Mitch Master T

Mitch’s Guide to Importing an Evo X Into Canada

Last summer I imported a 2014 Evo X into Canada from the United States. Using my own personal experience importing the vehicle, I have created this guide to help others who wish to do the same.
I recommend reading this guide fully before importing, as well as using the following two websites. Also, when in doubt always have all your paperwork on you and you will be fine.

https://www.riv.ca/ImportingAVehicle.aspx
https://www.riv.ca/ImporterChecklist.aspx

Please note that this guide is for new vehicles, therefore some steps will differ if you are buying a used vehicle. Furthermore, I made this guide 8 months after importing the vehicle, so I’m only recalling the steps to the best of my ability. Therefore I recommend using other websites in conjunction with this guide in case I have missed something or things have changed since I imported my vehicle in the summer.

Vehicle Admissibility
Determine if the vehicle you wish to purchase can be imported into Canada.
You can access the list of permissible vehicles from the following page:
https://www.riv.ca/VehicleAdmissibility.aspx

Evo X’s are fine. – Just remember, the list MUST say the model year you wish to import. For example, even though I could buy a 2014 Evo X in June of 2013, the list didn’t allow 2014 Evo’s until early August of 2013.

Locating Your Car and Negotiations
I found that the two best ways of locating potential cars was auto trader, and using Google Maps to locate Mitsubishi dealers and then looking at their websites (dealers don’t always advertise on Auto Trader).

If you find a good deal a considerable distance away, keep in mind that you will not be able to see the vehicle in person before purchasing if you are going to have the vehicle trucked to Buffalo or Canada. I only contacted dealers within a days drive from my house because I wanted to see the vehicle in person before buying.

When calling dealers, verify that they can sell to Canadian citizens – some dealers closer to the border will refuse to sell to you.

Once you have figured out which dealer you want to purchase from, and worked out a price, put down a deposit. They will fax a sales agreement for you to sign. Remember, as a Canadian Citizen you do not have to pay US taxes on the vehicle – not all dealers realize this though.

Some questions you may want to ask the dealer
- Odometer reading
- Was the vehicle used for Test Drives
- Verify options (Website pictures aren’t always accurate)
- You can ask them to not allow test drives once you have put down a deposit

Lastly, keep in mind that only SS equipped EVO’s have daytime running lights. I do not know how easy it is to set up DRL’s for the normal projectors (the dealer could probably do it for you).

Warranty Reminder
Mitsubishi Canada will not honor your warranty once you have imported the vehicle. However, they are obligated to perform recall work though. I am unsure if you can take the car back to the USA for warranty work – the dealer I purchased from said yes but what I have read online indicates otherwise. It’s not a big deal if you think the savings are worth it or you plan on doing some mods soon.

Recall Clearance Letter
Ask the dealer to get the recall clearance letter for the specific vehicles VIN number. As an alternative to the letter, the dealer can provide you with a printout of the recall status of the vehicles VIN from the vehicle inquiry super screen. Every dealer should be able to obtain this print out for you. (You don’t need the letter at the border, but it is needed for the inspection form later). Ask right away though so there are no unexpected delays.

Recall clearance documentation can be submitted to RIV by fax (1-888-642-9899), or by e-mail (recall@support.riv.ca) or in person or by mail to an RIV office location.

Temporary Transit Plate
Confirm with the dealer that they will be supplying you with a temporary transit plate. The plate is good for anywhere in the USA or Canada while you are waiting for your Canadian plates.

Insurance
Once you have put the deposit down on the vehicle (and have a VIN number), call your insurance company and tell them that you are going to be buying a vehicle in the USA and importing it into Canada. The call should be straightforward. Ask them to email you a temporary copy of proof of insurance immediately. You need to keep the temporary insurance on you at all times for the importation process.

Payment
Payment details must be sorted out before going to the dealer. Depending on how you’re paying this step changes – make sure you ask the dealer if how you plan to pay is acceptable before hand. Personally, I used a bank draft.

Get the dealers banking information, and they will likely want a scan of the bank draft/money order or whatever you plan to use sent to them.

