Frequently Asked Questions - Appendix G Pre-clearance Program

Question1 -

Starting April 20th 2015, Canadian commercial importers will no longer be, nor need to be, listed on the Appendix G Pre-clearance list to import Canadian compliant vehicles directly from foreign manufacturers registered in the Appendix G Pre-clearance program.

As a result of this, Canadian companies will be entitled to import vehicles commercially via Appendix G Pre-clearance when the following conditions are met:

• They maintain a valid import/export business number ( BN ) registered with the Canada Revenue Agency as a company established in Canada;
• They declare themselves as the importer of record as appearing on Canada Border Services Agency final accounting documentation;
• The vehicle class and the foreign manufacturer are both registered in the Appendix G Pre-clearance program.

Foreign manufacturers and their classes of vehicles currently registered in the Appendix G Pre-clearance program prior to April 20th 2015 will remain listed on Appendix G and do not need to re-apply.

Question2 -

You can continue to import vehicles commercially via Appendix G Pre-clearance on the conditions that;

• you maintain a valid import/export business number ( BN ) registered with the Canada Revenue Agency as a company established in Canada; and
• your company will be appearing as the importer of record on Canada Border Services Agency final accounting documentation; and
• both the vehicle class and the foreign manufacturer are registered in the Appendix G Pre-clearance program.

Question3 -

To commercially import vehicles via the Appendix G Pre-clearance program;

• obtain a valid import/export business number (BN) registered with the Canada Revenue Agency as a company established in Canada; and
• declare your company as the importer of record on Canada Border Services Agency final accounting documentation; and
• only import vehicles where both the vehicle class and the foreign manufacturer are registered in the Appendix G Pre-clearance program.

Question4 -

The responsibility for compliance ultimately lies with the commercial importer established in Canada. Under sections 5, 10 and 17 of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act ( MVSA ), it is an offence to import non-compliant vehicles into Canada. You can find the MVSA and regulations at: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/M-10.01/index.html.

The Appendix G Pre-clearance program is designed to assist Canadian commercial importers in meeting part of their obligations under the MVSA and streamline the border process by listing foreign manufacturers that have successfully registered with Transport Canada as “pre-cleared” for the classes of vehicles they build as Canadian compliant for sale on the Canadian market.

Question5 -

You must provide applicable Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) certification documents for each class of vehicle you build and demonstrate your ability to issue a "notice of defect" (recall) to customers who purchase your vehicles in Canada.

Contact us using the contact information provided at the bottom of this page to request an Appendix G foreign manufacturer registration package. Please specify the class of vehicle your company manufactures.

Question6 -

The entire review process takes four to six weeks once we receive all of the information we requested.

Question7 -

Yes, but the application to register for Appendix G Pre-clearance must be in the name of the foreign vehicle manufacturer.

Foreign manufacturers can use the services of consultants, compliance specialist or industry associations to assist them with developing and maintaining records necessary to demonstrate compliance of the vehicles they build, maintain an ongoing self certification system, compile the information for the application and/or act as their primary compliance contact.

Question8 -

We would deny an application to register as a foreign manufacturer for Appendix G Pre-clearance if:

• The information provided by the foreign vehicle manufacturer is insufficient to establish compliance with applicable Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for the vehicles it builds, or
• The foreign manufacturer name and address does not coincide with the assigned World Manufacturer Identification ( WMI ) code registered with Society of Automotive Engineers ( SAE ), or
• The foreign manufacturer is not able to demonstrate an ability to issue a "notice of defect" (recall) to customers who purchase their vehicles in Canada.

Question9 -

Yes, you may commercially import new Canadian-specification vehicles outside the Appendix G Pre-clearance program if, prior to importation, you submit to Transport Canada all required certification documents and applicable records of testing for each shipment you import.

Each shipment is then reviewed on a case-by-case basis and Transport Canada will issue a case-by-case authorization number for all vehicles identification numbers ( VIN s) belonging to a compliant shipment.

Companies or individuals interested in obtaining a case-by-case authorization number can request a case-by-case application package by contacting us quoting clearly the type of vehicle. We will provide you with specific instructions for submitting your case-by-case authorization request.