Importing a Canadian M3 to US

[Back_Road_Driver]

Can you import a Canadian BMW M3 to the US and how much would it cost?

[scrammer]

I work for a global company and was relocated from Calgary to Cincinnati a few years ago. At the time I had a year old M3 and rather than take the depreciation I looked into bringing it with me. I talked to BMW USA and they said it is quite rare and they were no help but warned me that a car with kilometres on the speedo and Celsius in the climate control is basically worthless in the USA
I also found out that BMW Canada would require me to pay off the car fully ... Or .... As a foreign national with an L1A visa ... I could return my current car in Canada and simply get a new car from any dealer in North America.
With my piece of paper in hand I walked into the dealer in Cincinnati and they made a few calls and then said, "help yourself to any car on the lot"

Sounds too good to be true ... But it worked.

The big issue was getting a cell phone without a social security number but that is another story!!!

[Flying Ace]

^so in other words, you returned the lease in Canada, then started a new lease in US?

[loveskiing]

Originally Posted by Bmwislife

Can you import a Canadian BMW M3 to the US and how much would it cost?

The short answer is NO...
And here are the reasons:
1) every Canadian M3 is pre-programmed to stop at every hockey rink, open or not.
2) Canadian M3's can only drink liters instead of gallons
3) when you depress the horn it plays O Canada
4) you have to add a bottle of Molson or Labatts to a tank of gas which is difficult to find in The States
5) no one says eh? at the new dealership

[scrammer]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

^so in other words, you returned the lease in Canada, then started a new lease in US?

Sort of …

I kept my equity from BMW Canada and used it through BMW North America.

Not real clear in the way i typed it out but BMW Canada assumed my car and gave me the opportunity to get one in the USA pre approved because of my executive management visa.

Just sharing ideas to help the next driver out!

[Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by scrammer

Sort of …

I kept my equity from BMW Canada and used it through BMW North America.

Not real clear in the way i typed it out but BMW Canada assumed my car and gave me the opportunity to get one in the USA pre approved because of my executive management visa.

Just sharing ideas to help the next driver out!

interesting, so you were able to keep the equity and get into a brand new M3...sounds like a good deal to me. If he were to do it today, he'll have to get into a preowned E92? Or he'll get a F8x?

[abc.xyz]

I know this thread is a bit old, but I want to update it so that if anyone else is looking for the same information it'll be available.

I can only speak for myself and my situation as a Canadian coming over to California on a TN visa and the car is for personal use. I'm in the process/almost done the importation of my Canadian E92 M3. The process is... tedious but by all means doable. Here's how:

You'll need to get a LETTER OF COMPLIANCE from your vehicle manufacturer. To get this you'll have to call them, and provide them with your vehicle's VIN, and they will mail it to you in ~2 weeks.

You'll need to fill out 2 forms, DOT HS-7 and EPA 3520-1. Fill these out to the best of your abilities and leave the rest blank. Bring them, and your vehicle to a port of entry. This could be a land border if you're driving your car over, or it can be specific airports where their customs and border does importation of vehicles. FIND OUT WHETHER AN AIRPORT DOES VEHICLE IMPORTS OR NOT!!! i.e. SJC does but SFO doesn't. You'll also need to bring both forms, your owner's registration, insurance, letter of compliance, passport showing proof of residency. In short, JUST BRING EVERYTHING related to the vehicle and yourself.

(for me I checked Box 2B on the HS-7 form because Canadian BMW speedos aren't marked in mph, only kmph, and Code M on 3520-1 form)

Customs and Borders will then inspect your vehicle to make sure that it's indeed the same VIN, and will give you those forms back stamped. Make sure you also ask for your letter of compliance back from them as you'll need this when you go to DMV.

YOUR CAR IS NOW CONSIDERED "IMPORTED" INTO THE US.

Next step is to register your car in the state you'll be in. This happens to be California for me, I'm not too sure whether the process will be different in another state.

