My girlfriend and I have plans that require me to drive her car across the Canadian border and meet her on the other side (for very mundane reasons; nothing illegal is going on here, in case you’re wondering).
Will it be a problem for me to cross the border in a car that I’m not the registered owner of? Will they ask for registration documents at the border? Is there a document I can get that will make it easier?
Thanks
Get something in writing from your girlfriend that explains.
It may require more detail than ‘very mundane reason’, though.
(You don’t have a DUI I hope!)
You might get specific information on sites frequented by snow birds, its a common occurence for older folks that reside in Florida/Arizona during the deep freeze to fly down and contract to have their personal vehicles driven down, and I presume the return trip.
I would assume that a signed (and maybe notarized) authorization for you to drive it would suffice. When I cross the border, I have never been asked to show registration. And I used to cross with Quebec plates and a US passport.
You don’t need to show it, because (based on my experience) they get it automatically from your plates.
They might indeed, but if you’ve stolen plates from another vehicle, questions would probably be asked.
That said: we drove to Quebec in a rented minivan in the summer of 2017, and were not asked for any proof of the car’s ownership. I assume that had we been randomly selected for additional screening, they might well have asked for it (I’d have had to trot out the rental paperwork).
You should definitely have the registration (and proof of insurance) with you though. That’s something you’re supposed to have when crossing, even if they usually don’t bother to ask. Something from the girlfriend wouldn’t be a bad idea since you’re neither the owner of the car nor the renter, so you wouldn’t have any other proof that you were operating it with permission.
I have crossed the border at Blaine a number of times, questions about the vehicle or it’s ownership has never been asked. Show ID, why and how long I will be there then “Have a nice stay”.
I’ve crossed the border into Canada many, many time with relatives’ cars, rental cars, company cars, and my own cars, and the only time I’ve ever been questioned was when crossing into Ontario with an Ontario instead of American license plate. (This was a rental car I had to return in Ontario, where I’d rented it because my cousin’s loaner vehicle I was driving broke down in Ontario.)
I think you’ll be fine.
Yeah, the same. I’ve crossed many times in vehicles, and never been asked for registration. Back in the good old days before 9/11, I sometimes wouldn’t be asked for ID at all. Just a quick, “Why are you coming to America?” And that was about it.
Once I was heading down to a trade show in a rented van, filled with trade goods. They pulled us aside snd went through the entire van, and tried to charge me duty for display hardware until I explained that we weren’t selling it and would be returning it to Canada. Even then, they didn’t ask to see vehicle registration.
Recent crossings of the border have required that I hand over my passport, and I think once my Driver’s license as well. That was it.
But still… Make sure all the documentation is there, insurance and registration up to date.
I can’t remember the name, but I think there was a landmark court case concerning whether an American family had standing to sue a Canadian when their daughter died in Canada after her friend, and American, crashed a mutual Canadian friend’s car.
Crucially I don’t remember whether the Canadian (or his insurance) was found liable.
~Max
I don’t remember ever being asked for it. The closest I came was this Feb.
**Border guard: **Whose car is this?
Me: Her’s. ::tilting head towards passenger::
But didn’t need to show any paperwork for it,
I’ve driven across several times, with both my own car and rentals and including extended multi-day 1,000 mile road trips in Canada, and I’ve never been asked to show registration. It doesn’t mean that they won’t ask to see it though, although IANABCLE (border-crossing laws expert) so I can’t speak to what are and are not legally-allowable questions.
I think you’ll be okay but if you’re an AAA member you can also ask them.
Canada and Mexico both, multiple times, and they’ve never asked to see my registration, in either direction.
Also, I’ll second what Hari said about getting an authorization letter that is notarized. Seems like cheap insurance.
I too have crossed at Blaine a couple dozen times, almost all for day trips. And never have been asked for registration. I did a day trip on Sunday crossing in the normal (not Nexus) lane. We traded recommendations on the local water park but nothing on the vehicle registration.
I have driven across in different places over the last 35 years: Blaine WA, Lynden WA, Sumas WA, Detroit MI / Windsor ON, Niagara Falls NY, Champlain NY, Calais ME - International Ave, and Calais ME - Main St. Was never asked to show registration at any of them.
When I’ve crossed with my dad in his company car, he’s been asked about the ownership of his (company-owned) car occasionally. I don’t think the car itself is the issue, but the company in question is headquartered in Canada, so they’re probing to see if he’s actually traveling to do work. But they don’t need to see the registration because it’s obvious from the questions that they already have that information.
I don’t know; CAN you drive her car?
Seriously, you should probably contact the Canadian authorities close to where you live; failing that, contact the American DMV and they can point you in the right direction.