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Bringing a car into the US


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I'm wondering if any Canadians (or others) can share their experience of bringing their car into the United States for several years. What kind of insurance will I need to get and what are the prices like? Will my Canadian driver's licence be OK, and what happens when I need to renew it?

Becoming an international student certainly has its share of little complexities...

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Each state has its own rules and regulation regarding driver's license. So, you should check with the specific state you are going to live in. I imagine they will honor your Canadian driver's license and supply an equivalent US driver's license. I have no experience in this though.

You may want to check this out:

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Foreign_Visitors_Driving.shtml

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I think you just have to get a new driver's license by going to the DMV and showing them that you have a Canadian license, but it might be different from state to state. As far as insurance goes, this can depend too. Some states require you to have a minimum amount, others don't. Prices are going to vary from place to place and policy to policy. My husband and I insure 2 vehicles for about $300 each month. I think we went with a lower total coverage amount, which probably isn't wise but we can't afford the higher rates.

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Thanks for the replies. I really hope I don't have to redo my driving test, for goodness' sake...and $300 for two vehicles definitely sounds more expensive than what we paid in Manitoba (which has a government monopoly on auto insurance, no less--I'm going to miss my social democratic safety net!). Oh well, the experience of living in another country for a few years will be rewarding despite the red tape and minor annoyances.

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  • 3 weeks later...

If you are happy with your Canadian insurance, you might just keep everything as is. When you are a student and not an immigrant you can keep a Canadian address as the main address, and then you put a secondary address as where you will park it in the US. Then you don't have the hassle of changing everything back and forth, especially if you have to take a test to change your license in the state you're moving to. I had my car in California for about 4 years like this with no problems. When I had a car accident (the other driver's fault) my insurance even hired a local person to assist me, rather than try to help me over the phone all the time.

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