You'll need to go to a DMV and get a vehicle inspection. I didn't need to book an appointment for this, you just roll in and line up like in a drive through. there should be signs at DMV telling you where the inspection place is, if not, ask. After you pass the inspection, they'll give you this completed form.

You'll then need to get a smog check. Some smog place will tell you because it's an out of country car, you'll need to go to "The Referee" from BAR or something like that. I can confirm that that isn't true. The Referee is only for modified cars and the likes, and usually is very far and sparse, and has a 2-week-lineup for appointments. DMV also says that it's not necessary. Just go to any regular smog place and have them smog the car. After it passes, the smog place will give you more paperwork showing that it passed.

You'll also need some proof of residency. This for me is the I94 information showing that I'm indeed in the states under a TN visa.

You then bring all of that:

1. stamped HS-7 and 3520-1 forms from customs
2. letter of compliance
3. owners registration
4. vehicle inspection form from DMV
5. passed smog test results
6. I94 info
(again... just bring all the info/documents you have relating to the car and yourself)

and then you pay some registration fee (~$260 for me), and then they'll give you a set of plates, a temporary US owner's registration, and a piece of paper to stick to your back window. I was instructed to stick the piece of paper on the back window but keep my original Canadian plates until I get my owner's registration in the mail.

YOUR CAR IS NOW REGISTERED IN THE STATE.
(This is how far I've gotten so far)

HOWEVER, they kept my Canadian owner's registration... So I'm in the process of getting US insurance and US driver's license. One thing I'm not sure is whether my Canadian insurance still covers my car right now that I no longer have a Canadian owner's registration. I'm also uncertain how long my Canadian driver's license can be used in the states from this point on.

I'll update this post as I go through this process further.

[X5-User]

Thanks for updating it. I will definitely need this in the near future.

[Yvette]

wouldn't import vehicle always be lower value when you sell?

[abc.xyz]

Well, considering I got a pretty good deal on it, 08 e92 6mt base, 26k miles for 39k CAD, considering the exchange rate right now that's under 30k USD after everything. And then I got to go on a road trip across the states as well. Given a solid car I don't think it being imported from across the border hurts it THAT much. I also have all maintenance and sell/buy records.

[nobodyhere]

I did this process years ago(not with my current M3), PM me if you want a suggestion for an insurance company that I've stuck with since moving south 3 years ago.

Hope your duty taxes weren't that much, the M3 would have had duty since it's from Germany, but my car at the time was made in Canada, so none. In the end I understand your thoughts on bringing a car instead of buying one. The exchange rate hurts now, plus you will have to start credit all over again. Downside is, you may have an even lower value for resale, if your car is labelled as a Canadian import. Down here in California, they know right away if your car came from a snowy past just by the undercarriage

Did you not have to change the speedo? (my old car had a digital speedo that switched with a button, so I didn't have do anything)

good luck with the Visa/immigration process and or establishing a new life down south!

[abc.xyz]

Originally Posted by nobodyhere

I did this process years ago(not with my current M3), PM me if you want a suggestion for an insurance company that I've stuck with since moving south 3 years ago.

Hope your duty taxes weren't that much, the M3 would have had duty since it's from Germany, but my car at the time was made in Canada, so none. In the end I understand your thoughts on bringing a car instead of buying one. The exchange rate hurts now, plus you will have to start credit all over again. Downside is, you may have an even lower value for resale, if your car is labelled as a Canadian import. Down here in California, they know right away if your car came from a snowy past just by the undercarriage

Did you not have to change the speedo? (my old car had a digital speedo that switched with a button, so I didn't have do anything)

good luck with the Visa/immigration process and or establishing a new life down south!

Nope I didn't have to pay duty taxes, nor do I have to change the speedo. Maybe this has something to do with me importing the car for personal use under a work visa. You can set the center display to display speed in mph so it's not a big deal for me personally either.