Email the US Border Crossing
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) require 3-business days (72 hours) notice for all vehicles leaving the country. Using the following link, you can see the requirements for specific border crossings.

https://www.riv.ca/USCustoms.aspx

I personally used the Lewiston Bridge crossing. The steps for the Lewiston crossing are as follows:

Email the crossing (buffalovinnyoffice@dhs.gov) the following at least 96 hours prior to crossing.

I am a Canadian citizen and will be buying a passenger car in the United States and exporting it into Canada on XXXX date. According to the RIV website, I must provide you with the following vehicle information so that you can send me additional instructions for the Lewiston Bridge border crossing.

Make:
Model:
Description:
VIN:

You may also need to provide them with a copy of the vehicle title documents, registration and sales receipts in this email. I'd recommend calling the crossing you plan on using in order to determine the exact document requirements.

You have to wait 72 hours after you receive their reply to cross the border – no exceptions. They should reply within 24 hours of your initial email, and will send you additional instructions. Ie. You need to provide them with the vehicle title documents, registration, sales receipt and their confirmation email when crossing.

The hours at for the Lewiston crossing are Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. If you think you are going to be late, have the dealer call them to let them know. I arrived at 4:15 on a Friday and they let me through. If I didn't call ahead, I would have been stuck for the weekend.

Carrying 10,000+ across the border
Doesn't matter if its cash or a bank draft, you need to fill out form E668. You must also advise the US border guard that you are taking over 10,000 across the border to purchase a vehicle in the United States and export it into Canada. They’ll just ask some related questions, but it shouldn’t be a problem.

Here’s a link to form E668.
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publicati...aires/e677.pdf

At the Dealers
Spend some time inspecting the car to make sure everything’s ok and ask them for a test drive before you sign all the paperwork. Also, the vehicle should have a manufacturer’s compliance label on the door – if it doesn't (which is highly unlikely) you may run into problems at the border.

Buy the car

Make sure you have
- Temporary transit plates
- Bill of sale
- Title document
- Temporary registration
- Recall Clearance letter or dealer printout of recall status of the VIN (if you arranged this before hand)
- Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin


To be extra safe, ask for the Mulroney label you can use it as proof of an immobilizer.

US Customs and Border Protection
For the Lewiston border crossing, you need to stop on the US side. There is a building on the left that handles Canadians exporting vehicles from the US which you must stop at first.

They asked to see the original title, the bill of sale, their email confirmation for when I could cross and the original email I had sent them. It’s a good idea to have all the paper work handy though. They will stamp the vehicle ownership form once they have inspected the vehicle and verified the VIN number. This step should be very fast.

You can call the Vehicle export information line (for the US CPB) at 716 843 8359 for any questions about this step.

Canadian Customs
Now head through the Canada border booths as normal. Tell them you are importing a vehicle from the United States and they will tell you where to go.

Show them all the documentation and they will give you FORM 1 which you complete at the border. They will forward FORM 1 to the RIV for you.
Show them the bill of sale and they the convert amount to CAD so you can pay Canadian Federal tax (5%), $220.35 RIV fee, Duty of 5% (since Evo’s are manufactured in Japan) and a $100 Air Conditioning Fee. I paid using my VISA, I’m not sure what other payment options are acceptable.

Additional fees which may apply for other vehicles:
https://www.riv.ca/CostConsiderations.aspx

List of current Tax Rates as applied by the RIV: https://www.riv.ca/ImportantNotices.aspx

For any additional questions about this step you can contact the CBSA
In Canada: 1-800-461-9999
Outside Canada: (506) 636-5064

Head home
Keep the US temporary plate on your car – I continued to drive with the plates on for a couple weeks, and it’s not a problem.

RIV will email you the Federal inspection form. It identifies modification requirements specific to the vehicle. They will not send this until the following has been completed:
1) Form 1 has been submitted
2) The RIV fee has been paid
3) RIV received the recall clearance documentation confirming no outstanding recalls

Modifications listed on the form MUST be complete with 45 days of the importation of the vehicle or one year for salvage vehicles. If you are having trouble meeting the deadline, call 1 888 848 8240. If you do not meet their requirements they can force you to export the vehicle.

