U.S. insurance questions

[PulsePro]

Is it possible to register and insure a vehicle in the U.S. and drive it in Canada? How long is it allowed in Canada for? Do I just have to drive to the border and back to renew it?

[M.alex]

Yes - that MC12 is registered in the US and clearly lives here. What the technicalities of it are though I don't know.

[PulsePro]

Originally posted by M.alex
Yes - that MC12 is registered in the US and clearly lives here. What the technicalities of it are though I don't know.

Exactly who are you referring to?

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by PulsePro
Is it possible to register and insure a vehicle in the U.S. and drive it in Canada? How long is it allowed in Canada for? Do I just have to drive to the border and back to renew it?

If you have an American drivers license, and American address, then you can register it and insure it in your state, then drive it in Canada. FYI you can't get a US drivers license without being a citizen, or resident. I think in some states, you don't require the US license, but you still need a permanent residence address in that state.

[PulsePro]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


If you have an American drivers license, and American address, then you can register it and insure it in your state, then drive it in Canada. FYI you can't get a US drivers license without being a citizen, or resident. I think in some states, you don't require the US license, but you still need a permanent residence address in that state.

Okay, let's say a friend of mine is moving to Florida and will be attending school at the University there. Will an insurance company insure U.S. vehicles for a Canadian company? Provided that someone resides in the U.S.?

[Masked Bandit]

I know for a fact that there is a way for a Canadian resident holding a Canadian driver's license can get auto insurance in the USA. I have several clients who own vacation property in the US and keep a vehicle or two down there all year. Those vehicles are registered & insured down there with an Alberta license so there must be a way to do it legally.

[PulsePro]

Originally posted by Masked Bandit
I know for a fact that there is a way for a Canadian resident holding a Canadian driver's license can get auto insurance in the USA. I have several clients who own vacation property in the US and keep a vehicle or two down there all year. Those vehicles are registered & insured down there with an Alberta license so there must be a way to do it legally.

I will be contacting a few insurance companies down there and I'll let you guys know how it goes! :)

[Mar]

When I moved down to the USA for a year I used my Canadian insurance for 6 months, then came back up and got another 6 months. At the end of that I called around and they had no problem giving me insurance if the vehicle was registered there which required changing my license I believe. But they would have done it for me easy. I left a week later though and came back permanently.

[Supa Dexta]

hrmm. I know my grandparents go to Florida for 6 months a yr. They use to have both a NS and Florida license, but a few yrs back Florida put an end to that, saying you can only hold one or the other. So they now have a NS license, but keep a vehicle registered in insured in Florida, as well as one licensed and insured in NS.

Likely not much different then myself, I'm an alberta resident with license out here, but I keep a vehicle registered and insured in NS, for when I go back there. There are some rules though, something about not being in the province more then 90-days I think, or you have to surrender your license.

[rage2]

You can use Canadian insurance on a US registered vehicle, and vice versa. Insurance and registration are (usually) completely separate entities. If you get pulled over and your registration doesn't match your insurance, I believe you can get a ticket for that.

The hardest part is to actually drive a US plated car from the US back to Canada with a Canadian passport. You will get refused entry unless:

1. You have a permanent US address, drivers license
2. You have a reason to be in the US, such as work visa or a student visa. I have a L-1A Visa.

The CBSA will red flag you, and you'll be stuck at the border with the car. If you're lucky, they MAY allow you to pay GST and Duty and let you through, and refund you the money upon your return within a specified time period (usually in months). I've heard that can happen here and there, but it depends on the CBSA Agent. They do this to ensure that if you're bringing a car into Canada, you're not registering it in the US to not pay import taxes.

Remember the Bullrun that started in Calgary and a bunch of cars didn't make it here? Those were the Canadians stuck in Montana with their US cars, and the CBSA told 'em to turn around. They started the run out of Montana.

FYI - I'm an expert on this subject. :D

[rage2]

btw - unless you're bringing in a car that's now allowed here (MC12, CLK Black), don't bother. US Auto Insurance is fucking expensive.

[LMVantage]

One thing to keep in mind using the MC12 example is that the car isn't kept in Canada all the time. It is actually in the US for a good chunk of the year.