Buying a Canadian car to bring to Michigan
- Thread starter Granny 2
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Yes there are quite a few things required for this to go smoothly. I went through this when I bought my first GN.
First you have to write a letter to the DOT (department of Transportation) in Washington DC and get a letter stating that the car passes emmission standards for the year it was manufactured. Just include the vin of the vehicle and what you are after in the letter. You will get back an officially stamped letter which you must have with you when crossing. Also you will need proof of insurance on the vehicle at time of crossing. I know this sounds weird getting insurance on a vehicle you haven't bought yet but these are the rules so I was told. Proof of sale and ownership at the border crossing. In Canada there was no title for a vehicle like what most of us here in the lower 48 are used to seeing. All this stuff was part of their registration and drivers license. It was a new one on me. And this is whee it gets tricky because you may have a hand written bill of sale for proof of ownership. After all this the US border agent will give you a piece of paper which I believe is pink and this allows you to tag the vehicle and get a title for it at your local DMV.
It was a real pain crossing back with a car. You know how friendly those border agenta can be
First you have to write a letter to the DOT (department of Transportation) in Washington DC and get a letter stating that the car passes emmission standards for the year it was manufactured. Just include the vin of the vehicle and what you are after in the letter. You will get back an officially stamped letter which you must have with you when crossing. Also you will need proof of insurance on the vehicle at time of crossing. I know this sounds weird getting insurance on a vehicle you haven't bought yet but these are the rules so I was told. Proof of sale and ownership at the border crossing. In Canada there was no title for a vehicle like what most of us here in the lower 48 are used to seeing. All this stuff was part of their registration and drivers license. It was a new one on me. And this is whee it gets tricky because you may have a hand written bill of sale for proof of ownership. After all this the US border agent will give you a piece of paper which I believe is pink and this allows you to tag the vehicle and get a title for it at your local DMV.
It was a real pain crossing back with a car. You know how friendly those border agenta can be
BEATAV8
The Engine Whisperer
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2002
- Messages
- 5,644
I bought a Canadian car once. The owner drove it across for me. I took it from there. Title transfer was not an issue. Worked just like any other car.
budget_crx
Member
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2007
- Messages
- 336
No Problem
The seller in Canada must aquire a letter of compliance from GM Canada that states the car meets all federal regul. in the U.S. the cost is 100.00Can. All of the turbo cars comply. This, along with the ownership and bill of sale, is all you need at the border. Once registered in the States, that letter must be in the car at all times while registered in the States. That's it , piece of cake. Just sold one to the U.S. not long ago, as easy as buying one there.:smile: :smile:
The seller in Canada must aquire a letter of compliance from GM Canada that states the car meets all federal regul. in the U.S. the cost is 100.00Can. All of the turbo cars comply. This, along with the ownership and bill of sale, is all you need at the border. Once registered in the States, that letter must be in the car at all times while registered in the States. That's it , piece of cake. Just sold one to the U.S. not long ago, as easy as buying one there.:smile: :smile:
BlackBandit
God loves Buicks!
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2003
- Messages
- 2,437
Mine is from Canada. Seller drove it across with the aforementioned letter. I went to the Secretary of State (MI DMV basically) and told them I bought a car. They took my money and mailed me a title. No problems. I have the letter in it still but I didn't know it was required. That's good info.