I know the car wasn't a daily before me, and with all the dealer oil change records I can pretty much say the car's never been winter driven. Even though everyone's trying to get a good deal when they shop for a used car, I'd argue that with enough documentation and a bit of a discount, a potential buyer for an M won't buy a car in a worse condition for the same amount of money just because it's not imported... then again I might be wrong and end up eating a good 30k I paid for this car lol. I don't plan on selling it in the short run so it I don't really think about that for now.

[TomHudson]

Canadian Insurance will cover you in the US. Recommended to get additional coverage of at least 2 million when u r there...

[t.er]

Originally Posted by abc.xyz

I know this thread is a bit old, but I want to update it so that if anyone else is looking for the same information it'll be available.

I can only speak for myself and my situation as a Canadian coming over to California on a TN visa and the car is for personal use. I'm in the process/almost done the importation of my Canadian E92 M3. The process is... tedious but by all means doable. Here's how:

You'll need to get a LETTER OF COMPLIANCE from your vehicle manufacturer. To get this you'll have to call them, and provide them with your vehicle's VIN, and they will mail it to you in ~2 weeks.

You'll need to fill out 2 forms, DOT HS-7 and EPA 3520-1. Fill these out to the best of your abilities and leave the rest blank. Bring them, and your vehicle to a port of entry. This could be a land border if you're driving your car over, or it can be specific airports where their customs and border does importation of vehicles. FIND OUT WHETHER AN AIRPORT DOES VEHICLE IMPORTS OR NOT!!! i.e. SJC does but SFO doesn't. You'll also need to bring both forms, your owner's registration, insurance, letter of compliance, passport showing proof of residency. In short, JUST BRING EVERYTHING related to the vehicle and yourself.

(for me I checked Box 2B on the HS-7 form because Canadian BMW speedos aren't marked in mph, only kmph, and Code M on 3520-1 form)

Customs and Borders will then inspect your vehicle to make sure that it's indeed the same VIN, and will give you those forms back stamped. Make sure you also ask for your letter of compliance back from them as you'll need this when you go to DMV.

YOUR CAR IS NOW CONSIDERED "IMPORTED" INTO THE US.

Next step is to register your car in the state you'll be in. This happens to be California for me, I'm not too sure whether the process will be different in another state.

You'll need to go to a DMV and get a vehicle inspection. I didn't need to book an appointment for this, you just roll in and line up like in a drive through. there should be signs at DMV telling you where the inspection place is, if not, ask. After you pass the inspection, they'll give you this completed form.

You'll then need to get a smog check. Some smog place will tell you because it's an out of country car, you'll need to go to "The Referee" from BAR or something like that. I can confirm that that isn't true. The Referee is only for modified cars and the likes, and usually is very far and sparse, and has a 2-week-lineup for appointments. DMV also says that it's not necessary. Just go to any regular smog place and have them smog the car. After it passes, the smog place will give you more paperwork showing that it passed.

You'll also need some proof of residency. This for me is the I94 information showing that I'm indeed in the states under a TN visa.

You then bring all of that:

1. stamped HS-7 and 3520-1 forms from customs
2. letter of compliance
3. owners registration
4. vehicle inspection form from DMV
5. passed smog test results
6. I94 info
(again... just bring all the info/documents you have relating to the car and yourself)

and then you pay some registration fee (~$260 for me), and then they'll give you a set of plates, a temporary US owner's registration, and a piece of paper to stick to your back window. I was instructed to stick the piece of paper on the back window but keep my original Canadian plates until I get my owner's registration in the mail.

YOUR CAR IS NOW REGISTERED IN THE STATE.
(This is how far I've gotten so far)

HOWEVER, they kept my Canadian owner's registration... So I'm in the process of getting US insurance and US driver's license. One thing I'm not sure is whether my Canadian insurance still covers my car right now that I no longer have a Canadian owner's registration. I'm also uncertain how long my Canadian driver's license can be used in the states from this point on.

I'll update this post as I go through this process further.

Super helpful post! Sorry for the thread bump, but thought I'd add to an existing thread rather than make a new one. I'm actually going to be driving down in October this year, but I was hoping to keep using my Canadian plates and insurance for a few months before officially importing it and registering it with California DMV. I read online that you technically have 20 days after your residency in California to register your car, but also read that isn't a rule that is highly enforced.

