Bring car from US to Canada?

[sdt13]

Hi all,

 

I am currently debating between pursuing my graduate studies in Montreal or Victoria. When I move at the end of the summer, ideally I would like to bring my car with me, but it seems to be a hassle to do so (based on a quick internet search). 

 

Does anyone have any experience with this? My car is relatively new (2012, less than 10,000 miles) and so I would prefer to keep it than get a new one.

 

Also, when I did a quick search it came up that the car has to be in my name to be 'imported'. My car was a graduation gift from my parents, but it's technically under my dad's name. Since he is the one paying the bill, would it still be possible to transfer it to my name? Or is this even necessary since I would be on a study permit?

 

[respectyourheart]

Hi there! I lived in the States for 18 years and had an American licensed and insured car that I brought with me when I pursued post-secondary education in Canada. The car was registered and insured under my dad's name but with me listed as the primary driver, and my American insurance did not have a problem with me using it as a student in Canada AS LONG as I was a student; likewise, the province I was in did not have a problem with me having an American insured car and licence AS LONG as I was a student. However, when I stop being a student and if I choose to stay in Canada, I will have to change the car over to being in my name, insured by the company in the province I reside in, and I will need a driver's license from the province I reside in. This is something you need to talk about with your insurance company though so that you can be absolutely sure what they say and what their protocol is. Let me know if you have further questions or if any of this doesn't make sense.

[random17]

I chose to bring my car from the States to Ontario and register it here, but it wasn't that bad. You don't need to formally import your car and pay import fees as long as you're a student since it's technically only here on a temporary basis. The most annoying bit was gathering proof of my driving and insurance history so that I could get lower insurance premiums, but other than that it was just a question of finding time to get my car inspected and to switch my license and registration. At my university, you need to have an Ontario license to be able to drive any of the university-owned vehicles, so that was an added motivation for switching everything. 

 

At least in Ontario, if you're officially bringing your car in Canada (instead of keeping it on your parents' US insurance/registration) your US registration needs to be in your name when you cross the border. In my case, this meant transferring the title from my parents' name to my name in the States and then reregistering it when I moved here a month later. Annoying, yes, but not too bad, especially if you live in a state where titles fees are cheap. 

 

Then again, if you're going to Montreal I'd double-check all this, 'cause Quebec often has different rules.