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Posted by Alex on January 25, 2006 at 18:55:11:

In Reply to: Re: Bringing my car in Florida posted by Alex on January 25, 2006 at 18:29:22:

Hi, We will be moving to Florida March 1st and i want to know how to move mt Canadian Car with us. I know that i need a letter of compliance from the manufacturer and this is on it's way. I also need a official paper from the Nissan Canada stating that the car has been fully paid and it is at my name. Is there anyone who went to this process and in particular in Florida? What about the odometer and counter in KM, do i need to convert those in Miles if it is for personnal use? I have called Nissan and they are saying that it is not possible? Thanks.
Welcome to FL! This is the state where the rules seem to change county to county! Look here

http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/dhsmv/newflres.html

When coming to the US through the POE, bring all your docs, bill of sale, car registration, etc. and tell them you want to import it. The kms are fine - my odo and speedo are still in km.

Alex, Could you tell me the exact step you did once your car crossed the border. In Florida, where is need to go to register my car? By March 1st, i will probably have my florida Driver License because i am going 2 weeks starting Jan 30th. I will take a appointment to pass the driven test, written test and vision test with my rental car. Thanks.
Here in Georgia they do not allow driving tests to be done in rental cars - so check it out for Florida.
Your rirst stop will be the state DMV or state trooper station. Ask them to complete a VIN verification. Just a form where they look at your VIN, your mileage, and sign it. In FL, you can go to a private tag agency (would not recommend it), the DMV, or the county tax collector - I would recommend the tax collector for a tag. They will ask to see your title (of course, you will not have one). Just advise your car is Canadian, and give them your registration. And the VIN verification. You will have to to pay use tax on the vehicle's value as well. They won't tell you how much that is - you can pay them what you want. You can get a drivers license from the tax collector too - you will not need to take a test other than a quick vision test.

FL decided to go all crazy with DL stuff - they're goiing to want to see your proof of status and all that. Easiest to tell them you are Canadian - that will give you a license for 2 years. You don't mention your status - if it is TN and you show them your I-94, you will get a license for 1 year only. If you have status for more than 2 years (H1B, LPR, citizenship) then by all means give them that.

Alex, Thanks for the info. However, here are some more questions: I will go to the DMV for VIN verification. What is a tag? What registration i need to show? Does the Quebec registration from SAAQ will suffice? Why i need to pay used car sales tax? I think that not telling them the TN visa could put you in trouble. The Canadian law is for tourist but me i have a TN visa and my wife will have a TD Visa. I think i will play safe here... Thanks.
Ahhhhhhhh - your a TN'er eh? You never mentioned that before. It's up to you, and what they ask for. Give them your passport with your I-94 when you get your DL - they'll decide how long they will give you - this will depend on what clerk helps you, and what supervisor is working that day (since the clerk probably will need some assistance with this one). They may give you a little less than a year (the duration of the TN), or they may be nice and give you the 2 years an undocumented Canadian gets.

Yes, your Quebec registration should be fine if it shows you as being the owner of car, and that there is no lienholder (Ontario's shows this - not sure about QC).

A 'tag' is what Americans call a license plate. Call it a license plate down here and you will get a glazed look for sure!

And oh yeah - the tax. It isn't used car tax - it is "use tax". Dunno why you have to pay it - it's just the law! Info is contained in the link I sent you above. Also, since the car is Canadian, that 6 month rule does not apply.

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