Recently purchased a bike from the US and figured I'd share my experience to help out anyone that may be considering doing the same thing. It's quite simple so long as you complete all the steps below. I crossed at ambassador bridge. You will work with 2 companies, AES and RIV. The cost will be approximately $480CAD for the export/import process. I did it all as a street legal bike; if you wish to do it as a parts bike import or salvage, the process may look different. Here is what the process will look like:
Congratulations! You've imported your bike to Canada! Hopefully it went pretty smoothly for you and that this guide helped. One thing that was interesting throughout the entire process is that not once did anyone step onto my open trailer to look at the bike VIN and match it with all my documents... Hope you can find a good deal on a US bike as I have!
- Find a bike you want to purchase, make sure the owner has the title in his name. Verify vehicle is eligible for export. Verify no outstanding recalls. (Manufacturer provides this service). Make sure title is clean and not branded. If vehicle has a lien, that's fine, just make sure seller provides you with lien release letter. I also recommend calling the lienholder directly and confirming the authenticity of the lien release letter to make sure they no longer have financial interest in vehicle.
- Submit the AES filing($80USD). Once they receive and approve your filing, AES will generate a ITN(internal transaction number) and also send an email to US customs notifying them of your intent to export. They will cc you on that email. In your filing to AES, you must include:
- Unsigned copy of title (since you haven't actually bought the bike yet)
- Post-dated bill of sale with export date
- Lien release letter (if applicable)
- Submit the RIV filing($325). Once they receive and approve your filing, RIV will then generate a "Form 1" which is the official vehicle import form. In your filing to RIV, you must include:
- Same docs you submitted to AES
- Recall clearance letter (I used a screenshot from Yamaha Canada showing no outstanding recalls for my VIN)
- Wait. You must wait 72 hours from when AES notifies US customs of intent of export until you can actually export. Just go by date/time of the email AES sent to US Customs that you were cc'd on. This 72 hours is for US to verify ITN and confirm the export is valid.
- Drive down to US to pick up the bike and signed title. At this point I paid the seller.
- After you've picked up the bike, you need to head to the US Customs export center. Since I crossed at Ambassador bridge, this was at 2810 B West Fort Street. It's right by the border crossing.
- Prepare your patience and be very polite and assertive. The US Customs staff was unprofessional, arrogant, rude and unorganized. When you drive up, there's a metal fence with an intercom. (green arrow on picture below). The entrance is under a bridge; you won't see it from google maps. Buzz the intercom, say you're here for vehicle export. You'll park with the trucks(light blue lines) and head to the building marked with purple checkmark (NOT the one google maps indicates). Once inside, tell the officer you are here for vehicle export. They will be expecting you since they received your info 3 days prior. They will stamp your original signed title which authenticates the export. You must present to them:
- Original signed title
- Bill of sale
- Original lien release (if applicable)
- To exit the compound, go to the red arrow and stop on the white line in front of a fence marked "return to Canada". You must now wait there for a guard or officer to come by, see your stamped title, and let you out. This took almost 30 mins for me. Annoying, but what can you do... Anyways, you are now on the bridge back to Canada!
- Cross Canadian border. When they ask if you have anything to declare, say you are importing a motorcycle. They will check your documents and then redirect you to Canadian Customs building. Present to border officer:
- Original signed title with fresh US stamp
- Bill of Sale
- Form1 (received from RIV)
- In the Canadian customs building, you will need to provide them with the same docs you showed the border officer. They will stamp your Form1 documents and then also file them with RIV on your behalf. You will pay GST on bill of sale value. All set! You are now (mostly) done.
- You will receive a "Form 2" from RIV in the next few days outlining what needs to be done to your specific vehicle for Canadian compliance. You now have 45 days to complete your RIV inspection which is done at most Canadian Tires. It's essentially a federal inspection to make sure vehicle complies with Canadian laws (Ie. vehicle has daytime running lights). If you need more time, you can ask RIV for an extension. This inspection is included as part of your RIV fee you paid with the original filing.
- Head to service Ontario with all your documents. They will generate an Ontario ownership for you. If you want it plated right away, you'll also need to provide them with proof of insurance but since my bike is being used for track, I am just getting "unplated" ownership
Congratulations! You've imported your bike to Canada! Hopefully it went pretty smoothly for you and that this guide helped. One thing that was interesting throughout the entire process is that not once did anyone step onto my open trailer to look at the bike VIN and match it with all my documents... Hope you can find a good deal on a US bike as I have!
