From: wales@cs.ucla.edu (Rich Wales)
Subject: Importing car from US to Canada -- some answers
Organization: UCLA CS Department, Los Angeles
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 92 00:09:32 GMT

I wrote Transport Canada a few weeks ago, asking for current information
about importing motor vehicles into Canada from the US.

They mailed me nine pages of info, which I'll try to summarize here for
the benefit/curiosity of the net readership.  For the sake of brevity, I
will limit my comments primarily to things like passenger cars and light
trucks.

First of all, none of the following applies to vehicles over 15 years
old.  Nor does it apply to vehicles in transit through Canada to another
country, or to vehicles brought in temporarily by visitors or tourists.

(1) A vehicle less than 15 years old, up to and including the 1984 model
    year, is eligible for importation into Canada if the manufacturer of
    the vehicle has certified it as meeting US Federal Motor Vehicle
    Safety Standards as of the date of manufacture.

    This certification generally takes the form of a metal plate or
    sticker in the driver's-side door area.  If this plate/sticker is
    missing, I understand a letter from the manufacturer, identifying
    the vehicle by its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), can be used
    instead.

    About a year ago, I was told that cars up through the 1984 model
    year would require metric speedometer markings (via add-on adhesive
    labels if necessary) and a bilingual "unleaded fuel only" label for
    the fuel filler area.  However, the material I received just now did
    not say anything about either of these points.

(2) US and Canadian vehicle safety standards evidently started to
    diverge in 1985.  For vehicles in the 1985 and newer model years,
    there are several sets of requirements which must be met.

    (a) The vehicle must bear a label from the original manufacturer,
	certifying compliance with US safety and emissions standards.

    (b) The vehicle must additionally be certified by the original manu-
	facturer as meeting three of the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
	Standards (CMVSS):

	    CMVSS 210   -- seat belt anchorages
	    CMVSS 210.1 -- tether anchorages for child safety seats
	    CMVSS 215   -- bumper standards

	In some cases (see below), manufacturers have notified Transport
	Canada that various makes/models/years meet these standards.
	Otherwise, the vehicle owner needs to get a letter from the man-
	ufacturer certifying that the vehicle met the above requirements
	as originally manufactured.  So-called "grey-market conversion"
	of noncomplying vehicles to make them meet the above standards
	is =not= acceptable under current Canadian law.

    (c) The vehicle must either be originally designed, or modified by
	the importer (owner), to meet the following requirements:

	    CMVSS 101     -- metric markings on speedometer
	    CMVSS 108     -- daytime running lights
	    CMVSS 208(14) -- bilingual air bag maintenance labelling

	I believe the small "km/h" markings on most recent-model US car
	speedometers satisfy the Canadian requirements, though I've sent
	a followup query to Transport Canada on this point and will let
	you all know what they say.  If necessary, the owner can affix
	adhesive number labels to the speedometer to indicate km/h.

	Daytime running lights (front lights on at all times) are only
	required if the vehicle was manufactured after 30 November 1989.
	The material I received didn't say anything about exact specs
	for aftermarket DRL kits; I've asked Transport Canada for this
	info in my followup to them.

    (d) The owner must demonstrate that there are no outstanding recall
	notices on the vehicle -- e.g., by having a dealer supply a let-
	ter or computer printout based on the specific vehicle's VIN.

(3) An owner of a non-complying vehicle which was purchased, ordered, or
    delivered before 1 January 1991 can apply for a waiver of the rules
    to permit importation, and in such cases Transport Canada will rec-
    ommend to the customs people (Revenue Canada, Customs and Excise)
    that the vehicle be accepted for entry into the country.

    My assumption is that this waiver procedure is designed to implement
    the provisions of the US-Canada Free Trade Agreement which require
    Canada to phase out restrictions against the importation of used
    cars from the US.  During 1992, vehicles which are two or more years
    old are supposed to be allowed in; starting in 1993, I think all
    used cars are supposed to be permitted into Canada from the US (in
    which case most of the stuff in this article will presumably become
    moot next year).

(4) Vehicles produced for original retail sale outside Canada or the US
    can generally =not= be imported to Canada (unless they are more than
    15 years old).  If the original manufacturer certifies that the car
    meets US standards, though, it will be treated as described above.

    Again, note that =only= the original manufacturer of a vehicle is
    permitted under Canadian law to certify a car as meeting Canadian
    standards.  Third-party "grey-market conversion" shops, and even
    authorized dealers, cannot legally modify a car to meet the required
    specs, except as I indicated in point 2(c) above.

    I'm not sure whether the general waiver policy for non-complying
    cars purchased before 1991 applies to non-North American cars which
    were imported to the US and "grey-market converted" to US standards.

I received a four-page list of 1985-1992 makes/models/years which had
been determined by Transport Canada to comply (or not comply) with the
Canadian seat belt, tether, and bumper standards.  This list is far too
long for me to reproduce it here in full.  However, here are a few gross
generalizations:

==> All BMW's, Jaguars, Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, and Volvos qualify.

==> It appears that most Chryslers (including Plymouth/Dodge/Eagle/
    Renault/AMC), Fords, GMs (including Chevy/Pontiac/Buick/Olds/Geo/
    Saturn), Hondas (including Acuras), Hyundais, Mitsubishis, Toyotas
    (including Lexus), and Volkswagens DO qualify.

==> It appears that many (or most) Alfa Romeos, Ferraris, Mazdas,
    Mercedes-Benz, Nissans, Peugeots, and Subarus DO NOT qualify.

==> Fiat apparently has not responded to Transport Canada's inquiries.

My guess is that the biggest problem standing in the way of Canadian
acceptance of recent-model US-market cars has to do with the "passive
restraint" door-mounted safety belts.  I've heard (and the material I
got from Transport Canada seems to corroborate this) that cars with
door-mounted belts are generally not acceptable for importation to
Canada unless the car also has an air bag.  Any other comments on this?

If you want to check on the importability of a specific car, call Trans-
port Canada at (613)998-2174.  Or, you can write them at:

		    Transport Canada
		    Vehicle Importation
		    13th Floor, Canada Building
		    344 Slater St.
		    Ottawa, Ontario
		    K1A 0N5

If you want complete copies of the info I've summarized in this arti-
cle, ask for leaflet 8511E ("Importation of Motor Vehicles into Canada")
and Appendix A, CL9203E ("List of Eligible American Specification Vehi-
cles").  The list of vehicles is updated every three months.

Standard disclaimers should of course be inserted here.  Before taking
any action on the basis of the above summary, =please= check with Trans-
port Canada and get their verdict on the specific make, model, and year
you care about.

--
Rich Wales <wales@CS.UCLA.EDU> // UCLA Computer Science Department
3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, CA 90024-1596 // +1 (310) 825-5683
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