Posting Policy-Out of Canada (OUTCAN) [MERGED]
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Great post, with very good information.Scoobs said:I had absolutely no problems crossing the border with my F-150 truck and trailer. In fact, the US border guys even let my mother-in-law stay in the truck while my wife and I went into the CBP building IOT get all the paperwork stamped (normally no one is allowed to stay in the vehicles; the border guys tend to give us a break as military pers). I had my Kia Forte shipped here. That was not fun as the Canadian shipper damaged the **** out of my car. A strap on the car above mine came loose and pelted my car down the road. Plus, somehow the bug deflector was 3/4 ripped off and the bottom front of the car was badly scraped. The shipping company had to pay for the repairs and a car rental, but that was a serious pain in the *** dealing with them.
I'm not planning on using a car shipper upon my return APS 16. I'm going to see if IRP will pay for a Uhaul car trailer rental as I plan on pulling the car back with my F-150.
I still have Cdn plates and registration. My US insurance kicks in on 1 July. I told them that I have Cdn plates and they didn't seem to care. Insurance is more expensive down here, especially if you change your plates, registration, insurance, etc. over right away as you'll have zero American credit history. After one year, the cost will go down significantly as you build up US credit history (I now constantly get mail offering me credit cards, insurance, etc).
For your vehicles, get letters of conformance from your manufacturers. That will help when crossing the border.
I looked into changing registration to down here, but be prepared for BS. Most States have the need for "titles", whereas we usually down have these for provinces. I have loans for my two vehicles and thus "liens" on them. The States throw in the added "fun" of titles and not all of them do this electronically (you'll be surprised how behind the US is for a lot of things that we take for granted in Canada, e.g. chip cards for debit/credit cards, privacy in banks, etc). One of my finance companies (hint: it's a bank with the word "Scotia" in it,) has outright refused to send a letter to the Department of Motor Vehicles as they won't "release their interest in the vehicle". Ya, right, I've been paying it off for 4 years now and have one year left and they're being pricks to me. Grrr...
On a different note, I highly recommend becoming a TD Canada Trust customer if you are not. Also, get a credit line with them. When coming down here, open an account with TD Bank (this is what they are called down here), but be warned that they are NOT the same company. TD Canada Trust does own them though and this makes it really easy (and free) to transfer money from your Canadian bank accounts to your US bank account. Open a US dollar account at TD Canada Trust as this is necessary to transfer US dollars from your Cdn bank account to your US bank account. Plus, when applying for a US credit card, tell TD Bank to use your Cdn credit history. If you go with another US bank, they will give you a silly credit card with something like a $500 credit limit, whereas with TD Bank I was able to get a very decent credit limit (>$15,000). Of course, this will be dependent on your Cdn credit history. I use this card to pay everything as I get pts (that I've used for airplane tickets), pay it off immediately, and have paid $0 in interest so far. Google "TD Cross Border Banking" and read up.
Another thing, due to the lack of US credit history at the beginning of your posting, you may have problems getting a TV or cell phone provider. DISH networks outright refused to give me equipment, so I went with Comcast Cable (who you go with will depend on the area you live in). For the cell phone, I went with Verizon, but tell the people at the store to tell their call centre (trust me, this will happen) to use your Cdn credit history. My wife and I had to go into the Verizon store three times prior to the Call Centre person finally saying that they could use our Cdn credit. Literally three minutes later, we were signed up.
The key is, "patience is a virtue".....
Hope this info helps...
Is a US credit card necessary for use down there? I of course have a card up here, but...
Also, is there a way to start US-based credit prior to moving down?
I head off this summer for a 3 year posting to Virginia. I am thinking of transfering my vehicle, lien and all
I guess some arse-pain is to be expected...
Happy Guy
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Is a US credit card necessary for use down there? I of course have a card up here, but...
Also, is there a way to start US-based credit prior to moving down?
I head off this summer for a 3 year posting to Virginia. I am thinking of transfering my vehicle, lien and all I guess some arse-pain is to be expected...
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We didn't use our Cdn credit cards but our debit cards - it was too difficult. We tried twice. The CDLS(W) welcome package tells you this. The welcome package is on the DWAN - VCDS / OUTCAN / CDLS(W).