Therefore I'm wondering how long after you moved to Cali did you import and register your car, and do you think it would be okay to do so a few months after crossing the border? FWIW I lived in the SF Bay Area for 4 months on an internship, also drove down and had my Ontario plates and insurance with no issues - my insurance company said up to 6 months of continuous stay in the US was fine. Appreciate the help, thanks!

[t.er]

Bumping this up with 2021 info since my car is now officially registered with the DMV. It's mostly the same as abc.xyz (super helpful, thanks a bunch for posting). Won't go through everything, just what's different to his process. I'll also add specifics to what I did, which may or may not apply depending where you are.

Attempted importation at Detroit-Windsor Border (Canadian gauge cluster)
- rejected because the speedo was only metric. I did not want to argue with them given they were processing my visa as well

Importation at San Jose Airport (US gauge cluster)
- park in the parking garage across the street, they are just in front of US arrivals and there is a small alleyway that leads to their door (if you look closely on google maps, you can find it). You will then be asked to bring your car into their alleyway after
- swapped the speedo for a US version, I called ahead to confirm this was necessary, but the guy barely looked at it in person
- I did not get to keep the HS-7 or 3520-1 forms, the officer kept it, and gave me a filled 7501 form in exchange
- I was not charged anything, but I've had my car for 6 years already

Smog: DO THIS FIRST SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE SEPARATE TRIPS TO THE DMV. It's pretty straightforward, get a passing result and pay the fee. The fact that your car is a Canadian car does not matter, it's tied to the VIN.

Registering at (California) DMV in San Mateo
- just roll up to the vehicle inspection line, get the car inspected first. If the inspector insists the car doesn't have a US federal label, ask to speak to a manager, they will accept a Canadian label. I had to go through the inspection twice because of this
- after inspection they will give you a form, take that to the people manning the entrances and explain you want to import a Canadian car. They will give you another form to fill out, which is for new vehicle registration. Basically, it's these two forms along with the 7501, title, and smog paper that you need to register your car in California. I paid $175, got the temp permit, and plates are supposed to arrive in the mail within 3 months

[N22YF]

Thanks everyone - this information is very helpful!

Originally Posted by t.er

Attempted importation at Detroit-Windsor Border (Canadian gauge cluster)
- rejected because the speedo was only metric.

So t.er, after rejecting it at the border, did they let you through with the car anyway, and so you drove it to San Jose and took care of the importation there? Just wanted to check since that would seem to be different than what Nickdm3 said in another thread:

Originally Posted by Nickdm3

if you drive it across yourself, they will stop you and keep the car until you can provide all proper paperwork.

Just trying to figure out, if I buy an M3 in Canada, whether I have to have all the paperwork/correct speedometer/etc. to drive it across the border and home to California, or whether I can cross the border and take it to California without importing it at the time, and officially import it at somewhere like SFO or SJC later.

[N22YF]

I got an answer to my question, so I figured I'd share here in case others are wondering the same. I called the customs office at the border in Blaine, WA, and they told me I would be required to import the car at the border - I would be unable to drive it to the US first. (Oddly, I called the US customs national number first, but they couldn't give me a definitive answer and told me I needed to contact a port of entry.) I'm an American, so possibly the answer will be different for Canadians or people of other nationalities. This is a bit inconvenient since I need the letter of compliance from BMW to import the car, but BMW told me I need to purchase the car first before they'll produce the letter (apparently it's an involved process for them), and then it'll take them 10-15 business days. So basically I'd need to purchase the car in Canada, wait a few weeks for the letter, and then drive it to the US.

[Azfer]

Originally Posted by abc.xyz

I know this thread is a bit old, but I want to update it so that if anyone else is looking for the same information it'll be available.

