Importing a Motor Vehicle To Canada (the be all end all) | Page 26 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Importing a Motor Vehicle To Canada (the be all end all)

Forum Sponsor
Please excuse me if this question has been answered already but i read 9 pages and found nothing.

If i wanted to fly down to my cousins in Chicago and ride a bike i purchased there back to Canada what would i need to do specifically in regards to not trailering the bike....which it seems everyone does?
Obviously i would need insurance but what else? Would an Ontario motorcycle dealer plate work for this process?
 
In normal cases this isn't done because the previous owner's plate won't be valid because they're no longer the owner, but you can't affix your plate because the vehicle hasn't gone through the inspection process. The thing I'm not 100% sure of, is whether a temporary plate from Illinois would be legal and recognized in Canada (I suspect not), and whether you would be able to get insurance (since the previous owner's insurance won't be valid). A dealer plate from a dealer in Ontario is only valid in Ontario.

In your case, since you are proposing to buy it from a relative, it might be possible to have them leave the plate and insurance on it until you get it here. But it opens the question on whether they actually "sold" the vehicle.

Too many potential problems, just trailer it IMO.
 
Brian P said:
In normal cases this isn't done because the previous owner's plate won't be valid because they're no longer the owner, but you can't affix your plate because the vehicle hasn't gone through the inspection process. The thing I'm not 100% sure of, is whether a temporary plate from Illinois would be legal and recognized in Canada (I suspect not), and whether you would be able to get insurance (since the previous owner's insurance won't be valid). A dealer plate from a dealer in Ontario is only valid in Ontario.

In your case, since you are proposing to buy it from a relative, it might be possible to have them leave the plate and insurance on it until you get it here. But it opens the question on whether they actually "sold" the vehicle.

Too many potential problems, just trailer it IMO.
Click to expand...
There's a forum on the Red Flags site on importing cars. The regs will be the same for a bike, the first being is it allowable. I brought in a Subaru in 07 and another in 08 from New York. The $10 temp permit allows you to drive it to the border, it even specifies which border crossing. Ohio also has temp permits. Michigan doesn't. As for Illinois, I don't know. You've been given good advice, trailer it.
 
I have read through this entire post and I have a question has not been adequately answered (how that could be in four years, I really don't know).

I am looking at a vintage basket case bike (unrestored, looks like hell, came from a barn, totally dissassembled) that is over 60 years old. The bike has no title (it appears never had) just a bill of sale from the owner. As a bonus, the bike was once registered in Ontario and still has the Ontario plates on it (1962) but it appears that it was never registered in the US. If it was, we can find no record.

How to I legally import such a bike?
 
moto1 said:
I have read through this entire post and I have a question has not been adequately answered (how that could be in four years, I really don't know).

I am looking at a vintage basket case bike (unrestored, looks like hell, came from a barn, totally dissassembled) that is over 60 years old. The bike has no title (it appears never had) just a bill of sale from the owner. As a bonus, the bike was once registered in Ontario and still has the Ontario plates on it (1962) but it appears that it was never registered in the US. If it was, we can find no record.

How to I legally import such a bike?
Click to expand...

Call the numbers listed on page 1 of this thread. I'm sure someone will have the answer for your question.
 
50 pages deep, and I still think I have a new question(s)..

Similarly to the dude in Virginia, I was a Canadian in Cali for 4 years and now I want to bring my 95 Katana to Ontario. It is insured and registered in CA and in my name, but I am likely going to ship it to Buffalo because I will have neither the time nor fortitude to drive it here from San Diego!

First off, does the fact the title is already in my name change anything? I don't think I still have the bill of sale, will I need that? Also, do I have to pay the 8% PST when I register it in Ontario, since I already own it?

Second, do I have to trailer it from Buf to Toronto? It would have valid California sticker/plate/insurance, so if I follow the proper import procedures, would I be allowed to drive it across and then have everything checked out by RIV and get it registered in Ontario?

Third, how much of an extra hurdle is the RIV process? The bike will be 15 years old next year and I could juts leave it stored in my cousins garage in Cali until then, I am just wondering if it would be worthwhile to wait...

Cheers
 
I imported an 06 Goldwing last summer and never had any type of metric stickers on it. To date it still doesn't. This is a first, never heard of this before. Guess it's when where and who you deal with if you need the stickers.
 
dbestjat said:
50 pages deep, and I still think I have a new question(s)..

Similarly to the dude in Virginia, I was a Canadian in Cali for 4 years and now I want to bring my 95 Katana to Ontario. It is insured and registered in CA and in my name, but I am likely going to ship it to Buffalo because I will have neither the time nor fortitude to drive it here from San Diego!

First off, does the fact the title is already in my name change anything? I don't think I still have the bill of sale, will I need that? Also, do I have to pay the 8% PST when I register it in Ontario, since I already own it?

Second, do I have to trailer it from Buf to Toronto? It would have valid California sticker/plate/insurance, so if I follow the proper import procedures, would I be allowed to drive it across and then have everything checked out by RIV and get it registered in Ontario?

Third, how much of an extra hurdle is the RIV process? The bike will be 15 years old next year and I could juts leave it stored in my cousins garage in Cali until then, I am just wondering if it would be worthwhile to wait...