Where you go on your HHT and open a bank account ask the bank if they can help you with getting a credit card. Failing that try to obtain a major US department store card, get a credit rating and then try for a VISA / Mastercard credit card.
Good luck
Also, is there a way to start US-based credit prior to moving down?
I head off this summer for a 3 year posting to Virginia. I am thinking of transfering my vehicle, lien and all
I guess some arse-pain is to be expected...[/quote]
We didn't use our Cdn credit cards but our debit cards - it was too difficult. We tried twice. The CDLS(W) welcome package tells you this. The welcome package is on the DWAN - VCDS / OUTCAN / CDLS(W).
Where you go on your HHT and open a bank account ask the bank if they can help you with getting a credit card. Failing that try to obtain a major US department store card, get a credit rating and then try for a VISA / Mastercard credit card.
Good luck
little jim
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Technoviking said:Great post, with very good information.
Is a US credit card necessary for use down there? I of course have a card up here, but...
Also, is there a way to start US-based credit prior to moving down?
I head off this summer for a 3 year posting to Virginia. I am thinking of transfering my vehicle, lien and all
Your post triggered something in my memory with respect to liens.
I was originally going to import my vehicle to the states but there was something about it being financed out of the country (Canada). To be registered with a lien the lien had to be from a US Coy. I don’t recall if that was a state or federal rule but something you might want to check out.
To open a bank account in the US I needed a SSN, which I did not get until after I arrived but CDLS(W) wanted me to open one during my HHT. This is where the relationship between TD CanadaTrust and TD Bank helped. Opened an account at TD Bank without an SSN based on it. They also imported my credit rating.
I would strongly recommend getting a US Bank credit card. Why? They don’t have chips but every time you get gas you have to enter the billing address ZIP code as security. There were literally only a couple of gas stations that didn’t require this. Unless you wanted to walk up to the window every time and take a chance with giving them your card or just purchase what you think you need would strongly suggest this. You need that ZIP code billing address; foreign cards would not work. YMMV.
State Farm was really good to work with in terms of rental insurance and auto insurance for my wife’s US car. Again they imported my Canadian credit rating as they are affiliated with the Canadian operations.
Wells Fargo had some good deals for mil accounts. Got the premium account with no fees. My wife, being non-Canadian, had to build her credit rating from scratch. $500 deposit for a credit card with a $500 limit to start. Warning is she missed a charge and when she went to spend the year I was deployed with her family outside of the USA Wells Fargo killed her credit rating for a $25 charge that she missed. We are still trying to dig her out of that hole.
I was a bit taken aback by the number of meaningful discounts military get at various places (accounts, 10% at Lowe's, etc). Its not lip service at all.
little jim
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Scoobs said:
Similar incident for me at the boarder. They allowed us to leave our large dog (part rotti/part sheppard/part dane) in the car. Said they would get one of their K-9 guys to search the vehicle. When we came out the guy was playing with our dog on a grassy strip. Having a great time.
Helps if you conform to the Canadian stereotype and be super polite; lots of 'Sir' and 'Sorry.'
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I have a US Dollar Visa from my Canadian TD Bank, and a US TD bank account here. As to the border, no issues whatsoever. I left the wife and the two German Shepherds in the car while I did the paperwork. Shipping the bike had some ass pain involved due to a liens, but i powered through it....
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Technoviking said:Great post, with very good information.
Is a US credit card necessary for use down there? I of course have a card up here, but...
Also, is there a way to start US-based credit prior to moving down?
I head off this summer for a 3 year posting to Virginia. I am thinking of transfering my vehicle, lien and all
Of course you could get by with a Cdn credit card, but some of the Cdn cards charge extra fees (international fees) for using them outside of Canada, whereas using a US based credit you will not incur these fees. Other good reasons were given by the other posters.
The only way that I see to begin building US credit prior to the actual posting is to open a US based account on your HHT and apply for a US based credit card. I HIGHLY recommend using TD Bank down here (as per my other lengthy post).
Oh ya, expect a pain in the arse for vehicles. I also forgot to mention how rude the staff were at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Even the supervisor was rude. I'm posted near NYC, so that unfortunately is the attitude of a lot of people around where I am posted.
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Just a heads up if your planning on buying a car in the US. Prior to bringing the vehicle back north across the boarder, you do have to do all the export paperwork. Normally, this process can take up to 72 hours. While this is not a requirement to import the vehicle into Canada, you may run into issues if you ever drive it back down to the US, and by issues, I mean possibly arrested.
The Canadian paperwork is also fairly straight forward and you can do it yourself in less than 10min. I'm not 100% sure on broker costs, but a broker can cost you a couple hundred. Then again, brokerage fees may be covered under your move, which I have no idea about.
In addition, everything that is coming across the border must be owned, possessed and used for at least 6 months in order for you to import it into Canada Duty and Tax free. Also you cannot sell or dispose of any of these goods within the next year without paying taxes.
Canadian Personal Goods Importation Document: http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/forms-formulaires/b4-eng.pdf
The Canadian paperwork is also fairly straight forward and you can do it yourself in less than 10min. I'm not 100% sure on broker costs, but a broker can cost you a couple hundred. Then again, brokerage fees may be covered under your move, which I have no idea about.
In addition, everything that is coming across the border must be owned, possessed and used for at least 6 months in order for you to import it into Canada Duty and Tax free. Also you cannot sell or dispose of any of these goods within the next year without paying taxes.
Canadian Personal Goods Importation Document: http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/forms-formulaires/b4-eng.pdf
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Yesterday I opened a US Dollar Account at TD Canada Trust. I fully intend on opening a TD Bank account once I get to Alexandria/Reston VAScoobs said:
I'm going to be in Virginia. Here's hoping to be served by a southern gentlemanScoobs said:
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A couple random points from my time down in the US - and my situation was a little different from most because I'm a CAN/US dual citizen.
1. The US Visa. I only had to do this once for my wife, and it drove us nuts. Save when you complete each page. The online application system warns you that it times out after ten minutes if you don't finish the page you're working on - but it's really about three minutes. So you go to the next page...and it asks you for your spouse's NOK! Crap - what's the zip code? So you scramble for the info...you enter it...and it's timed out. Reload the saved version. Do this for about 15 pages. Sucks if you have a family of five.
2. Banking. The US is about ten years behind Canada. Not only do people still use "checks," they're just starting to get chip cards. Even online bill paying is slow, becuaseI bank with Royal, so I set up a US funds account with the Canadian branch and a US Visa before I left Canada. I also set up an account with Royal's US branch, which handles my direct deposit. It's been very easy to move money between the Canadian and US institutions - just keep it under 10K. My wife banks with Bank of America, which is OK.
3. SSN & work permits. If you don't have an SSN in the US, you're a dirty foreigner and you don't exist. They make it very difficult to get bank accounts, phones, cable, etc. without one because you don't have a credit history - expect to make a large deposit to secure your utilities. I already had an SSN, so this wasn't a problem. However, it did screw up a few admin steps. They basically gave my wife an SSN without any hassle because I'm a citizen and she started working within the first week because she did a CAN/US transfer with her company. We accidentally bypassed the whole work permit thing, which is normally triggered during the SSN application. A month later her boss came looking for the number, and we were all, "work perma-whatsa?". Protocol sorted that out.
4. I-94. This is a document the US uses to track people coming in and out of the country. It's gone to a paperless system, which makes it difficult to track if it gets screwed up. If you end up taking a cruise out of Port Canaveral, you're probably going to have a problem when you try and renew your driver's license if you don't leave the country again before the renewal date. Because of the volume of travelers they deal with, they have a special exemption to not do an I-94 on your return. (They expect foreigners to go back to the airport and fly home - not fly back to Maryland.) So they checked my wife out of the county but didn't check her back in. This raised a red flag, which had to be clear by Homeland Security before she could renew her license. This process can take up to THREE MONTHS. Of course, you only get your renewal notice a month prior. Protocol was a huge help.
5. "Thank you for your service." I've had more people thank me for my service, try to buy my coffee, meals, etc. in the last four years than my twenty years prior back in Canada. The US loves the military and are very vocal about it. I usually answer with, "and thank you for your support."
6. Security. I had a few strange experiences, mostly due to bureaucracy. The US requires all citizens to travel in and out of the country using their US passport - so I was actually in the US as a US citizen (no Visa). So try showing up to a building wearing a Canadian uniform and holding a US passport - there is no box to check on their screen for that situation. "Yes, I will wait while you talk to your supervisor."
