Shipping motorcycles from state to state or overseas to our 49th and 50th state, is not the same as passing borders, even though they’re easier to access than Alaska and Hawaii. Unfortunately, because it is another country, border patrol, customs and other regulations apply and must be taken care of in order to properly and safely transport the bike from point to point.
United States based motorcycle shipping companies usually don’t handle other country transportation, unless they’re worldwide carriers with offices in each country such as companies like FedEx, UPS, and DHL. In order for United States based carriers to ship internationally, the transportation has to either start or end within the country. There are many people looking to ship motorcycles across the border, and the demand has grown as the years pass. Whether they’re going into Canada or out of Canada, transportation is done on a weekly/monthly basis depending on where the final destination is. Most companies don’t handle paperwork for customs and fees will not be included in transportation quote, so it is very important that you ask you booking agent what steps to follow in order to avoid any delays and unnecessary ordeals.
Border Regulations
Each country has its own regulations and it’s important you comply by these rules in order to arrange a smooth and hassle free transportation. Vehicles are transported across the borders every day, this is not a new process, and therefore it is not meant to be an impossible situation as long as you have all the correct paperwork and follow the proper steps.
Shipping into Canada
In order to ship a motorcycle to Canada, besides having all the transportation details, you must fill out proper documentations for the border patrol and customs. Illegal items and/or substances are taking very seriously, therefore it is very important that custom declarations are filled out with all the information required and properly.
When you are buying a bike and shipping into Canada, the dealer where you are buying or the seller has to provide a commercial Invoice or bill of sale, in the case these documents aren’t provided you may also create a Canada Customs Invoice which can be provided by your customs agent. In addition to this invoice, you have to make sure you provide the following information for border patrol to go over:
- Vendor Name and Address
- Importer Name and Address
- Consignee / Deliver to Address
- Carrier Name
- Shipment Date
- Product Description
- Number of Packages and Weight
- Customs Broker Name and Contact Numbers (if applicable)
- Value of Goods
This information is very important and if not included in paperwork, will cause delays. Remember, most cases the driver is the person holding these documents when passing through the border, and he will not be able to answer most questions as he is simply transporting car to final destination. Along with this information, you must also specify and provide what is the currency which you will use in order to pay for custom fees if any apply:
Currency of Settlement (USD – United States Dollars or CAD – Canadian Dollars)
Also make sure you provide the country of origin of where the motorcycle was manufactured. Take special consideration in checking for loose items, and if possible removing any item that can easily fall or damage on the way. This usually applies to custom made bikes as repairing them will be a bigger headache than simply taking the time to remove damage-easy parts.
Duty Charges
As stated before, when crossing the border, there are fees that will apply as you are entering a country with an outside product, in this case a motorcycle, whether it’s coming directly from a dealer or a private owner, fees will apply. However, there ways to lower custom fess, better known as duty charges. You may fill out a form called the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement Certificate) this certificate applies directly for products made in Canada, United States and Mexico which are either over or under $1600 CAD. This form helps you lower duty charges, as the product imported belongs to the NAFTA agreement.
In the case the motorcycle you are shipping was manufactured by a country of the NAFTA agreement, you would have to fill out an Exporter’s Statement of Origin or a Certificate of Origin. This form states that the country where it comes from is part of the Trade Agreement Countries that have free trade with the NAFTA. This may help your bike qualify for a lower duty charge.
In addition to these documents it is optional, however not required by Canada borders to provide the Bill of Lading and Packing List.
Shipping into the United States
Shipping into the United States has similar requirements; however there are different forms you must fill out in order to pass customs with no hassle. It is important you include all the information required to avoid delays and problems to the driver, as we mentioned before, most likely, he will be the one dealing with any inconvenient.
To enter the United States, you must provide a bill of sale or a commercial invoice if the car is coming from a dealer or a private owner. In the event you don’t have one you may fill out a United States Customs Invoice that can be provided by your customs broker. In addition, make sure you provide all the following information:
- Vendor Name and Address
- Importer Name and Address
- Consignee / Deliver to Address
- Carrier Name
- Shipment Date
- Product Description
- Number of Packages and Weight
- Customs Broker Name and Contact Numbers (if applicable)
- Value of Goods
The same as shipping into Canada, you must provide the currency which will be used to pay custom fees, either USD – United States Dollars or CAD – Canadian Dollars.
Also make sure you provide the country of origin of where the motorcycle was manufactured. Take special consideration in checking for loose items, and if possible removing any item that can easily fall or damage on the way. This usually applies to custom made bikes as repairing them will be a bigger headache than simply taking the time to remove damage-easy parts.
Duty Charges
In order to get the best duty charges when entering the United States, it is important you fill out the proper forms. Charges can be extremely high and customs provides these forms to help avoid these sky rocket fees by a percentage, unfortunately fees cannot be completely waived, as the motorcycle is an item that is being imported into the country.
To enter the United States you may fill out the NAFTA agreement form, which applies to products made in Canada, United States or Mexico greater than $2500 USD. If the bike cost less than this amount, you may fill out the Low Value NAFTA, which applies to products made in the same countries, however of either the same or lesser value of $2500 USD. Unfortunately, the case may not only be that bikes transported are not manufactured in either of the countries that belong to the NAFTA, in this case you must fill out a Certificate of Origin.
All these documents may be provided by your customs broker, in the case your carrier company doesn’t take care of customs paperwork for you.
Once again, Packing Slip and Bill of Lading are optional, as they are not required to clear customs.
As you can see shipping a bike in or out of Canada is not as a big of hassle as most people may think due to border patrol and customs. You just have to follow these simple steps and make sure all information required is provided and forms are filled out properly.
Remember, not all carriers offer to take care of customs paperwork, therefore it is important you plan your transportation with enough time, as clearing customs in some cases may take longer than expected and this will cause delays in your delivery, as well as extra fees.
Please call Mary-Lou @ 800-615-3011 with any question about shipping your bike.
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