I can only speak for myself and my situation as a Canadian coming over to California on a TN visa and the car is for personal use. I'm in the process/almost done the importation of my Canadian E92 M3. The process is... tedious but by all means doable. Here's how:

You'll need to get a LETTER OF COMPLIANCE from your vehicle manufacturer. To get this you'll have to call them, and provide them with your vehicle's VIN, and they will mail it to you in ~2 weeks.

You'll need to fill out 2 forms, DOT HS-7 and EPA 3520-1. Fill these out to the best of your abilities and leave the rest blank. Bring them, and your vehicle to a port of entry. This could be a land border if you're driving your car over, or it can be specific airports where their customs and border does importation of vehicles. FIND OUT WHETHER AN AIRPORT DOES VEHICLE IMPORTS OR NOT!!! i.e. SJC does but SFO doesn't. You'll also need to bring both forms, your owner's registration, insurance, letter of compliance, passport showing proof of residency. In short, JUST BRING EVERYTHING related to the vehicle and yourself.

(for me I checked Box 2B on the HS-7 form because Canadian BMW speedos aren't marked in mph, only kmph, and Code M on 3520-1 form)

Customs and Borders will then inspect your vehicle to make sure that it's indeed the same VIN, and will give you those forms back stamped. Make sure you also ask for your letter of compliance back from them as you'll need this when you go to DMV.

YOUR CAR IS NOW CONSIDERED "IMPORTED" INTO THE US.

Next step is to register your car in the state you'll be in. This happens to be California for me, I'm not too sure whether the process will be different in another state.

You'll need to go to a DMV and get a vehicle inspection. I didn't need to book an appointment for this, you just roll in and line up like in a drive through. there should be signs at DMV telling you where the inspection place is, if not, ask. After you pass the inspection, they'll give you this completed form.

You'll then need to get a smog check. Some smog place will tell you because it's an out of country car, you'll need to go to "The Referee" from BAR or something like that. I can confirm that that isn't true. The Referee is only for modified cars and the likes, and usually is very far and sparse, and has a 2-week-lineup for appointments. DMV also says that it's not necessary. Just go to any regular smog place and have them smog the car. After it passes, the smog place will give you more paperwork showing that it passed.

You'll also need some proof of residency. This for me is the I94 information showing that I'm indeed in the states under a TN visa.

You then bring all of that:

1. stamped HS-7 and 3520-1 forms from customs
2. letter of compliance
3. owners registration
4. vehicle inspection form from DMV
5. passed smog test results
6. I94 info
(again... just bring all the info/documents you have relating to the car and yourself)

and then you pay some registration fee (~$260 for me), and then they'll give you a set of plates, a temporary US owner's registration, and a piece of paper to stick to your back window. I was instructed to stick the piece of paper on the back window but keep my original Canadian plates until I get my owner's registration in the mail.

YOUR CAR IS NOW REGISTERED IN THE STATE.
(This is how far I've gotten so far)

HOWEVER, they kept my Canadian owner's registration... So I'm in the process of getting US insurance and US driver's license. One thing I'm not sure is whether my Canadian insurance still covers my car right now that I no longer have a Canadian owner's registration. I'm also uncertain how long my Canadian driver's license can be used in the states from this point on.

I'll update this post as I go through this process further.

Great! This will be needed

[N22YF]

I recently successfully did this, so I thought I'd share the details here in case it helps others! I’m a US citizen and California resident who had designs on a particular 2013 M3 convertible for sale in British Columbia. My plan was to purchase the car in advance, fly to Canada to pick it up, and drive it back to California, importing it at the border using NHTSA form HS-7 (using box 2B, which required a letter of compliance from BMW to be attached) and EPA form 3520-1 (using code EE).

