Canada to USA | The Cross-Border Move Done Efficiently —
Car Registration and Moving
Moving can be both an exhilarating and cumbersome experience. Driving away with Toronto skyline in my rear view mirror felt like I was headed towards home. I was ready to close that chapter of my life and to start anew … In TEXAS.
I decided to pack-up all my
belongings, sell what I can, donate what I can’t and ship my car and what’s
inside it whilst figuring out the process of registering my car in Texas.
1| CROSSING THE
BORDER
I took
advantage of Ontario’s proximity to the border. One thing to keep in mind is shipping your
car directly from Ontario to Texas would cost me approximately $500 USD more. The
reason is this process requires more third party participants:
a.
Canadian
Shipping Company: Ships vehicle from Ontario to Michigan ($350 USD)
b.
US company
to ship the car from Michigan to Texas ($1,300 USD).
c.
A paralegal
to handle customs for the vehicle—which they would hire for that process with
an hourly rate between $150 - $300.
d.
Any
additional fees by the US customs on what is inside the car
Looking to cut costs and simplify the issue at hand, I worked with only one US Shipping Company to move my car from Michigan to Texas and drove the car myself to Michigan. The quote I received at the time by AutoStar Transport Express was for $1,300 USD but it changes since fuel costs fluctuate. The way this process works is AutoStar coordinates with a driver to deliver your vehicle within a week’s timeframe. This means you need to move your car to a “safe reliable place” for a week’s duration. Hence, the adventure continues and I drove my vehicle to Michigan and left it at a relative’s house with the keys. Please note that Canadian insurance companies have a limit of how long they will insure you out of the province you were in. Mine was up to two months.
