Are All the U.S. Ports on the Canadian Border Open 24/7 for Vehicle Exports?

US Canada border vehicle export hours vary much more than most people expect, and they shape how long it takes to ship a car from the United States to Canada. The first question isn’t “which border crossing is closest?” It’s “does this port export vehicles, and when?” Out of the 119 official ports of entry along the 5,525-mile northern border, only a handful process vehicle exports, and each one runs on its own schedule with its own paperwork rules. Arrive at the wrong port, at the wrong time, or without the right documents, and your car doesn’t cross that day.

Here’s what you need to know before you schedule a cross-border car shipment.

Not every port exports vehicles

Vehicle export isn’t offered at every crossing. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) designates specific ports, and often specific offices within them, to handle export paperwork, verify titles and stamp the export. The busiest vehicle-export ports on the northern border include:

Port	Main destinations in Canada
Blaine, WA	British Columbia
Sweetgrass, MT	Alberta
Portal, ND	Saskatchewan
Pembina, ND	Manitoba
Sault Ste. Marie, MI	Northern Ontario
Port Huron, MI	Ontario
Detroit, MI	Ontario
Buffalo, NY	Ontario
Alexandria Bay, NY	Eastern Ontario
Champlain, NY	Quebec
Houlton, ME	New Brunswick and the Maritimes

If you’re shipping a car to any province, your route will almost certainly pass through one of these ports. That’s why it matters to work with a carrier that ships through them every day: the paperwork and timing aren’t the same from one port to the next.

Every port has its own rules

There’s no single, uniform vehicle export process at the border. Each port sets its own submission method, required documents and processing style:

• Blaine, WA: a Vehicle Export Worksheet, the front and back of the title, and a bill of sale, emailed to the export office before arrival. See shipping a car to Canada through Blaine.
• Pembina, ND: file the export information, then arrive with the original title.
• Buffalo, NY: the ITN and VIN emailed directly to the office, with no attachments.
• Detroit, MI: the vehicle description, VIN and ITN emailed to a dedicated export address.
• Alexandria Bay, NY: similar documents sent ahead of time.

The common thread: at nearly every port, documents must be submitted at least 72 hours before the vehicle arrives. Turning up with no advance notice, even with a perfectly valid title, can get your export refused.

No, these ports are not all open 24/7

This is the answer to the question in the title. Vehicle export hours vary by port, and most aren’t 24/7. At the time of writing:

• Blaine, WA: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM only. Closed for exports at night, on weekends and on federal holidays.
• Pembina, ND: one of the few true 24/7 export ports.
• Port Huron, MI: stops vehicle exports at noon on Fridays, so a car ready Friday afternoon waits until Monday.
• Detroit, MI: listed as 24/7, but export officers aren’t always available around the clock, which can cause delays even when the port is open.

Hours can change, so we confirm them before every crossing. Across all 11 ports, the variation means a car ready on a Friday evening might clear at one port and sit until Monday at another.

How port hours affect your car shipping schedule

For anyone shipping a car to Canada, port hours and the 72-hour rule work together to set the schedule. A carrier plans backwards from the crossing:

• File the export first: the AES filing and ITN are done, and documents sent to the port, at least 72 hours before the car arrives.
• Time the pickup: the car is picked up so it reaches the port during export hours, ideally early in the week at weekday-only ports.
• Pick the right port: the port is chosen for your destination province, its hours, and how quickly it processes exports.
• Clear Canadian customs: on the Canadian side, the car is cleared through a customs broker or sent in bond to a warehouse near you.

Typical door-to-door transit is 5 to 14 days depending on distance, plus the export window. Booking early gives your carrier room to choose the best port and day. For prices, see our guide to the cost to ship a car from the US to Canada.

The one requirement every port shares: the ITN

Whichever port you use, one requirement never changes: you need an Internal Transaction Number (ITN) before the car can legally leave the US.

