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1 <!doctype html> 2 <html lang="en"> 3 <head> 4 <meta charset="utf-8"> 5 <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> 6 <title>Moving to the US: Importing a Canadian Vehicle - Chris Bracken</title> 7 <link href="/css/site.css" rel="stylesheet"> 8 <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/favicon/apple-touch-icon.png"> 9 <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon/favicon-32x32.png"> 10 <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon/favicon-16x16.png"> 11 <link rel="manifest" href="/favicon/site.webmanifest"> 12 <link rel="mask-icon" href="/favicon/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#140f42"> 13 <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon/favicon.ico"> 14 <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#603cba"> 15 <meta name="msapplication-config" content="/favicon/browserconfig.xml"> 16 <meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff"> 17 </head> 18 <body> 19 <header id="header"> 20 <div class="site-title"> 21 <h1><a href="/">Chris Bracken</a></h1> 22 </div> 23 24 <nav class="site-navbar"> 25 <ul id="menu" class="menu"> 26 <li class="menu-item"><a class="menu-item-a" href="/">Home</a></li> 27 <li class="menu-item"><a class="menu-item-a" href="/about/">About</a></li> 28 <li class="menu-item"><a class="menu-item-a" href="/code/">Code</a></li> 29 <li class="menu-item"><a class="menu-item-a" rel="me"href="https://bsd.network/@cbracken">Fediverse</a></li> 30 </ul> 31 </nav> 32 </header> 33 <main id="main"> 34 <article> 35 <h2 class="post-title"><a href="https://chris.bracken.jp/2011/05/moving-to-us-letter-of-compliance/">Moving to the US: Importing a Canadian Vehicle</a></h2> 36 10 May 2011 37 <p>A big difference between the last time I moved to the US and this time is that 38 this time, I’ve got a lot more stuff. One of those things is a Nissan Rogue 39 that’s been quietly living its life in Canada. Faced with the prospect of 40 selling the car and buying a new one, I chose instead to import the one I know 41 and love. Here is my story. But be forewarned, it is not for the faint of 42 heart.</p> 43 <figure><img src="/post/2011-05-10-futile.jpg" 44 alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"> 45 </figure> 46 47 <p>To import a vehicle to the US from Canada, you need to undertake a series of 48 quests. These are detailed on the <a href="http://stnw.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/">NHTSA website</a> under the heading 49 <em>Vehicle Importation Guidelines (Canadian)</em>. As of May 2011, you need the 50 following items in increasing order of difficulty:</p> 51 <p><strong>[easy]</strong> The following information about your car:</p> 52 <ol> 53 <li>VIN</li> 54 <li>Make/Model/Year</li> 55 <li>Month/Year of manufacture</li> 56 <li>Registration & ownership information</li> 57 </ol> 58 <p><strong>[easy]</strong> <a href="http://www.epa.gov/oms/imports/">EPA Form 3520-1</a>. You will likely be importing your 59 vehicle under <em>code EE: identical in all material respects to a US certified 60 version</em>.</p> 61 <p><strong>[easy]</strong> <a href="http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/">NHTSA Form HS-7</a>. You will most likely be importing your 62 vehicle under box 2B, for vehicles that complied with Canadian CMVSA 63 regulations at their time of manufacture and where the manufacturer attests 64 that, with a few exceptions, it meets US regulations; see final item.</p> 65 <p><strong>[medium]</strong> A letter on the manufacturer’s letterhead from the Canadian 66 distributor, stating that there are no open recalls or service campaigns on the 67 vehicle. I’m not sure if this is required, but Nissan Canada thought it would 68 be.</p> 69 <p><strong>[hard]</strong> A letter from the vehicle’s original manufacturer, on 70 the manufacturer’s letterhead identifying the vehicle by vehicle identification 71 number (VIN) and stating that the vehicle conforms to all applicable FMVSS 72 “except for the labeling requirements of Standards Nos. 101 <em>Controls and 73 Displays</em> and 110 <em>Tire Selection and Rims</em> or 120 <em>Tire Selection and Rims for 74 Motor Vehicles other than Passenger Cars</em>, and/or the specifications of 75 Standard No. 108 <em>Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment</em>, 76 relating to daytime running lamps.”</p> 77 <p>Items 1-3 are left as an exercise to the reader. I will focus here on items 4 78 and 5 to save you the 14 hours of accumulated hold time and multiple phone 79 calls. Prepare yourself friend, for here begins a journey of hurt and 80 frustration, but you will prevail.