Cheers
Click to expand...

What was your Immigration status in the US for the 4 years you were there?
Depending on this info you won't have to pay anything for the bike and will only have to pay the RIV fees.
 
I was recently given a 1977 XS400 with 9100km on it by my brother in law after it sat in his barn for 20+ years. I would like to restore it but the only document he had was signed ownership in Quebec from a previous owner long since gone. It does have a 1984 Ontario Plate on it but I have no document to support that the bike was ever registered in Ontario or by whom. I tried to move the ownership to me but the license office will not do that without a bill of sale from the owner that signed the ownership.

In your experience of restoring your vintage bikes have your run into this and how did you handle it. I would really rather not have this bike go to the junkyard as it deserves better – particularly because of the low km’s.
 
hi,
read through a bunch of pages.. this is a really really good informative thread.
i really hate the colour options of the 09 yamaha yzf-r1 that are offered in canada. i'm willing to do the research and leg-work to make the process of bringing a us-only colour here to canada except i just wanted an answer right off the top to a really general question:
will the money involved to get the bike here be relatively reasonable considering it's just a specific colour that i want? thanks in advance.
 
dbestjat said:
50 pages deep, and I still think I have a new question(s)..

Similarly to the dude in Virginia, I was a Canadian in Cali for 4 years and now I want to bring my 95 Katana to Ontario. It is insured and registered in CA and in my name, but I am likely going to ship it to Buffalo because I will have neither the time nor fortitude to drive it here from San Diego!

First off, does the fact the title is already in my name change anything? I don't think I still have the bill of sale, will I need that? Also, do I have to pay the 8% PST when I register it in Ontario, since I already own it?

Second, do I have to trailer it from Buf to Toronto? It would have valid California sticker/plate/insurance, so if I follow the proper import procedures, would I be allowed to drive it across and then have everything checked out by RIV and get it registered in Ontario?

Third, how much of an extra hurdle is the RIV process? The bike will be 15 years old next year and I could juts leave it stored in my cousins garage in Cali until then, I am just wondering if it would be worthwhile to wait...

Cheers
Click to expand...

OK I'm in a somewhat similar situation. I'm a Canadian, I've spent the last 3 years living in AZ. I had a TD visa for a couple years, than I had a student visa.

I have a 2006 SV650S, registered in my name in AZ, with AZ plates and AZ insurance. I'm looking at bringing the bike back to Ontario, Canada, to use for track only...but I will be riding the bike back into the country since the insurance is still current for another few months, so it might seem a little fishy. I have no intentions of registering the bike in Canada.

What are my options? Basically I just want to do this with the least paperwork/$$/hastle possible.
 
Call Canada Customs at a border crossing and explain what you want to do, they will advised you correctly, best to get it right from them. My guess is you'll have to pay the GST on the value of the bike at the border and ya most likely you'll have to do the Transport Canada Form 1 and pay the RIV $209.00. Like I said that's my guess.
 
stingertrailer said:
Call Canada Customs at a border crossing and explain what you want to do, they will advised you correctly, best to get it right from them. My guess is you'll have to pay the GST on the value of the bike at the border and ya most likely you'll have to do the Transport Canada Form 1 and pay the RIV $209.00. Like I said that's my guess.
Click to expand...

Good guess, I called and spoke with them today.

The bike will still be counted as a taxable good since I was never a permanent resident of the US(had a temporary visa). I will have to pay GST and the RIV fee, they said it doesn't matter to them if I'm riding it with the AZ plates...that is for the MTO to deal with, all they want is my money.
 
I've read through much of this posting but not all ... so maybe this situation has been covered before (and maybe not).

I was living in Norway for 13 years and purchased a 1988 BMW while I was living there. Four years ago, I returned to Canada (I am a Canadian citizen). I brought the bike over as part of my personal effects. Canada Customs accepted the importation paperwork for the bike and gave me a copy of the Form 1. The bike at the time of import was 16 years old so I could bring it over from Europe using the 15 year exclusion rule. I recently confirmed with RIV that all my dealings with the federal government (RIV & Customs) are complete and I can register the motorcycle in my province.

This spring, I plan to license it in Ontario. I called up Service Ontario and they told me the list of paperwork to bring with me to the DOT when I am ready. They said I will have to pay PST on the sale value of the bike or the Blue Book value, which ever is higher.

My question is "Is this bike subject to such taxation?" It was my personal property which I have owned for more than 12 years. The accompanying paperwork from Norway shows both my name and the 1997 registration date.

Thanks for any enlightenment.

- Robert.
 
Last edited:
robmack said:
My question is "Is this bike subject to such taxation?" It was my personal property which I have owned for more than 12 years. The accompanying paperwork from Norway shows both my name and the 1997 registration date.
Click to expand...
I visited a MOT office today and asked my question. They reviewed the paperwork and told me that I probably don't have to pay taxes because the motorcycle is already registered in my name on the original registration papers and I have proof of ownership in the form of the original bill of sale.

So, I guess this answers my question. Hope this information might be of use to someone else.

- Robert.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom