Reimport car from Canada to the US, previously export from US and registered in Canada

[gokul95]

Hi Everyone,

I moved from the US to Canada on ICT Visa in July 2023 and then I had my car (2022 Mazda) shipped from the California via a Transport company. I used to be employed in the US prior to that on a Visa and I had already paid the loan on the car.

For shipping the car, I followed the instructions in the below thread (which was very informative) to complete the US export and Canada import process and to get my Car registered in Ontario under temporary import.

https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-i...to-canada-complete-step-by-step-guide.539649/

Now I am going to return to the US on a work Visa, and I am planning to drive to the US from Toronto towards the end of October.

So, I have a few questions regarding the reimport process to the US

1. When I registered my car in Ontario, I surrendered the original Title to receive the Ontario plates and the registration document. I am wondering if the US CBP officers will require the original US title to be presented to them to prove my ownership of the car and that the car was previously registered in the US. I have other proofs such as a copy of the bill of sale with my signature, my California plates, Carfax reports (which has the US registration and Canada import records). Will any of these suffice?
2. What is the sequence I need to follow? Do I need to return my Ontario license plates and the Ontario car registration document first? If so, I only have my expired US plates, so not sure if I can drive inside the US with those until I get my US DL and DMV registration.
3. Do I need to get the EPA and DOT compliance letters from the manufacturer? My understanding is that since the car already has EPA and DOT stickers from when it was bought in the US, I only need to turn in the EPA 3520 and DOT HS7 forms to CBP. Please correct me if I am wrong.
4. Do I need to get another recall clearance letter from the manufacturer for entry into the US? (I got one last year for Canada registration)
5. Are there any other documents that I need to carry in addition to the above?

If anyone has gone through this process and could shed some light on this, it would be tremendously helpful!

Thanks in advance!

 

[CrimeMasterGogoKaDaddy]

US is super easy.

Mostly they'll be able to pull that you exported it earlier and now importing it.

Correct order is get new country plates first and then hand over older country's.

They sort of know where to look when looking at stickers. You'll have all stickers.

It was so straightforward. I would say even if you aren't sure you can ask first and then come back prepared.

 

[gokul95]

@CrimeMasterGogoKaDaddy Thank you so much for the reply! I see, I have a better idea about the process now.

Do you mind sharing which port of Entry did you use or if there is any POE that you would recommend? Also did you prefill and carry the EPA 3520 and DOT HS7 forms yourself?

Thank you!

 

[gokul95]

US is super easy.

Mostly they'll be able to pull that you exported it earlier and now importing it.

Correct order is get new country plates first and then hand over older country's.

They sort of know where to look when looking at stickers. You'll have all stickers.

It was so straightforward. I would say even if you aren't sure you can ask first and then come back prepared.

@CrimeMasterGogoKaDaddy , btw did they ask for a recall clearance letter while reimporting the car back to the US as well? I am having a hard time dealing with my manufacturer to get one!

 

[ashwin35]

@gokul95 I need to do the same thing in November. I had imported my car from US to Canada in 2020 and now want to take it back to the US. A bit confused on how to go about this. Since your plans are a bit ahead of mine, would be great if you can share your experience with detailed steps to follow. Thanks!

 

[SamtoCanada]

I want to do the same thing as well - please do share the process you followed.