2011-05-10-moving-to-us-letter-of-compliance.md (6503B)
1 +++ 2 title = "Moving to the US: Importing a Canadian Vehicle" 3 date = "2011-05-10T00:00:00Z" 4 slug = "moving-to-us-letter-of-compliance" 5 tags = ["Canada", "Howto", "USA"] 6 +++ 7 8 A big difference between the last time I moved to the US and this time is that 9 this time, I've got a lot more stuff. One of those things is a Nissan Rogue 10 that's been quietly living its life in Canada. Faced with the prospect of 11 selling the car and buying a new one, I chose instead to import the one I know 12 and love. Here is my story. But be forewarned, it is not for the faint of 13 heart. 14 15 {{< figure src="/post/2011-05-10-futile.jpg" 16 alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler" >}} 17 18 To import a vehicle to the US from Canada, you need to undertake a series of 19 quests. These are detailed on the [NHTSA website][nhtsa] under the heading 20 *Vehicle Importation Guidelines (Canadian)*. As of May 2011, you need the 21 following items in increasing order of difficulty: 22 23 **[easy]** The following information about your car: 24 25 1. VIN 26 1. Make/Model/Year 27 1. Month/Year of manufacture 28 1. Registration & ownership information 29 30 **[easy]** [EPA Form 3520-1][form_35201]. You will likely be importing your 31 vehicle under *code EE: identical in all material respects to a US certified 32 version*. 33 34 **[easy]** [NHTSA Form HS-7][form_hs7]. You will most likely be importing your 35 vehicle under box 2B, for vehicles that complied with Canadian CMVSA 36 regulations at their time of manufacture and where the manufacturer attests 37 that, with a few exceptions, it meets US regulations; see final item. 38 39 **[medium]** A letter on the manufacturer's letterhead from the Canadian 40 distributor, stating that there are no open recalls or service campaigns on the 41 vehicle. I'm not sure if this is required, but Nissan Canada thought it would 42 be. 43 44 **[hard]** A letter from the vehicle’s original manufacturer, on 45 the manufacturer’s letterhead identifying the vehicle by vehicle identification 46 number (VIN) and stating that the vehicle conforms to all applicable FMVSS 47 "except for the labeling requirements of Standards Nos. 101 *Controls and 48 Displays* and 110 *Tire Selection and Rims* or 120 *Tire Selection and Rims for 49 Motor Vehicles other than Passenger Cars*, and/or the specifications of 50 Standard No. 108 *Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment*, 51 relating to daytime running lamps." 52 53 Items 1-3 are left as an exercise to the reader. I will focus here on items 4 54 and 5 to save you the 14 hours of accumulated hold time and multiple phone 55 calls. Prepare yourself friend, for here begins a journey of hurt and 56 frustration, but you will prevail. 57 58 Let's start with item 4. I gave [Nissan Canada][nissan_canada] a ring at 59 1-800-387-0122 and managed to make it through the phone navigation system to a 60 human operator. I told them I was importing a Canadian Nissan into the States 61 and needed a *Letter of Compliance*. After a bit of digging, they stated that 62 such letters are only provided by *Nissan North America,* but they would 63 instead mail out two other letters on Nissan letterhead: 64 65 1. A letter stating the VIN and that the vehicle has no pending recalls or 66 service campaigns on it. 67 1. In place of a *Certificate of Origin* (which Nissan Canada does not 68 provide), a letter stating the VIN and that the vehicle was manufactured for 69 sale in the Canadian market and complied with all safety and emission 70 regulations at the time of manufacture. 71 72 We're almost there, but your next and final mission is also the most 73 challenging: the *Letter of Compliance*. Call [Nissan North 74 America][nissan_usa] Consumer Affairs Department at 1-800-647-7261. Navigate 75 through the phone system to an operator - get their name and extension. They 76 may ask for your VIN only to find it's not in their system. Canadian VINs are 77 not in their system. Some operators thought they were, others were sure they 78 weren't. They're not. Many operators tried and failed to find it. Ask them to 79 open a file, give them the vehicle information and your info and get the file 80 number. Use this number whenever you call. 81 82 Here are the five steps to success: 83 84 1. Tell the operator that you're importing a Canadian Nissan vehicle to the US 85 and that you need a *Letter of Compliance* stating the VIN and that the 86 vehicle was built to conform to Canadian and United States EPA emissions 87 standards and all US Federal motor vehicle standards except for daytime 88 running light brightness. There is a very good chance they've never heard of 89 this. Get them to talk to their supervisor, and their supervisor. Anyone. 90 Someone will know. 91 1. They will tell you that the vehicle needs to have its daytime running lights 92 disabled before they will issue the letter of compliance. All the government 93 rules seem to specifically exclude the daytime running lights, and the 94 letter they issue even states that the vehicle doesn't meet that standard, 95 but for whatever reason they want a copy of a work statement showing the 96 work was done. Remember to get the operator's name and extension and the 97 fax number for the work statement before you hang up. 98 1. Get the daytime running lights disabled. It's a setting change in the 99 on-board computer; your local dealer will do this in under 30 mins for \$50 100 or so. 101 1. Fax your the work statement and put your name, return fax number and a 102 request for the *Letter of Compliance* on the cover sheet. Phone Nissan 103 North America Consumer Affairs back. The phone navigation system will give 104 you hope that you can input an extension directly, only to find it only 105 accepts 5-digit extensions but your rep has a 6-digit extension. You'll end 106 up back in the queue. Ask whoever you get to put you through to your 107 previous rep, by extension. When you get through, say that you sent the fax 108 and request the letter. Ask them to phone you back when they've faxed it. 109 1. You'll get the fax eventually - *check the information!* On my letter, the 110 year, model and VIN were all incorrect, though they got my name right. If 111 it's incorrect, try again. 112 113 You now have everything you need to import your Nissan to the States. Good 114 luck my friends, I don't envy you, but know that I am with you and that victory 115 will someday be yours too. 116 117 [nhtsa]: http://stnw.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/ 118 [form_35201]: http://www.epa.gov/oms/imports/ 119 [form_hs7]: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/ 120 [nissan_canada]: http://www.nissan.ca/common/footer/en/contact.html 121 [nissan_usa]: http://www.nissanusa.com/apps/contactus