Purchasing a Classic Vehicle from Canada
There is a large disparity between the US dollar and Canadian dollar and the strong US dollar makes the purchase of a classic car from Canada very attractive. Once you have found the classic vehicle you want and have paid the Canadian seller, contact our company and we will arrange the rest.
The 2 Regulatory Agencies in USA
There are two US Federal Agencies that regulate the importation of a vehicle into the USA. The NHTSA requires the vehicle to be built in compliance with US theft and safety standards and the EPA requires the vehicle to be compliant with US emission standards.
However, if your vehicle is over 25 years of age, the vehicle is grandfathered out of these compliance requirements. Hence classic cars are admissible into the USA.
US Customs and Border Protection requires an entry to be filed on the vehicle by a Customs Broker when importing the vehicle into the USA. Our company can arrange the brokerage and clearance of the vehicle into the USA.
If the vehicle was manufactured outside of the former NAFTA area, the vehicle is subject to import duty, manufacturers processing fee and a single entry bond. These fees total around 4% of the vehicle value. If the vehicle was manufactured in Canada, the USA or Mexico, the import duty and manufacture’s processing fees falls away.
Gray market and salvage vehicles are not admissible into the USA.
Once we load the vehicle from the seller and cross the border, we will either have a stamped form 7501 placed in the vehicle if the officer stamped the form, or we will mail a certified copy a week or so after the vehicle crossed into the USA. You will need this document to title and register your vehicle in your state. In addition, you will need the Canadian registration and Bill of Sale. We do not need original copies of these documents to clear into the USA. So we recommend the seller courier these documents to you or place them in the glove box. Our drivers do not need them so don’t hand them to the drivers.
Certain states, such as Texas and Virginia, have not updated their title requirements for imported vehicles and still require a customs stamped HS-7. We do provide you with an unstamped HS-7. Around 6 years ago, US Customs and Border Protection, required that all importation data be transmitted to them electronically and the information on the HS-7 is submitted through EDI. Hence US Customs and Border Protection does not stamp a paper HS-7. We recommend that you check with your state’s DMV before purchasing a vehicle in Canada.
Our company has been shipping through the border for decades and are very knowledgeable and experienced with the formalities. Trust us to assist you too.
