How to import a Canadian car to the US?

I've found a great deal on a B5.5 VW Passat TDI, but the only problem is that it's near Toronto, and I live in Massachusetts. Looking into the process, I found evidence of VW being willing to provide a letter of conformity in 2013 for this specific generation of Passat TDI  -- which makes sense, since the same engine was used in both markets, with the same emissions controls. I only just found the car this weekend, so the process of talking to brokers and getting the letter from VW hasn't had a chance to begin yet.

Searching brought up a couple of threads with one helpful PDF, but not a lot of specific advice.

Has anyone successfully handled a similar situation by yourself, and what was it like? Does using a broker confer advantages (It seems like it might be hard to sell the car if I import it myself), other than the obvious trade off of money for convenience?

I'd really like to fly to Toronto and drive the car back myself, which I've seen hints of being feasible. Massachusetts lets you transfer the plates from a sold car to a new one within 7 days, which is apparently in agreeance with Ontario practice. The next issue would be whether I can convince my insurance company to insure the car, and what the border patrol thinks of the situation when I got to the border. There are a lot of spare parts that come with the car (the whole transmission is the big one) that make driving it back particularly appealing.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/importing-vehicle

https://www.nhtsa.gov/document/imported-canada-vehicle-importation-guidelines-pdf

https://www.nhtsa.gov/document/eligible-vehicles-imported-canada

Here's the government info to get you going. 

If you need more...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) import hotline is (202) 366-5291. You can also fax inquiries to (202) 366-1024 or email importandcertification@nhtsa.dot.gov

I went through this when I bought a Lancer Evo II GSR in Ottawa a few years ago. There are a bunch of steps. In short, you need to:

• Prove the car is legal to register in the USA. In my case, that was easy because of the 25-year import rule.
• Fill out all the federal import paperwork ahead of time and book an appointment at one of the designated border crossings. Again, you need to do this in advance (can't just show up).
• Pay the import duties.
• If you plan to drive the car over the border, you'll need to arrange registration and insurance from the USA. This adds a bunch of time and complexity. I didn't bother with this: picked up the Evo II with a truck and trailered it over the border.
• Once I got the car back to my home state of New Jersey, the real headache began. Because it was a foreign import, I couldn't go through the regular DMV to get a title and registration. I had to go through the "special titles unit" which does everything through snail mail. Took me about 3 months to secure the title.

Once the car was titled in NJ, it was easy to get insurance through Hagerty. When I sold the car, there was no issue at all in transferring the title and the new owner registered it in Massachusetts immediately through a regular DMV. 

In reply to Apexcarver :

I've had a cursory read of those documents, and the process seems straight forward, provided you have the Letter of Conformity from the manufacturer. Unfortunately, it seems moderately difficult to get a hold of someone who knows what they're talking about in regards to that at VW. I messaged them on Facebook, but the representative said that they do not give them out for TDIs due to "manufacturer modifications", which has to be referring to the dieselgate fixes. This car was not effected by dieselgate, and has the same engine and emissions controls the US versions did, so there's really no reason for them to refuse (and in fact, they did give them out in the past).

In reply to LanEvo :

Thanks! I reached out to Will at Willz.ca based on a related post you made a few years ago, actually. So far, he's been the most helpful person I've contacted, most of the other brokers haven't even replied to my quote requests yet.

The process seems straight forward, except for the need to get a letter of conformity in my case (because it's only 20 years old, and not 25.).

I moved from Ontario to Michigan 25 years ago and brought my vehicles across myself. My VW race car had a letter of compliance from VWofCanada (based in Auburn Hills, Michigan !!) and the tow vehicle (Chev Astro) didn't. I had all the paperwork with me and did everything right at the bridge from Sarnia to Port Huron. I don't remember any details, but it was straight forward and hassle free.

In reply to MrRobogoat (Forum Supporter) :

I found this link:  https://www.epa.gov/importing-vehicles-and-engines/how-obtain-copy-certificate-conformity-light-duty-vehicle-car-truck

It says:

If you need a Certificate of Conformity or Certificate Summary Information for a vehicle with a model year before 2003, send the following information to EPA’s Imports Hotline (EPA's Imports Hotline: Imports@epa.gov, Phone: 734-214-4100, Fax: 734-214-4676):

• Model year of vehicle.
• Manufacturer of vehicle.
• Model of vehicle.
• Test Group # (only applies to light-duty cars and trucks – model year 2001 or later).
• Engine Family # (only for pre-2001 light-duty cars and trucks, and nonroad and heavy-duty engines/vehicles).
• Your name.
• Contact information (address, email address, or fax number where you want EPA to send the Certificate of Conformity).