First, I needed to get the letter of compliance. The Canadian dealership I was buying the car from tried to contact BMW Canada to get this letter for me, but were told that I would need to contact BMW USA myself instead. I called BMW USA (1-800-831-1117) and gave them the VIN, and they said they'd email me a form to fill out and return to them to get the process started. However, when I received the form, I realized it required attaching a copy of the bill of sale or title and registration, and I was reluctant to complete the purchase before obtaining the letter of compliance. I called back BMW, and they said they wouldn't go through the process to produce the letter before I bought the car. I decided to think on it, but two days later I unexpectedly received the letter in my email anyway! ("Thanks for calling BMW of North America, LLC. As you requested, I’m happy to provide the attached Letter of Compliance for your 2013 BMW M3 Convertible which should be presented to a U.S. Bureau of Motor Vehicles for registration purposes.")

Next, I had to obtain a Canadian temporary operating permit to allow me to legally drive the car in Canada and the US until I registered it back home in California. The dealership arranged in advance for HUB International Insurance Brokers to provide this, in association with temporary insurance that HUB provided (from Insurance Corporation of British Columbia). (I was told the local equivalent of the DMV won't issue temporary permits to cars without Canadian insurance, even though my US insurance covers the car in Canada.) I got this for the maximum amount of time, 10 days, to give me margin, even though the temporary insurance for that length of time was a little expensive ($194 CAD, on top of $40 CAD for the permit itself). The permit was legally required to be placed on the rear window or the rear left passenger window, but since these would be hidden with the top down and windows down, I taped a copy of the permit within the rear license plate frame, and didn't have any issues.

After picking up the car, I drove to the Blaine, WA border crossing (which is open 24/7) and told the guy in the booth I was a US citizen importing the car, and he directed me to park at the customs building. Inside, I handed them the paperwork: the EPA form, the NHTSA form, and the letter of compliance from BMW (all of which I’d printed out beforehand), plus the bill of sale and the car’s Canadian registration from the dealer. I then paid the duty fee while I waited for them to check that the car matched the paperwork. It was a surprisingly smooth and painless process, and it took only 20 minutes from when I entered the building until I was on my way in America with my newly-imported car! They gave me a stamped CBP 7501 form, which I'd need later to register the car.

When I made it back to California, I first got a smog check (had no issues with the car not being registered in the US yet) and then drove the car to the DMV to register it in California. There they did a quick inspection of the car to make sure the mileage and VIN etc. matched, and I paid the registration fees and sales tax (note: they charge a fee of a few percent if you use card, so better to pay with check) and gave them the stamped CBP 7501 form. However, because the car was a foreign import, they had to forward the registration application to DMV headquarters in Sacramento, and they didn't know how long it would take, so they gave me a temporary operating permit that was valid for about 3 months (with instructions to come back if it was about to expire and I hadn’t heard back yet). About 2 months later, I finally received my registration and plates in the mail! Now all that's left to do is swap the speedometer faceplate to MPH and figure out how to code the car so the cruise control works in MPH instead of KPH 🤔

Taxes etc.
In addition to California registration fees, I had to pay all of the following:

• Canadian federal sales tax ("GST") of 5.0%, but thankfully not provincial sales tax ("PST") too, during the purchase
• Customs duty of approximately 2.5% when importing the car at the border
• Normal local sales tax (about 8.6% for me) when registering the car at a California DMV

All in all, importing and registering it was a fairly easy process, although a bit expensive due to all the taxes etc.
(By the way, I had no issues at any point with the KPH speedometer, which is what I expected given that that’s allowed when using option 2B on the NHTSA form.)

[asma123]

Originally Posted by N22YF

I recently successfully did this, so I thought I'd share the details here in case it helps others! I’m a US citizen and California resident who had designs on a particular 2013 M3 convertible for sale in British Columbia. My plan was to purchase the car in advance, fly to Canada to pick it up, and drive it back to California, importing it at the border using NHTSA form HS-7 (using box 2B, which required a letter of compliance from BMW to be attached) and EPA form 3520-1 (using code EE).

