Importing a Car to Canada from the UK: RIV, Duty and Provincial Rules

Vehicle imports into Canada are governed by Transport Canada and administered day-to-day by the Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) programme for most passenger vehicles entering from outside North America. Unlike the US, Canada does not exempt vehicles simply for being 25 years old — instead, Canada applies a 15-year exemption rule, under which vehicles manufactured 15 or more years ago are exempt from the requirement to meet current Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS), making them straightforward to import for personal use.

This is an important distinction for UK exporters: a car that would need extensive federalisation work to import into the US at, say, 15 years old can often be imported into Canada far more easily at the same age, provided it isn't on Transport Canada's list of vehicles that are inadmissible regardless of age (generally buses and certain commercial vehicle types).

For vehicles under 15 years old, importers must generally use the RIV programme, which involves an inspection to confirm the vehicle can be brought into compliance with CMVSS, along with any required modifications — daytime running lights, metric speedometer, and specific bumper standards are common areas needing attention on UK-sourced cars.

If your vehicle doesn't yet qualify for the 15-year exemption, you'll need to register it with the RIV programme before or immediately after it crosses into Canada, paying the RIV fee (currently around CAD 325 plus applicable taxes) and undergoing an RIV inspection at a participating Canadian Tire location within a set timeframe after arrival. This inspection checks the vehicle against a checklist of CMVSS requirements and confirms any modifications have been correctly carried out.

Some vehicles are excluded from RIV importation altogether regardless of age or modification because they were never manufactured to a standard capable of being brought into compliance, so it's worth checking your specific make and model against Transport Canada's list of admissible vehicles before purchase, not after shipping.

Under the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement (which largely preserves the terms of the former Canada-EU CETA agreement for UK-origin goods), many vehicles manufactured in the UK can qualify for reduced or zero customs duty, though this depends on meeting specific rules of origin, and vehicles that don't originate in the UK (for example, a Japanese or American car simply registered in the UK before export) may not qualify for preferential treatment and instead face the standard 6.1% duty rate applied to non-originating passenger vehicles.

Regardless of duty treatment, Canada's federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 5% applies to the vehicle's value at the point of import, and provincial sales tax or harmonised sales tax may also apply once the vehicle is registered in a specific province, with rates varying from province to province.

After clearing customs and (if applicable) the RIV inspection, final registration is a provincial matter, and requirements differ meaningfully between provinces. Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, for example, each have their own safety inspection standards, emissions testing regimes (some provinces test, others don't), and documentation requirements for out-of-country vehicles.

Most provinces will require a safety standards certificate from an authorised inspection station, proof of ownership and import documents (including the RIV form or 15-year exemption confirmation), and payment of provincial registration and licensing fees before issuing plates. It's worth checking the specific requirements of the province where the vehicle will be based well before the car arrives, since inspection appointment availability can vary.

We ship to major Canadian ports including Halifax on the East Coast and Vancouver on the West Coast, with sailing times of roughly 10 to 14 days to Halifax and around 20 to 25 days to Vancouver from UK ports. Our team can help confirm whether your vehicle qualifies for the 15-year exemption or will need RIV processing, and advise on documentation for claiming preferential duty treatment where the vehicle's origin allows it.