Once any necessary modifications have been completed, book the inspection.
(Evo X has none providing that you have DRL’s)

Bring the inspection form to Canadian Tire – they will inspect your vehicle and then stamp the inspection form. Bring all your paperwork too; I‘m pretty sure they wanted to see Form 1 along with the federal inspection form.

After the inspection, you should receive the statement of compliance label in the mail and the inspection center (Canadian Tire) will stamp the vehicle inspection form.

Licensing
For licensing in Ontario, I needed to get a safety standards certificate form from Canadian Tire too. The DMV office’s reasoning was that the vehicle was no longer new because I drove it from Ohio to the border before importing it. Therefore I needed this inspection because it was a used vehicle. Canadian Tire charges around 100 for this.

I’m pretty sure the Ontario Licensing office wants to see the Stamped Form 1, bill of sale, title, and proof of insurance. Bring everything just in case though.
They will give you your temporary plate and sticker, and then regular plate at a later date. DMV waiting times can be awful, so go earlier in the day to skip the wait.

Lastly, you will have to pay provincial taxes (8% for Ontario) at the DMV office.

You can call this number for any questions about this step (for Ontario):
Phone: 416 235-2999 or 1-800-387-3445

Insurance follow up
They will want you to email them the following within 20 days of importing the vehicle.
- Policy Number
- Completed Vehicle Import Form 1
- Ontario Permit
- Registration

Lastly, enjoy your new Evo

Other Useful Links
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publicati...f5048-eng.html
https://www.riv.ca/ImportingAVehicle.aspx

Hopefully this guide helped you understand the process of importing a vehicle.
Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, and if you successfully import a vehicle using this guide.

- Mitch

Josh x

Awesome looking car!

So when you pay the provincial taxes in Ontario at the DMV office, is it 13%?

So in Total 5% Duty taxes at the border (since it was made in Japan) + 13% Provincial taxes when registering = 18% total taxes?

Edit: Or is it the 5% HST tax at the border and the 8% PST tax when registering it? (Even if the car is made in Japan)

Lightsaber

This is an extremely helpful guide! It's so comprehensive and clearly written that it should be sticky!

Lightsaber

I come across some questions regarding "Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin."

What is "Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin"? I don't get it by reading Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufac...cate_of_Origin

Which website or agency need this document? Can I import an Evo without Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin?

Mitch Master T

Thanks for the comments

Josh, I paid the Federal Tax at the Canadian border which was 5% and the Provincial Tax at the DMV office which was 8% for Ontario. Combined with the 5% Duty which is paid at the Canadian border, total tax paid was 18%.

Lightsaber, the Certificate of Origin for a vehicle is provided to you by the dealer you purchase the vehicle from. You need to show this document to US Customs and Border Protection, as well as the Canada Border Service Agency. The following documents are all interchangeable; the Original Title, Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin or Certificate of Origin (front and back). I'm pretty sure the DMV office wanted to see it too when I was getting my plates.

Lightsaber

Thank you for sharing your experience with the community!

So you mean that:
1) the Original Title
2) Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin (MSO)
3) Certificate of Origin (MCO)

are all interchangeable, i.e. having any one of these three and we will be fine, correct?

XxSpRiTexX

Congratz on the purchased! How much did you end up paying for the car? Which dealer was it>?

Mitch Master T

I believe that they have different names depending on the state you buy the vehicle from. Therefore having one of the 3 will be fine.

Let me know if you have any other questions, and how the import goes for you.


Thanks, I purchased the vehicle in Sheffield Ohio. If you're thinking about importing, I'd suggest calculating the pricing based on the current exchange rate and Evo prices because both have changed since last August.

Lightsaber

Thanks! I asked around and it appears that you are agreed. Any one of the three will suffice.

I am also confused about how much duty and tax I should pay. Besides nickels and dimes of bureaucratic fees, I believe there is quite an amount we need to pay:

a. 6.1% import duty (as Evo's VIN starts with "J", meaning it's made in Japan) [pay at the border]
b. 5% goods and services tax (GST) [pay at the border]
c. $0 gas guzzler tax as Evo GSR's fuel consumption is 10.8L/100km combined
d. 8% provincial tax (HST-GST) for Ontario or 9.975% for Quebec[pay at the DMV]

I'm currently a Quebec resident studying in the US. I will be relocating to Toronto soon because Toronto Evo Nation is awesome. Is it a good idea to get a place in Toronto and move all my addresses there first, so to avoiding paying the provincial tax twice?

(Also I believe there is some sort of exemption for the "first time" residents of Ontario: "If you are becoming an Ontario resident, instead of paying the RST, an exemption declaration may be completed at the time of vehicle registration." Will be checking that with my lawyer soon.)

For how my import goes, please check this thread from time to time : https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ca...l#post11188151

Mitch Master T

Hey Lightsaber,

Sorry, for taking so long to respond - work has been keeping me pretty busy.

A full break down of the fees is as follows:
- First they convert the USD price to CAD using the current exchange rate.
- 6.1% duty fee which is applied to the CAD value of the vehicle.
- 100.00 excise tax fee for air conditioning.
- Then the total of the prior amounts is what the Federal Tax is based off of (5%).
- Then the DMV will apply the Ontario provincial rate (8%) to (the CAD value of the vehicle + the Duty Fee + 100.00)

Regarding QST I found the following on the RIV website:
As of January 1, 2013, the QST will be calculated on the selling price not including GST. However, to ensure the total taxes payable remain the same, the QST rate will be increased to 9.975%.

Then there is the RIV Fee which was 220.35
Lastly, there are inspection fees, and emission test fees - I can't remember the amounts.

I wasn't aware that there is a possibility of double taxation if you are moving between provinces. If there is an exemption I would probably do it. If not, it would be pretty expensive just to have a car in Quebec for a couple of months before moving and having to pay provincial tax again.



Also, in case you already moved to Toronto, Scarborough Mitsubishi's annual meet is next saturday. Let me know if you're going!

Lightsaber

Thanks for explaining this so clearly to me.

I'm still in the process of doing this. I just submitted the VIN and papers through email to the US CBP Lewiston Bridge office and received a confirmation email earlier today. They are imposing the new AES filing requirements now (in short, starting October 2, 2014, you need to have a US EIN number if you were to export a car originated the US). I don't have an EIN and don't feel like bothering applying for that or spending ~$300 to hire a professional service to file the AES for me, so I guess I will skip it. It should be fine as we are still in the period of informed compliance (April 5, 2014 to October 2, 2014).

For importing a car while moving from one Canadian province to another, yes, I think you have to pay the provincial tax twice. To deal with it, I went to Toronto to get an Ontario address several weeks ago, so we will see if I can pay the tax only once with this address.

I'm still uncertain about the tax exemption for the "first time Ontario resident" thingy. I will take the 45-day-period after entering Canada to find a lawyer who has knowledge about this rule. Previously I talked to Evan Green at Green and Spiegel and he has no idea that Ontario has such rule.

In the future, yes, I will be glad to go to Evo meets. Cheers!

Mitch Master T

Your welcome - I am glad that I was able to help.

Just read up on the new AES Filing requirements, and they look like a hassle. Makes it more difficult for Canadians to buy from US dealers or private sellers. Good timing for you with the period of informed compliance though - I'm glad I didn't have to deal with that either.

Good luck with the import, and I'm looking forward to seeing another Evo around!

kleensleeper

Thanks for all the great info. Not looking forward to the new aes filing requirements....

Lightsaber

Hi Mitch,

I just completed the federal inspection (Form 2) and safety inspection.

I'm trying to register the car, but Ontario MTO wants to see the Ontario insurance before I can register, while my insurance wants me to transfer the ownership (vehicle permit?) to Ontario first before giving me the insurance.

Any ideas?

Lightsaber

So I did some legal research with the about issue and found out that ServiceOntario only wants to see your temporary insurance (if you are a Canadian resident bring a car from the U.S.) or your inter-province Canadian insurance from your U.S. insurance company (if you are moving to Canada from the U.S. with your car) when registering the car.

Therefore I went to ServiceOntario earlier today with the Canadian coverage card from my U.S. insurance company and registered the car successfully. And on top of that I also got a very lucky license plate number. Hooray!

After I came back, I went back to my Canadian insurance company and activated the coverage. So I'm all set and all that's left is to find a local club!