I've brought across a few, but all were 25. A friend imported a Subaru into the US for a while. Once you've got that letter from VW - look for corporate emails and phone numbers, not Facebook - it should be pretty easy. Just make an appointment for the port of entry ahead of time. I've done it without an appointment and it would have been a bad idea at a busy crossing.

If you transfer ownership of the car into your name while it's still in Canada, that simplifies the process. I had to pay no duties or fees last time. 

MrRobogoat (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to LanEvo :

Thanks! I reached out to Will at Willz.ca based on a related post you made a few years ago, actually. So far, he's been the most helpful person I've contacted, most of the other brokers haven't even replied to my quote requests yet

Will is a solid guy. Also a skilled club racer and instructor with the BMW CCA. A real car guy who does it for the passion 

I know a route!!! Some 45 years ago my buddy and I went pheasant hunting on a dark, overcast, foggy day. We live 50 or so miles from Canada. I have no idea were we where, being a helpless passenger, but after driving down undeveloped section lines and dirt trails, we finally came upon a highway. Shortly after we noticed highway speed limit signs in kilometers and had to immediately try and retrace our route back to the US because the last thing anybody wants to do is to have to re-enter the US without going threw Canada's Port-Of-Entry.

Sorry, I don't remember the route so I can't be a guide to help smuggle your car across the boarder, but I have been waiting forever to tell that story. LOL thanks.

To future like minded folks: Yes, it is possible. I did it.

Here's a trip report on my journey getting the car home.

The paperwork is not hard, but it really does hinge on getting that letter of compliance from the manufacturer. This path also only works for certain vehicles that are, you know, functionally equivalent. In my case, I ended up asking the seller to ask VW for the letter, which he was willing to do. The letter is attached to the car, not the person requesting it, so no worries there. From what he said, it was not difficult, and it took maybe a week for them to issue the letter.

The other three forms are for the NHTSA, EPA, and CBP. The NHTSA HS-7 one is straightforward, and concerns lighting and other safety equipment. The only hitch is apparently sometime in the early 2010s there was a gap where the US required TPMS systems but Canada didn't, so some cars may require a retrofit to be legal for import. That was not a factor for me, but was something I have read during my research.

For the EPA 3520-1 form, it's easy if you have the letter of compliance. You will have to put your info down multiple times as both the owner and importer.

For the CBP 7501 form, it depends on the border crossing. I had mine partially pre-filled out, and they had me start over with theirs for the crossing I was at. I don't think it hurts to try pre-filling it, but it's got 22 pages of instructions which reference other documentation (Do you know what an HTS code is? I didn't, until I tried to fill out this form).

I got lucky and was the only person in the building for most of my transaction. Saturday at 7pm isn't a hot time for border crossings I guess. There was one group ahead, and one came in as I was leaving. It was 7pm on a Saturday. The whole thing took 3 minutes. I had read that they would give me a single piece of paper stating the acceptance of the entry, but instead they just stamped the forms I had brought. No one seemed unfamiliar with the process, the only question they asked me was about the plate status (basically, how I was driving it legally), and took my explanation without further ado.

The RMV transaction was also super easy, took maybe 15 minutes. I'm currently waiting on the title, but I have a valid registration. I'll be trying to get it inspected this weekend.

And was it worth it? Abso-berkeleying-lutely! The extra long ratios of the DQS/FRF 01E make highway cruising a dream. It's turning maybe 2200 RPM at 70 mph, and 2400 is 85mph or so. The diesel has tons of torque, and I drove home on less than one tank. IMO, these are truly some one of a kind vehicles, a masterpiece of VW's finest era. The only thing that might be better would be the A4 quattro versions they received in Europe, but even then I'm not sure -- the AWD costs more in fuel and maintenance than the simpler FWD Passat. The MSRP of this car in 2005 would be almost $50,000 in today's USD, but considering it's relative simple mechanicals, cruising comfort, and fuel economy, I don't believe there's anything available for that price that can truly compare.