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These instructions are based on my
experience importing a bike into B.C. from Washington State. Washington
state's use separate ownership certificate and registration forms may be
different from other states. In B.C., ICBC is our insurer and our ICBC
insurance agents can process both the insurance and the registration
paperwork. The rest of the detail is based on federal requirements in
both countries.
Read information at Registrar Of Imported Vehicles (RIV)
web site - http://www.riv.ca/
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Check to see that the vehicle will be allowed to be
imported to Canada. It appears that there is virtually no
restrictions on motorcycles.
The most recent bike that I imported was a 2003 Yamaha FJR. It has
an electronic odometer which ( on U.S. bikes only ) can be switched
between miles and kilometers. (Press the button down for 2 seconds).
The speedometer reads in both although the MPH is more prominent. As
a result, I did not check on whether a conversion would be necessary
for non-electronic odometers as it was not necessary for the FJR.
On purchase of vehicle:
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Vendor to sign front of the Vehicle Certificate of Ownership
(the separate reg'n. form remains with vendor)
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Vendor to sign rear of Vehicle Certificate of
Ownership – this is now given to the purchaser
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Prepare a Bill of Sale. This should address the
date, VIN, vehicle description, and have vendor sign. This is not a
form that you will find anywhere in particular; just make it up
yourself. See the sample down below on this page.
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Vehicle must remain in Washington until U.S. Customs
completes its export checks. On the U.S. Customs package noted
below, they provide the names of two places near the border where
vehicles may be stored.
U.S. Customs – initial contact
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Phone U.S. Customs vehicle export office at the
Blaine truck crossing 1-360-332-2632 and request that a vehicle
export package be faxed to you ( recorded message). Update - you can
now email a request for the export package cbp.blaine-export@dhs.gov
This number is
for the Peace Arch crossing south of Vancouver. If you are in
another location, you should contact the nearest crossing office.
Otherwise, presumably, your paperwork will end up at the wrong
crossing and won't be there when you try to import your bike.
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Complete the questionnaire and fax it back to them
along with copies of the Vehicle Certificate of Ownership front and
rear and the Bill of Sale. They require 72 hours to complete their
vehicle check.
Once back in Canada
Retrieving the vehicle – U.S. Customs
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After 72 hours, contact U.S. Customs to make sure
that the documents have been processed and they are ready for
pickup. Do not attempt to retrieve the vehicle without knowing for
sure that these documents are ready.
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Contact an ICBC agent about insurance for the day
you intend to move the vehicle. About $35
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Note the restricted hours of operations of U.S.
Customs for vehicle exports. M-F 8:30AM to 3:00PM. Closed on
statutory holidays. If holidays fall on a weekend, they may be
closed Friday or Monday
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Take the vehicle to U.S. Customs (Commercial
Crossing south of Vancouver only) and present them with the Vehicle
Certificate of Ownership and Bill of Sale. They may inspect the
vehicle. They will stamp the Certificate of Ownership.
Retrieving the vehicle – Canada Customs
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Present them with the Vehicle Certificate of
Ownership and Bill of Sale.
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They will complete Vehicle Import Form - Form 1 Keep
this with the vehicle until licenced in Canada.
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GST will be paid at the border. I paid no duty.
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Payment of $182 fee ( Dec. 2004 )
After arriving home
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Within 10 days, the Registrar of Imported Vehicles
will send you Federal Inspection form – Form 2. Do not do any
modifications before receiving this form. In early 2008 I imported a
new Nissan 350Z. RIV will now email the Form 2 to you. The subject
line looks like spam so be careful.
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Complete the necessary modifications within 45 days.
Keep all receipts as they will be required at the inspection along
with Form 1 and Form 2, and the Recall Clearance Letter
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Present the vehicle to any Canadian Tire location
for inspection along with the above documents
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Upon completion of the inspection, Form 1 will be
stamped. This must be presented when registering the vehicle in
Canada
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Within 7 days of the inspection, RIV will send a new
Canadian Certification label which is to be affixed to the vehicle.
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In BC, take your bike and all of the above
documentation to an ICBC insurance agent who will check the bike's
serial number and prepare all of the documents to register and
insure the bike. In other provinces, presumably you must present the
bike to your local motor vehicle office for this.
Warranty issues: my FJR had the remains of the
extended warranty. It is not valid in Canada. Presumably the basis
warranty is also not valid in Canada. I never tried to make a warranty
claim by taking the bike to a dealer in the U.S. Presumably this is done
to deter importation.
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