</p> 81 <p>Let’s start with item 4. I gave <a href="http://www.nissan.ca/common/footer/en/contact.html">Nissan Canada</a> a ring at 82 1-800-387-0122 and managed to make it through the phone navigation system to a 83 human operator. I told them I was importing a Canadian Nissan into the States 84 and needed a <em>Letter of Compliance</em>. After a bit of digging, they stated that 85 such letters are only provided by <em>Nissan North America,</em> but they would 86 instead mail out two other letters on Nissan letterhead:</p> 87 <ol> 88 <li>A letter stating the VIN and that the vehicle has no pending recalls or 89 service campaigns on it.</li> 90 <li>In place of a <em>Certificate of Origin</em> (which Nissan Canada does not 91 provide), a letter stating the VIN and that the vehicle was manufactured for 92 sale in the Canadian market and complied with all safety and emission 93 regulations at the time of manufacture.</li> 94 </ol> 95 <p>We’re almost there, but your next and final mission is also the most 96 challenging: the <em>Letter of Compliance</em>. Call <a href="http://www.nissanusa.com/apps/contactus">Nissan North 97 America</a> Consumer Affairs Department at 1-800-647-7261. Navigate 98 through the phone system to an operator - get their name and extension. They 99 may ask for your VIN only to find it’s not in their system. Canadian VINs are 100 not in their system. Some operators thought they were, others were sure they 101 weren’t. They’re not. Many operators tried and failed to find it. Ask them to 102 open a file, give them the vehicle information and your info and get the file 103 number. Use this number whenever you call.</p> 104 <p>Here are the five steps to success:</p> 105 <ol> 106 <li>Tell the operator that you’re importing a Canadian Nissan vehicle to the US 107 and that you need a <em>Letter of Compliance</em> stating the VIN and that the 108 vehicle was built to conform to Canadian and United States EPA emissions 109 standards and all US Federal motor vehicle standards except for daytime 110 running light brightness. There is a very good chance they’ve never heard of 111 this. Get them to talk to their supervisor, and their supervisor. Anyone. 112 Someone will know.</li> 113 <li>They will tell you that the vehicle needs to have its daytime running lights 114 disabled before they will issue the letter of compliance. All the government 115 rules seem to specifically exclude the daytime running lights, and the 116 letter they issue even states that the vehicle doesn’t meet that standard, 117 but for whatever reason they want a copy of a work statement showing the 118 work was done. Remember to get the operator’s name and extension and the 119 fax number for the work statement before you hang up.</li> 120 <li>Get the daytime running lights disabled. It’s a setting change in the 121 on-board computer; your local dealer will do this in under 30 mins for $50 122 or so. </li> 123 <li>Fax your the work statement and put your name, return fax number and a 124 request for the <em>Letter of Compliance</em> on the cover sheet. Phone Nissan 125 North America Consumer Affairs back. The phone navigation system will give 126 you hope that you can input an extension directly, only to find it only 127 accepts 5-digit extensions but your rep has a 6-digit extension. You’ll end 128 up back in the queue. Ask whoever you get to put you through to your 129 previous rep, by extension. When you get through, say that you sent the fax 130 and request the letter. Ask them to phone you back when they’ve faxed it.</li> 131 <li>You’ll get the fax eventually - <em>check the information!</em> On my letter, the 132 year, model and VIN were all incorrect, though they got my name right. If 133 it’s incorrect, try again.</li> 134 </ol> 135 <p>You now have everything you need to import your Nissan to the States. Good 136 luck my friends, I don’t envy you, but know that I am with you and that victory 137 will someday be yours too.</p> 138 </article> 139 </main> 140 141 <footer id="footer"> 142 <div class="copyright"> 143 <span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#"> 144 The content of this site by 145 <a rel="cc:attributionURL" href="https://chris.bracken.jp/about"><span rel="cc:attributionName">Chris Bracken</span></a> 146 is 147 <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0">CC BY 4.0</a>. 148 </span> 149 </div> 150 </footer> 151 </body> 152 </html>