it than that? What needs to be done in advance on the Canadian side?

Good luck getting a VX that is not meeting the stock requirements through the border. It's possible, but by the RIV requirements, the vehicle has to be bone stock as per the federal sticker of the drivers door. You never know when someone is going to be picky, so it's a big gamble. The safest way is to take off any lift, take out any supercharger, and put the stock size tires on it.

Yeah, this part worries me. I don't have a supercharger, but I do have a lift and oversize tires, and taking them off would be a big hassle for me. So the RIV is actually going to inspect the vehicle when it crosses? I thought those things wouldn't matter until the buyer went to get his inspection sticker? I have no plans to do the modifications on my end - this is something the buyer would take care of once inside Canada.

A big help would be for the Canadian to have a good relationship with a car dealer who is registered with RIV to do the "conversion".

So an individual can't just file the paperwork by himself? The buyer has to use a car dealer?