Importing a U.S. RV into Canada: Step by Step

Updated October 18, 2026 · U.S. → Canada · Cars, trucks, trailers and motorhomes

A U.S. RV can look like a bargain beside a Canadian price tag. Whether it still is after exchange, duty, taxes, the inspection and the repairs the inspection turns up is a question you should answer before you wire a deposit. This guide follows the order the federal process takes, so you can stop at the first step that fails instead of the last.

For the overview of both directions, including boats, see the import and export guide.

List every cost, not just the price. Get a Canadian-dealer quote for the same unit if one exists, then compare against your all-in U.S. total: price in Canadian dollars at the exchange rate you will actually get, transport or fuel, duty, excise tax, GST (and provincial tax where it applies), the RIV fee, the inspection, any repairs needed to pass, and registration. Ask the manufacturer whether its warranty is honoured in Canada before assuming it is, and whether service parts are available here.

Add tariff risk to the list. The trade rules between the two countries have been changing, and some affect trailers and RV components (see the tariff snapshot).

Transport Canada publishes a list of vehicles admissible from the United States. Look up the make, model and model year before you commit. A listing does not guarantee the particular unit can be imported, and modified vehicles are not eligible, for example a cargo van converted into a camper.

• Motorhomes are classed as multi-purpose passenger vehicles and are built in stages, which brings extra requirements. Phone Transport Canada’s Motor Vehicle Safety line (1-800-333-0371) with the VIN.
• Trailers of any type are a regulated class. Agricultural and earth-moving trailers may be non-regulated.
• Mobile homes wider than 102 inches are non-regulated; park models narrower than 102 inches are treated as trailers.

Transport Canada says you cannot import the vehicle without a recall clearance. Its Canadian recall database covers only vehicles sold in Canada, so a clean search there proves little for a U.S.-market unit. Ask the manufacturer or a U.S. dealer for a written recall status by VIN, and have any open recalls repaired before import.

• Title documents (mandatory for vehicles in the RIV program).
• Bill of sale with price, date, VIN and both parties’ names.
• Lien release if the unit was financed.
• Recall clearance letter.
• For a seller in the U.S.: proof the vehicle was reported for export. All used self-propelled vehicles leaving the U.S. require Electronic Export Information in AES or AESDirect and the ITN 72 hours before export; penalties go to $10,000 per violation. Ask the seller who files it. If you hire a carrier or broker, confirm in writing who is responsible.

Fill in the Vehicle Import Form (Form 1) online at riv.ca, print it (four pages) and carry it to the border. CBSA can also release vehicles through its integrated import declaration (release option 911). RIV sets its own fee and we could not confirm a current amount on an official page, so check riv.ca or call 1-888-848-8240 for the number before you budget.

Present Form 1, the title and the bill of sale to CBSA. Duty, excise tax and GST are assessed at the border. In Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and British Columbia, GST and the provincial portion of HST are payable when you license the vehicle; other provinces may collect sales tax at licensing.

If you only need the vehicle in Canada for a short time, tariff item 9802.00.00 allows a temporary import if it is exported again within 30 days. Tell the officer your plan before the vehicle is released.

Call CBSA on 1-800-461-9999 (in Canada) or 1-506-636-5064 (outside Canada) to ask about your specific situation before you travel.

An RIV inspection is required within 45 days of import (one year for salvage vehicles), at one of more than 500 authorized facilities. Provinces will not license a vehicle that has not passed. A vehicle that fails must be exported, so ask the facility what it will check before you cross. Book early: 45 days passes quickly in spring when everyone is importing.

With the RIV inspection record in hand, register the unit through your provincial registry. Registration rules differ by province: use our provincial registration guide and the buying guide. Tell your insurer about the import before you cross, so that coverage is in force at the border and during the drive.

Vehicles 15 years or older

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act regulates vehicles under 15 years of age. Older vehicles are age-exempt from it and from the RIV program, but still have to meet CBSA entry requirements, and their age must be verifiable from their markings. Entry does not guarantee your province will license the vehicle, so ask your provincial registry before you buy.

Van conversions and DIY campers

Modified vehicles are not eligible. A factory-built camper van may be possible; a cargo van someone converted is not.

Fifth-wheels and travel trailers

Because trailers are a regulated class, check the admissibility list and the trailer’s certification label and VIN with Transport Canada before you buy.

Write each line down and total it. The numbers are yours; this list only makes sure you do not forget a line.

• Paying a deposit before checking the admissibility list.
• Assuming a Canadian recall search covers a U.S.-market vehicle.
• Missing the 45-day inspection window.
• Quoting “duty-free” from an old article without checking how the unit was built.
• Buying a modified van or an older vehicle without asking the province whether it will be licensed.
• Forgetting that the seller must file the export record in the U.S.

• Transport Canada: importing a vehicle from the U.S. or Mexico
• Transport Canada: FAQ on importing vehicles bought in the U.S.
• Transport Canada: importing non-regulated vehicles
• Transport Canada: importer checklist for U.S. vehicles
• CBSA Memorandum D19-12-1: importing vehicles
• Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV)