skegpro
Active VIP Member
With all this talk about importing sleds from the states.....
It got me thinking about how to import properly.
If you have ever imported before please share,
especially if you had any problems or horror stories.
I don’t want to get into the ethics of importing,
rather just focus on the method.
There is lots of good info on RIV.ca,
even a checklist where you can plug all your info in.
This is how I understand it to work, please correct me if I am wrong.
Step 1: Check for you vehicles admissibility.
-There is a list on the website.
-BRP is a real safe bet since it originated in Quebec, who is almost a part of Canada.
Step 2: Recall Clearance
- you have to get a recall clearance letter and submit it to RIV.
-the letter comes directly from the manufacture.
- I have heard if you call BRP yourself, people have had issues.
-Could this be something the dealer could help with?
"For the recall clearance you can get the dealer to write "This vehicle has no outstanding recalls" on the bill of Sale or something with dealer letterhead. RIV has accepted this document for the recall clearance for me on a car."
maxpower
To facilitate the timely release of your vehicle's RIV inspection form and to avoid any unforeseen delays or additional expenses, we recommend that you obtain your recall clearance documentation and submit it to RIV before you import, as soon as you purchase the vehicle.
Recall clearance documentation can be submitted to RIV by fax (1-888-642-9899), by e-mail (recall@riv.ca) or in person or by mail to an RIV office location.
Recall clearance documentation (usually in the form of a letter) stating that there are no outstanding manufacturer's recalls associated with the vehicle can be obtained from the manufacturer of your vehicle:
Bombardier Recreational Products
565 Rue De La Montagne Rr 3
Valcourt, QC, CA, J0E 2L0
Phone #: 819 566-3366
Fax #: 450 532-5032
Web site address: Bombardier Recreational Products -
Step 3: US Customs
- fax your title, sales receipt and registration to the boarder at least 72 hours before you arrive.
-how do you register your vehicle in Canada while you are buying it in the states?
-how about insurance?
"Insurance wasn't an issue for me I phoned my insurance company (TD Meloche Monnex) told them i bought a car in the USA and they insured over the phone and emailed me the pink card."
maxpower
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) require notification of all self-propelled vehicles being permanently exported from the United States, trailers excluded. You will need to provide CBP with your vehicle title documents, registration and sales receipts at least 72 hours prior to export.
CBP recommends that you contact the port of crossing directly to determine exact documentation requirements, procedures for submitting documentation and hours of operation:
Sweetgrass Area Port/Coutts
Interstate 15 N at Canadian border
Sweetgrass, MT, US, 59484
Phone #: 406 335-9610
Hours: Call to confirm
Step 4: Canadian border services agencies.
-this is where you pay your RIV fee, around $225 I have heard.
The CBSA office at the point of entry in to Canada will process the importation of your vehicle.
CBSA will check documentation, provide you with a Vehicle Import Form (Form 1) to be completed at the border, verify vehicle admissibility and facilitate payment of the non-refundable RIV registration fee.
CBSA will also forward the completed Vehicle Inspection Form (Form 1) for your vehicle to RIV.
Please contact CBSA if you have any questions regarding CBSA requirements:
In Canada: 1-800-461-9999 (English) ; 1-800-959-2036 (French)
Outside Canada: (506) 636-5064 (English) ; (506) 636-5067 (French)
Web Site: Welcome to the Canada Border Services Agency | Bienvenue à l'Agence des services frontaliers du Canada
Step 5: Typical Requirements.
Prior to purchasing your vehicle, please ensure you check Transport Canada's List of Vehicles Admissible from the United States to verify the manufacturer's specific requirements.
After you've imported your vehicle, RIV will issue an RIV inspection form, which identifies modification and inspection requirements specific to your vehicle, once the following has occurred:
(1) the Vehicle Inspection Form (Form 1) has been completed and submitted to RIV through CBSA,
(2) the RIV registration fee has been paid, and
(3) RIV has recieved recall clearance documentation confirming that there are no outstanding recalls on the vehicle.
Do not proceed with any modifications to your vehicle until you receive the RIV inspection form.
Includes all regular use and competition snowmobiles as well as snowmobile cutters.
Please reference Transport Canada's web site for vehicle admissibility information for snowmobiles.
For reference, the following is a list of typical modification and inspection requirements:
(including snowmobile cutters and competition snowmobiles)
• Recall clearance letter
• The vehicle must bear a manufacturer's valid U.S. Statement of Compliance (SOC) label or Snowmobile Safety Certification Committee (SSCC) label at the time of import
• Headlights On
• Lighting
• Reflectors
• Kill switch
Visit Transport Canada’s List of Vehicles Admissible from the United States for additional details.
