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As per Motor Vehicle Safety Regulation 4.2, all regulated classes of vehicles with a date of manufacture equal to or greater than 15 yrs from the date of importation and buses manufactured prior to Jan 1, 1971 are not regulated under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
These older vehicles can be imported into Canada as long as they meet Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) entry requirements as there are no Transport Canada entry requirements.
At the border CBSA will:
- Confirm the vehicle being presented is exempt due to age using whatever evidence is available upon the vehicle being presented at the border. Further details provided below.
- Determine admissibility according to other Canadian customs regulations or OGD requirements that may apply.
- If satisfied, record the vehicle entry using a Form-1 and process it as “Not required to enter the RIV program – vehicle older than 15 years of age or bus manufactured prior to Jan-1-1971”.
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) may use whatever information is being provided by the importer as proof of age, to obtain a satisfactory level of comfort that the age of the vehicle presented at importation is valid and that the importer’s declaration “matches” that of the vehicle being declared.
- The age of a vehicle is primarily determined by the date of manufacturing (month/year) as noted on the vehicle’s statement of compliance label affixed by the manufacturer.
- Vehicle identification;
o Vehicles with a VIN: The VIN is the most common way to match a vehicle to its paperwork but some older vehicles may only have serial numbers in place of a VIN.
o Vehicles without a VIN: To have been registered in the past, such older vehicles would have required some sort of unique serial number identifying them. Whatever serial number is available either affixed, engraved, embossed, printed, labeled on the vehicle etc., that clearly identifies and matches the vehicle to its paperwork, should suffice to identify the vehicle.
Matching a vehicle to its age: CBSA may use any kind of paperwork provided, such as a title, a registration, a bill of sale, a service invoice, a vehicle history report, a speeding ticket dated 15+ years ago, etc.), that proves that the “referenced vehicle” meets the age exemption.
- When no identification markings whatsoever exist on a vehicle that can be used to validate the age of the vehicle and there is no other document that would otherwise be deemed satisfactory to determine the age of the vehicle, the vehicle (including trailers) does not qualify for importation using the “non-regulated due to age” exemption.
How to determine admissibility for formerly regulated vehicles that would normally meet the age exemption but have been modified:
The following modified vehicles are admissible:
Some modifications are not considered detrimental to the vehicle’s age status;
- Rebuilds/restorations that maintain the vehicle’s original characteristics
- New paint job, regular maintenance replacement parts etc.
- A vehicle equipped with a lift kit, if the vehicle is greater than 15 years of age at time of importation.
- Vehicles modified into hot rods or street rods using an age exempt donor body and chassis.
- For vintage replica vehicles including vehicles built from kits, the age is assessed using the final date of completion of the replica or kit, not the model year it replicates.
The following modified vehicles do not qualify for importation using the “non-regulated due to age” exemption and are not admissible:
- Vehicles modified into hot rods, street rods using a donor body and chassis where no identification markings whatsoever exist on the vehicle that can be used to validate the age of the vehicle with the paperwork being supplied by the importer.
- Vintage replica vehicles including vehicles built from kits, where no identification markings whatsoever exist on a vehicle that can be used to validate the age of the vehicle with the paperwork being supplied by the importer.
Mike H.
Information Centre/Centre d'information
Transport(s) Canada
Motor Vehicle Safety/Sécurité des véhicules automobiles
1-800-333-0371 or (613) 998-8616
MVS-SA@tc.gc.ca