1. The US Visa. I only had to do this once for my wife, and it drove us nuts. Save when you complete each page. The online application system warns you that it times out after ten minutes if you don't finish the page you're working on - but it's really about three minutes. So you go to the next page...and it asks you for your spouse's NOK! Crap - what's the zip code? So you scramble for the info...you enter it...and it's timed out. Reload the saved version. Do this for about 15 pages. Sucks if you have a family of five.
2. Banking. The US is about ten years behind Canada. Not only do people still use "checks," they're just starting to get chip cards. Even online bill paying is slow, becuaseI bank with Royal, so I set up a US funds account with the Canadian branch and a US Visa before I left Canada. I also set up an account with Royal's US branch, which handles my direct deposit. It's been very easy to move money between the Canadian and US institutions - just keep it under 10K. My wife banks with Bank of America, which is OK.
3. SSN & work permits. If you don't have an SSN in the US, you're a dirty foreigner and you don't exist. They make it very difficult to get bank accounts, phones, cable, etc. without one because you don't have a credit history - expect to make a large deposit to secure your utilities. I already had an SSN, so this wasn't a problem. However, it did screw up a few admin steps. They basically gave my wife an SSN without any hassle because I'm a citizen and she started working within the first week because she did a CAN/US transfer with her company. We accidentally bypassed the whole work permit thing, which is normally triggered during the SSN application. A month later her boss came looking for the number, and we were all, "work perma-whatsa?". Protocol sorted that out.
4. I-94. This is a document the US uses to track people coming in and out of the country. It's gone to a paperless system, which makes it difficult to track if it gets screwed up. If you end up taking a cruise out of Port Canaveral, you're probably going to have a problem when you try and renew your driver's license if you don't leave the country again before the renewal date. Because of the volume of travelers they deal with, they have a special exemption to not do an I-94 on your return. (They expect foreigners to go back to the airport and fly home - not fly back to Maryland.) So they checked my wife out of the county but didn't check her back in. This raised a red flag, which had to be clear by Homeland Security before she could renew her license. This process can take up to THREE MONTHS. Of course, you only get your renewal notice a month prior. Protocol was a huge help.
5. "Thank you for your service." I've had more people thank me for my service, try to buy my coffee, meals, etc. in the last four years than my twenty years prior back in Canada. The US loves the military and are very vocal about it. I usually answer with, "and thank you for your support."
6. Security. I had a few strange experiences, mostly due to bureaucracy. The US requires all citizens to travel in and out of the country using their US passport - so I was actually in the US as a US citizen (no Visa). So try showing up to a building wearing a Canadian uniform and holding a US passport - there is no box to check on their screen for that situation. "Yes, I will wait while you talk to your supervisor."
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Dirt Digger said:
How prevalent is Canada in terms of online paying for bills, transfers, etc?
In Australia, paper cheques are practically non-existent - only insurance companies and government agencies issue them (if you paid them via direct transfer). People pay each other using direct transfer or BPay (kind of like the Interac transfer but free). When I asked for a book of paper cheques, the teller at HSBC actually laughed at me.
Also, probably due to the different banking system, everyone tells each other their BSB (like a bank transit #) and bank account number - no security issues there. Paywave (tapping your credit/debit card for purchases) and tapping your mobile phone for purchases is also now the preferred way to pay for smaller transactions.
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Dimsum said:
Very similar here. For example, when I get a bill, I pull out my smart phone, log on, and then pay the bill so that it comes out of my account the day it's due. By the time I'm upstairs, I've destroyed my bill and am tossing it out.
When my daughter (in Ontario) needs money, I send it by PayPal or by email transfer (depends on her mood. LOL) I also use my phone for some purchases by tapping, yet I get plenty of odd looks when I do it.
The government has made notice that it will soon no longer issue cheques.
little jim
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Dirt Digger said:
I set up to pay my rent from my Wells Fargo account. When you paid the bill online it gave you a date, usually five business days, that it would be paid. In talking with the land lord the bank was physically cutting and mailing a cheque to her.
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Using a Cdn credit card at US gas stations use Zip Code: 42100. I have been using this for approx ten years with no problem in at least ten different states.