The ITN is generated when the Electronic Export Information (EEI) is filed in the Automated Export System (AES). CBP requires this filing for every used, self-propelled vehicle being exported, whether it’s shipped by carrier or driven across by its owner. Without a valid ITN, CBP won’t clear the vehicle, however complete the rest of the paperwork is. The original title, a bill of sale, and a notarized lienholder letter if the car is financed are also needed.

Filing correctly, and early enough for each port’s advance-notice window, is where most people get stuck when they try to handle a cross-border shipment themselves. See our US-Canada customs documents guide.

What about the other major ports?

Sweetgrass, MT and Portal, ND serve the northern plains routes into Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and like most smaller ports, they expect documents well before arrival rather than processing them on the spot. Sault Ste. Marie, MI serves shipments into Northern Ontario, while Champlain, NY and Houlton, ME cover the northeast corridor into Quebec and New Brunswick. Each has its own office, its own email address for export documents, and in some cases its own preferred format.

That’s why a shipment that looks simple on paper, with a title, a bill of sale and a truck, can stall when the exporter hasn’t dealt with that port before. Carriers that cross every week already know where the documents go and how far ahead they need to arrive.

After the US export: Canadian import

Clearing US export is only half of the crossing. On the Canadian side, the car has to be admissible, pay any duty or surtax and 5% GST, and go through the RIV program if it’s under 15 years old. US-built vehicles under 25 years old face Canada’s 25% surtax (reduced for CUSMA-compliant vehicles). See Canadian vehicle import rules explained, customs broker vs bonded warehouse, and our tariffs page.

Why this matters for planning your shipment

• Only specific ports handle vehicle exports
• Each port has its own submission method and documents
• Export hours differ from port to port, and some aren’t reliable even when listed as 24/7
• Every export needs a valid ITN, filed in advance

A car that misses its document window, arrives outside export hours, or lacks a properly filed ITN can sit at the border for hours or be turned back entirely. That isn’t something to work out on the day you’re trying to cross.

Let us handle the border details

At US Canada Auto Transport, we’ve been shipping vehicles across the US-Canada border since 1985. We know which ports handle exports, what each one requires, and how to time a shipment so your car isn’t waiting on paperwork or port hours. Whether you’re moving one car or a fleet, we handle the AES filing, the documents and each port’s rules. For the full process, read how to import a car from the US to Canada or our guide to how vehicles are shipped between the US and Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are all US ports on the Canadian border open 24/7 for vehicle exports?

No. Most aren’t. Blaine, WA processes vehicle exports only on weekdays during business hours, Port Huron, MI stops at noon on Fridays, and even ports listed as 24/7, like Detroit, don’t always have export officers available. Pembina, ND is one of the few true 24/7 export ports.

Can I export my vehicle at any US-Canada port?

No. Only a specific set of ports process vehicle exports. If you arrive at a port that doesn’t, the car won’t cross that day.

How far in advance do I need to submit my documents?

Most ports require export documents, including your ITN, at least 72 hours before the vehicle arrives. Some, like Blaine, count business days only, and each port has its own submission method.

What happens if my car arrives outside a port’s export hours?

It won’t be processed until export hours resume. At some ports, that means waiting through an entire weekend or holiday.

Do I need an ITN if I’m driving the vehicle across myself?

Yes. CBP requires an AES filing and ITN for every used, self-propelled vehicle being exported, whether it’s shipped by a carrier or driven across by its owner.

Which border crossing will my car use?

It depends on where it’s going in Canada. Cars for BC usually go through Blaine, for the Prairies through Sweetgrass, Portal or Pembina, for Ontario through Detroit, Port Huron or Buffalo, and for Quebec and the Maritimes through Champlain or Houlton. Your carrier chooses the port that fits your route and schedule.

How do port hours affect my shipping schedule?

Your carrier plans pickup so the car reaches the port during export hours and after the 72-hour document window. A car picked up late in the week may wait at a weekday-only port until Monday, so booking early gives the most flexibility.