First, I needed to get the letter of compliance. The Canadian dealership I was buying the car from tried to contact BMW Canada to get this letter for me, but were told that I would need to contact BMW USA myself instead. I called BMW USA (1-800-831-1117) and gave them the VIN, and they said they'd email me a form to fill out and return to them to get the process started. However, when I received the form, I realized it required attaching a copy of the bill of sale or title and registration, and I was reluctant to complete the purchase before obtaining the letter of compliance. I called back BMW, and they said they wouldn't go through the process to produce the letter before I bought the car. I decided to think on it, but two days later I unexpectedly received the letter in my email anyway! ("Thanks for calling BMW of North America, LLC. As you requested, I’m happy to provide the attached Letter of Compliance for your 2013 BMW M3 Convertible which should be presented to a U.S. Bureau of Motor Vehicles for registration purposes.")

Next, I had to obtain a Canadian temporary operating permit to allow me to legally drive the car in Canada and the US until I registered it back home in California. The dealership arranged in advance for HUB International Insurance Brokers to provide this, in association with temporary insurance that HUB provided (from Insurance Corporation of British Columbia). (I was told the local equivalent of the DMV won't issue temporary permits to cars without Canadian insurance, even though my US insurance covers the car in Canada.) I got this for the maximum amount of time, 10 days, to give me margin, even though the temporary insurance for that length of time was a little expensive ($194 CAD, on top of $40 CAD for the permit itself). The permit was legally required to be placed on the rear window or the rear left passenger window, but since these would be hidden with the top down and windows down, I taped a copy of the permit within the rear license plate frame, and didn't have any issues.

After picking up the car, I drove to the Blaine, WA border crossing (which is open 24/7) and told the guy in the booth I was a US citizen importing the car, and he directed me to park at the customs building. Inside, I handed them the paperwork: the EPA form, the NHTSA form, and the letter of compliance from BMW (all of which I’d printed out beforehand), plus the bill of sale and the car’s Canadian registration from the dealer. I then paid the duty fee while I waited for them to check that the car matched the paperwork. It was a surprisingly smooth and painless process, and it took only 20 minutes from when I entered the building until I was on my way in America with my newly-imported car! They gave me a stamped CBP 7501 form, which I'd need later to register the car.

When I made it back to California, I first got a smog check (had no issues with the car not being registered in the US yet) and then drove the car to the DMV to register it in California. There they did a quick inspection of the car to make sure the mileage and VIN etc. matched, and I paid the registration fees and sales tax (note: they charge a fee of a few percent if you use card, so better to pay with check) and gave them the stamped CBP 7501 form. However, because the car was a foreign import, they had to forward the registration application to DMV headquarters in Sacramento, and they didn't know how long it would take, so they gave me a temporary operating permit that was valid for about 3 months (with instructions to come back if it was about to expire and I hadn’t heard back yet). About 2 months later, I finally received my registration and plates in the mail! Now all that's left to do is swap the speedometer faceplate to MPH and figure out how to code the car so the cruise control works in MPH instead of KPH 🤔

Taxes etc.
In addition to California registration fees, I had to pay all of the following:

• Canadian federal sales tax ("GST") of 5.0%, but thankfully not provincial sales tax ("PST") too, during the purchase
• Customs duty of approximately 2.5% when importing the car at the border
• Normal local sales tax (about 8.6% for me) when registering the car at a California DMV

All in all, importing and registering it was a fairly easy process, although a bit expensive due to all the taxes etc.
(By the way, I had no issues at any point with the KPH speedometer, which is what I expected given that that’s allowed when using option 2B on the NHTSA form.)

Wish I had known you were in Vancouver and wanted the mph cluster. My car is a US import and I live in Vancouver Canada lol so it would have worked out perfectly just would need to code the mileage correctly.

[N22YF]

Originally Posted by asma123

Wish I had known you were in Vancouver and wanted the mph cluster. My car is a US import and I live in Vancouver Canada lol so it would have worked out perfectly just would need to code the mileage correctly.

Oh, haha, yeah that would have been perfect! Well if I can't get the coding to work to switch to MPH, I'll let you know if I end up visiting Vancouver again and maybe I can bring my cluster to swap!

[bmwstephen]

bumping this thread here. some quirks to Canadian origin cars. US dealers don't seem to want to touch it, even if there is a recall on it.