Step 6: RIV Fee’s
-you may have paid this fee in step 4.
Unless your vehicle is exempt from the RIV process, the following registration fee must be paid to RIV:
$204.75
The RIV registration fee must be paid before an RIV inspection form for your vehicle will be released. You can pay RIV fees at the border, on-line, by mail or in person at an RIV office.
Step 7: RIV inspection.
- aka the Canadian tire walk around.
All required modifications must be completed prior to the RIV inspection.
The RIV inspection must be completed within 45 days (or 1 year for salvage vehicles) of the date of importation.
The inspection centre will provide RIV with inspection results once the RIV inspection is complete.
RIV will issue a Canadian Statement of Compliance (SOC) label for the vehicle once the vehicle has passed inspection.
The following is the location address and phone number for the inspection centre that you selected:
Canadian Tire - Corner Stone Mall
9510 - 86th Ave, Corner Stone Mall
Fort Saskatchewan, AB
T8L 4P4
Phone #: (780) 998-2118
Fax #: (780) 992-0333
Hours: Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm
Sat: 8am-5pm
Sun: Closed
Additional notes:
View Map
Step 7: Provincial licensing.
In order to register and license an imported vehicle you need to present your stamped Vehicle Import Form - Form 1, along with the bill of sale, title and proof of insurance as well as any other information or documentation required by the provincial/territorial licensing jurisdiction.
Please contact your provincial licensing jurisdiction for detailed information on how to obtain provincial or territorial licensing:
Alberta
Phone: 780 427-7013 or 310-0000 toll-free within Alberta
Web site: Service Alberta:
Additional Tips:
"you MUST have the actual title document at the border when you arrive and copies (72 hrs or more) sent to them prior to arrival , if you have a COPY , you will not be importing until the document arrives !!"
nursepwdr
"US Border -they need the title, bill of sale and drivers license faxed to them 72hrs in advance.
maxpower
"Also the vehicle has to paid for in full before it can cross the border, no payment plans."
maxpower
"Just remember that some of the smaller border crosssings are not as busy and ususally easier to cross than Coutts/Sweetgrass. I came across at KingsGate, total crossong time less that 30 minutes, including both borders and Canadian money collection."
Uturn
It got me thinking about how to import properly.
If you have ever imported before please share,
especially if you had any problems or horror stories.
I don’t want to get into the ethics of importing,
rather just focus on the method.
There is lots of good info on RIV.ca,
even a checklist where you can plug all your info in.
This is how I understand it to work, please correct me if I am wrong.
Step 1: Check for you vehicles admissibility.
-There is a list on the website.
-BRP is a real safe bet since it originated in Quebec, who is almost a part of Canada.
Step 2: Recall Clearance
- you have to get a recall clearance letter and submit it to RIV.
-the letter comes directly from the manufacture.
- I have heard if you call BRP yourself, people have had issues.
-Could this be something the dealer could help with?
"For the recall clearance you can get the dealer to write "This vehicle has no outstanding recalls" on the bill of Sale or something with dealer letterhead. RIV has accepted this document for the recall clearance for me on a car."
maxpower
To facilitate the timely release of your vehicle's RIV inspection form and to avoid any unforeseen delays or additional expenses, we recommend that you obtain your recall clearance documentation and submit it to RIV before you import, as soon as you purchase the vehicle.
Recall clearance documentation can be submitted to RIV by fax (1-888-642-9899), by e-mail (recall@riv.ca) or in person or by mail to an RIV office location.
Recall clearance documentation (usually in the form of a letter) stating that there are no outstanding manufacturer's recalls associated with the vehicle can be obtained from the manufacturer of your vehicle:
Bombardier Recreational Products
565 Rue De La Montagne Rr 3
Valcourt, QC, CA, J0E 2L0
Phone #: 819 566-3366
Fax #: 450 532-5032
Web site address: Bombardier Recreational Products -
Step 3: US Customs
- fax your title, sales receipt and registration to the boarder at least 72 hours before you arrive.
-how do you register your vehicle in Canada while you are buying it in the states?
-how about insurance?
"Insurance wasn't an issue for me I phoned my insurance company (TD Meloche Monnex) told them i bought a car in the USA and they insured over the phone and emailed me the pink card."
maxpower
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) require notification of all self-propelled vehicles being permanently exported from the United States, trailers excluded. You will need to provide CBP with your vehicle title documents, registration and sales receipts at least 72 hours prior to export.
