Rental vehicles - into and out of Canada

[celle]

I have read on the Alaska board that Canadian citizens cannot rent a vehicle in Alaska (Skagway) and drive it over the US/Canada border into the Yukon, due to Canadian government regulations.

 

Does anyone know if nationals from other countries (New Zealand in our case) have a similar problem?

 

We would like to rent a vehicle in the US and cross into Canada and back next year. Specifically, we are wanting to start in the US, visit Yellowstone and Teton national parks and then drive north to see the Rockies (around Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper etc) before returning to the US.

 

I would appreciate it if someone can point me in the direction of a web site that gives details of Canada's regulations about this.

 

Thank you.

[LeftcoastBC]

The ONLY people that have the problem that you read about are Canadian's or Landed immigrants that are residents. "They" do not want us to take advantage of the way cheaper prices of autos across the line and passed the law (Years ago BTW) to eliminate any possibility of our business going elsewhere than to rental agencies here.

 

Tourist are not effected.

[eh2zed]

I researched this a few years ago. I wanted to go from Skagway into the Yukon. The car rental agency in Skagway via email told me I should meet a US citizen on board and have them rent the car. The problem is at the border. A Canadian cannot drive it across but the american could. I was so upset I contacted my MP. Ancient piece of legislation that needs to be changed.

However, other nationals are OK.

[Ephraim]

Actually, the law works in both directions. Americans aren't supposed to be legally allowed to rent a car in Canada and drive it over the US border either. Has to do with border clearance.

 

There is also a requirement for a tire tax that needs to be paid, that is why you have to specify that you need a car that will be going over into Canada.

[RickT]

The reason behind the law is that if a Canadian rents a car in the US and drives it into Canada, what guarantee is there that the car will be returned to the US? If it isn't returned, it has basically been exported to Canada and no duty/tax has been paid. While an American could do the same thing, the expectation is the American will return to the United States with the car.

 

I often travelled between Detroit and Windsor and generally had no problem driving into Canada with a Michigan registered car, but was aware that this was a risk I was taking.

[celle]

Thank you for your replies.

 

It's still a bit of a puzzle, because I have just enquired from a company that allows US citizens to rent brand new RVs from the Winnebago factory in Iowa and drive them through Canada and up to Alaska, where they will be used as rentals - it's one way of getting the RVs delivered to Anchorage.

 

This company will only allow US citizens to do this delivery journey, as they say there have been problems at the borders and non-US citizens have been held up/ not allowed to cross, so the RVs have not made it to Alaska.

 

We were originally hoping to make this trip, but are now having to investigate "plan B".

[LeftcoastBC]

celle If you are a Canadian YOU can not rent a vehicle in the US and drive it into Canada..... Unless you want to take the chance that it may be seized. They will let you cross the border and then you take the chance that RickT took.v In southern Ontario I doubt that the Police agencies are even looking. Not enough mounties :) doing the federal work. Out here you likely would get pinched.

 

The rental companies are the one that won't rent in the first place. Actually there is a way around it something to do with going directly to a return agency in Canada and turning it in and getting another vehicle. I spoke to customs a short while ago regarding this on another inquiry.

 

It is not illegal for the rental agencies to rent it, it's just against the Customs Act for you to have it and plan on returning it to USA without using a Canadian vehicle as soon as you can and it would be subject to seizure.

 

Confusing eh?

 

If you are a US citizen fly at it.

[celle]

celle If you are a Canadian YOU can not rent a vehicle in the US and drive it into Canada..... Unless you want to take the chance that it may be seized. They will let you cross the border and then you take the chance that RickT took.v In southern Ontario I doubt that the Police agencies are even looking. Not enough mounties :) doing the federal work. Out here you likely would get pinched.

 

The rental companies are the one that won't rent in the first place. Actually there is a way around it something to do with going directly to a return agency in Canada and turning it in and getting another vehicle. I spoke to customs a short while ago regarding this on another inquiry.

 

It is not illegal for the rental agencies to rent it, it's just against the Customs Act for you to have it and plan on returning it to USA without using a Canadian vehicle as soon as you can and it would be subject to seizure.

 

Confusing eh?

 

If you are a US citizen fly at it.

 

I already said in my first post that we are from New Zealand. We are not Canadian or US. I have dual nationality (NZ and UK), while DH is a New Zealander. Nevertheless, the RV rental company has stated that they will only allow US citizens to do the pickup in Iowa and delivery to Alaska "because of problems crossing the borders." Maybe Canada is the problem, because we would be picking up a rental RV in one US state (Iowa), driving it through Canada, and returning it to another US state (Alaska).

 

I guess we have to accept the RV company's policy, but I was just trying to understand the reason for it, and to explore other options we might have. We were originally given the brochure for this long journey by the RV rental company (after renting one of their RVs in Alaska this past June) and got all excited about doing such a trip. Now DH is keen to see all the places we would have seen on the way, and I am trying to find out if we can still do this by other means.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

PS: New Zealanders say "eh" too! Good, eh?

[LeftcoastBC]

I already said in my first post that we are from New Zealand.

 

PS: New Zealanders say "eh" too! Good, eh?

 

Clearly I missed that. :p

Having read everything all over I might suggest looking at

"Cruise America" or "Cruise Canada" rv rentals sites. I see what you are trying to do which seems to me should be fairly simple.

Maybe a piggy back rental ? Where are you wanting to start your rental.?

 

FYI. All/Most Canadian Agencies charge an "Northern upcharge" to go into the Yukon and Further. But Cruise Canada has an office in Whitehorse YT where you could return to and drop vehicle off if you didn't want to drive all the way back down. The website says Ak is OK.

[celle]

Clearly I missed that. :p

Having read everything all over I might suggest looking at

"Cruise America" or "Cruise Canada" rv rentals sites. I see what you are trying to do which seems to me should be fairly simple.

Maybe a piggy back rental ? Where are you wanting to start your rental.?

 

FYI. All/Most Canadian Agencies charge an "Northern upcharge" to go into the Yukon and Further. But Cruise Canada has an office in Whitehorse YT where you could return to and drop vehicle off if you didn't want to drive all the way back down. The website says Ak is OK.

 

Thanks for these suggestions. I'll look into them. We're looking at doing the trip in 2009 now, so we have plenty of time to do that.

 

We've decided to go to Vietnam and Cambodia next year, a trip we postponed in order to go to Alaska this year.

 

Celle

[Pacific Sandy]

I think it has to do with insurance.

 

You can't rent a car in the US and take it into Mexico either. Well, you can, but they won't let you bring it back into the US. That's what we were told when we looked into going into Mexico from Yuma, Arizona.

[Sally Forth]

celle If you are a Canadian YOU can not rent a vehicle in the US and drive it into Canada..... Unless you want to take the chance that it may be seized. They will let you cross the border and then you take the chance that RickT took.v In southern Ontario I doubt that the Police agencies are even looking. Not enough mounties :) doing the federal work. Out here you likely would get pinched.

 

The rental companies are the one that won't rent in the first place. Actually there is a way around it something to do with going directly to a return agency in Canada and turning it in and getting another vehicle. I spoke to customs a short while ago regarding this on another inquiry.

 

It is not illegal for the rental agencies to rent it, it's just against the Customs Act for you to have it and plan on returning it to USA without using a Canadian vehicle as soon as you can and it would be subject to seizure.

 

Confusing eh?

 

If you are a US citizen fly at it.

DH and I used to live in Seattle on working visas. We couldn't take DH's leased company car over the border to visit family.

 

Viv