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North American Automobile Trade Association

Importing Canadian Vehicles into the United States

Registered Importers Process for importing

Registered Importers

A registered importer is a company licensed by the National Highway Traffic & Safety Administration to certify that Canadian vehicles meet United States safety standards. When vehicles (less than 25 years old) are imported into the United States from other countries, including Canada, the vehicles must be certified as meeting American safety standards.

This certification can be provided by the manufacturer (as long as the vehicle is imported for personal use and not for resale). If the manufacturer refuses to provide the certification (or if the importation is for resale), the certification must be provided by a registered importer.

Process for importing

To import a passenger car, motorcycle, multipurpose vehicle or light truck less than 25 years old from Canada, an importer needs to get a certification that the vehicle meets U.S. safety and emissions standards. This certification can be provided by the manufacturer (only for vehicles imported for personal use and not for resale) or by a Registered Importer.

Many manufacturers will not provide the certification because they want to stop the flow of cross-border vehicles into the United States to prevent people from taking advantage of price savings associated with cross-border vehicles. In any event, importers, dealers and consumers may want to work with a Registered Importer so that all importing issues are handled by an expert.

Click here to find a Registered Importer