CBP recommends that you contact the port of crossing directly to determine exact documentation requirements, procedures for submitting documentation and hours of operation:
Sweetgrass Area Port/Coutts
Interstate 15 N at Canadian border
Sweetgrass, MT, US, 59484
Phone #: 406 335-9610
Hours: Call to confirm
Step 4: Canadian border services agencies.
-this is where you pay your RIV fee, around $225 I have heard.
The CBSA office at the point of entry in to Canada will process the importation of your vehicle.
CBSA will check documentation, provide you with a Vehicle Import Form (Form 1) to be completed at the border, verify vehicle admissibility and facilitate payment of the non-refundable RIV registration fee.
CBSA will also forward the completed Vehicle Inspection Form (Form 1) for your vehicle to RIV.
Please contact CBSA if you have any questions regarding CBSA requirements:
In Canada: 1-800-461-9999 (English) ; 1-800-959-2036 (French)
Outside Canada: (506) 636-5064 (English) ; (506) 636-5067 (French)
Web Site: Welcome to the Canada Border Services Agency | Bienvenue à l'Agence des services frontaliers du Canada
Step 5: Typical Requirements.
Prior to purchasing your vehicle, please ensure you check Transport Canada's List of Vehicles Admissible from the United States to verify the manufacturer's specific requirements.
After you've imported your vehicle, RIV will issue an RIV inspection form, which identifies modification and inspection requirements specific to your vehicle, once the following has occurred:
(1) the Vehicle Inspection Form (Form 1) has been completed and submitted to RIV through CBSA,
(2) the RIV registration fee has been paid, and
(3) RIV has recieved recall clearance documentation confirming that there are no outstanding recalls on the vehicle.
Do not proceed with any modifications to your vehicle until you receive the RIV inspection form.
Includes all regular use and competition snowmobiles as well as snowmobile cutters.
Please reference Transport Canada's web site for vehicle admissibility information for snowmobiles.
For reference, the following is a list of typical modification and inspection requirements:
(including snowmobile cutters and competition snowmobiles)
• Recall clearance letter
• The vehicle must bear a manufacturer's valid U.S. Statement of Compliance (SOC) label or Snowmobile Safety Certification Committee (SSCC) label at the time of import
• Headlights On
• Lighting
• Reflectors
• Kill switch
Visit Transport Canada’s List of Vehicles Admissible from the United States for additional details.
Step 6: RIV Fee’s
-you may have paid this fee in step 4.
Unless your vehicle is exempt from the RIV process, the following registration fee must be paid to RIV:
$204.75
The RIV registration fee must be paid before an RIV inspection form for your vehicle will be released. You can pay RIV fees at the border, on-line, by mail or in person at an RIV office.
Step 7: RIV inspection.
- aka the Canadian tire walk around.
All required modifications must be completed prior to the RIV inspection.
The RIV inspection must be completed within 45 days (or 1 year for salvage vehicles) of the date of importation.
The inspection centre will provide RIV with inspection results once the RIV inspection is complete.
RIV will issue a Canadian Statement of Compliance (SOC) label for the vehicle once the vehicle has passed inspection.
The following is the location address and phone number for the inspection centre that you selected:
Canadian Tire - Corner Stone Mall
9510 - 86th Ave, Corner Stone Mall
Fort Saskatchewan, AB
T8L 4P4
Phone #: (780) 998-2118
Fax #: (780) 992-0333
Hours: Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm
Sat: 8am-5pm
Sun: Closed
Additional notes:
View Map
Step 7: Provincial licensing.
In order to register and license an imported vehicle you need to present your stamped Vehicle Import Form - Form 1, along with the bill of sale, title and proof of insurance as well as any other information or documentation required by the provincial/territorial licensing jurisdiction.
Please contact your provincial licensing jurisdiction for detailed information on how to obtain provincial or territorial licensing:
Alberta
Phone: 780 427-7013 or 310-0000 toll-free within Alberta
Web site: Service Alberta:
Additional Tips:
"you MUST have the actual title document at the border when you arrive and copies (72 hrs or more) sent to them prior to arrival , if you have a COPY , you will not be importing until the document arrives !!"
nursepwdr
"US Border -they need the title, bill of sale and drivers license faxed to them 72hrs in advance.
maxpower
"Also the vehicle has to paid for in full before it can cross the border, no payment plans."
maxpower
"Just remember that some of the smaller border crosssings are not as busy and ususally easier to cross than Coutts/Sweetgrass. I came across at KingsGate, total crossong time less that 30 minutes, including both borders and Canadian money collection."
Uturn
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