Japan Used Car Import Duty / Regulation in Canada

• Year Restrictions

  Min. 15 Years Old

• Destination Port

  Halifax, Vancouver

• Time of Shipment

  RoRo (09-14 Days)

• Vessel Schedule

  RoRo (Fortnightly)

• Shipping Line

  ---

• Inspection

  No Inspection Required

Before importing your vehicle:

The first thing you need to do is find out whether the car you’re importing is even importable into Canada. Many cars destined for the US market do not meet Canadian safety standards (especially newer ones), and are therefore not importable at all. Note specifically that the person at the border was quite surprised that my MR2 was acceptable it seems that many late model Toyotas do not qualify. Transport Canada has an agreement with a private firm, Livingston International, which is now operating as the Registrar of Imported Vehicles. If you call them, and give them the year, make, and model of vehicle, they will tell you whether the car is legally allowed to be imported into Canada.

Documents Required:

• Original Title, Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin or Certificate of Origin (front and back). Should your vehicle not be required to have one of the these documents, then you must provide a certificate of No Title.
• Bill of Sale
• Copies of the Export Certificate and Invoices
• Manufacturer’s statement of compliance affixed to the vehicle
• EPA label affixed to the vehicle

Temporary Importing a Vehicle:

A vehicle can be imported temporarily to Canada when:

• Visitors, tourists, and temporary residents enter Canada with their vehicles.
• Canadian residents return to Canada with a short-term rental of a U.S. vehicle.
• Canadian companies temporarily import vehicles for some special uses allowed by the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and its regulations.

Importing A Non-Regulated Vehicle:

Some vehicles are defined as non-regulated, which makes them exempt from having to comply with the Motor Vehicle Safety Act when they are manufactured or imported.

• Vehicles have non-regulated status based on their:
• Design characteristics
• Circumstances at time of entry into Canada
• Age of the vehicle

Examples of Non-Regulated Vehicles:

• Vehicles 15 years old or older according to their manufacture date
• Buses manufactured before January 1, 1971
• Vehicles brought in temporarily by visitors, foreign students or foreign workers
• Vehicles designed strictly for off-road use such as farm tractors, construction equipment and utility-terrain vehicles (UTVs)
• Competition vehicles designed only for closed course competitions, with the necessary labels
• Power-assisted bicycles, as defined in section 2(1) of the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations

Import Procedures for Non-Regulated Vehicles:

• Verify the vehicle’s non-regulated status
• Inspect for possible soil contaminants
• Examine the ownership documents
• Collect taxes and/or duties if applicable
• Decide admissibility according to other Canadian customs regulations that may apply

If the car is acceptable, you will also need the following paperwork:

• US Title to the vehicle
• Bill of sale/transfer of ownership
• In addition, you will need a written notice from the manufacturer of the vehicle (NOT just a dealership) stating that any recalls that may be in effect have been performed on the car your planning on importing.

Also note that if the car is newer than the 1990 model year, you will be expected to have the car retrofitted with the equivalent of the Canadian Daytime Running Light system. This procedure can be done after the car is in Canada, but you must have it completed and inspected within 45 days of importation.

Following points which you have to consider while importing:

1. Find the reliable supplier

Recently, The Internet can make you to find the many number of used car exporters in Japan. When you select the company, Please get through their history durability and reliability that is famous and has top rankings on the website.

There are some of company who shows unbelievably cheap prices or not real photos of the cars, Please make sure to check their reliability and condition of the cars with terms and condition of sales.

To avoid Internet fraud, Please contact them closely over the phone to know who they are, or ask about this selected company at your local Japanese embassy. The best way is to find reliable used car exporter is to know any their customer who bought the cars form that company.

2. Choose the right car

You should be aware that it has to comply with Canadian import laws there is the import regulation for all cars being imported into Canada.

The imported vehicle must meet the requirements of Canada Board Service Agency(CBSA). vehicles manufactured outside Canada, the US, or Mexico are assessed duty at the rate of 6.1%.

3. Payment

Once you have decided to purchase the vehicle, you can receive the Invoice from the supplier. The most of the company prefer the customer to arrange the payment by Bank remittance.

Once you get the invoice, you can print it out and bring it to your local major bank to transfer money to their bank account. Make sure to have the receipt of your payment at your bank as it is proof of your money transfer and you can submit it to your supplier for their quicker confirmation.

4. Shipment Delivery

Once your payment is acknowledged by the supplier, the shipment procedure can be started. It is depending on the condition of payment between you and supplier.

But, Most of the case, the supplier required to have the full payment prior to the shipment delivery.

5. Port clearance and custom clearing

Before the car arrives, you have to find the local port clearing agent who is specialized port clearing company to handle your car from port and custom clearing.

You can follow their instruction and arrange the port clearing fee and custom duty with all necessary documents.