Import from Canada

It is going to vary with where you import it to in the lower 48. You'd best check with the authorities where you intend to title and register it. Things will vary on what kind of RV it is too. A trailer may be much different than a motorhome.

If it's a motorhome you will need some kind of documentation from the manufacturer that it meets DOT and EPA regulations.

Click here for information including fees, on bringing motor vehicles into the US.

Click here for information on bringing a trailer into the US

Most RVs are made in USA, so generally there is no cost advantage in buying a new RV in Canada. We live in Canada and bought our RV in the States and saved many thousands of $$$.

I believe that if its manufactured in Canada, you will pay your state sales tax(es) on it. There should be no import duty as it should fall under NAFTA. At the time of this post, you will have about a 10% dollar advantage over the Canadian $, so pretty good value. Most motorhomes are indeed built in the U.S., but there are still some, such as Triple E that are manufactured in Canada, and are a good unit.

Should have said -- Northern Lite truck camper, built in BC Canada only as far as I know ... no plate, no registration. No wheels, no engine.

The same one I looked at in USA is $30k in Canada dollars. USA dealer says: That's no including import tax ... etc. So, if it's $30k in Canada, it should be $27K in USA, then add "import costs" ... dealer says - $30K US dollars ... so was comparing and wondering about these imaginary costs that seem to suddenly appear.

You have to import it into the US, and then into your state. Check the requirements for both. For a new trailer I'd expect it to be straight-forward but not free. I've done it for a classic car (not straight-forward) but not a trailer, and of course your state requirements will likely be different from mine.

I am going venture an opinion that a truck camper is NOT an RV. It is not a vehicle at all, it is something you put in the back of a pickup truck to make it more comfortable to sleep in. It is an attachment to convert a common pickup truck into an RV. I have a cap on my truck to keep my camping gear secure and dry. If I threw in a sleeping bag, a coleman stove and a portapotti, I would have all the amenities you will have in your new camper, just not the deluxe version. It doesn't have to be registered in any province or state that I know of. It will of course have to be within the capabilities of the truck under it.

Long story short: you are not importing a vehicle, you just have something new in the back of your truck. It could be a camper or a dishwasher or a piano or an aluminum boat.


Stu