I've done this a number of times for sleds and a truck. Both sleds I bought had clear titles, but the truck didn't.
I met the guy at his bank and brought a certified check made out to his bank and him. The bank provided a signed letter saying the lien had been satisfied and included a copy of the title. The actual title was mailed to me by their head office a week later. This information was sufficient for the border patrol.
Bill of sale, a copy of the original for sale ad and proof of how much money he took down (cash or certified check receipt from the bank) will help things go smoothly.
How to import a snowmobile:
1. Get the owner to fax you a copy of their registration/title/certificate of origin and bill of sale. Fax that to the border no less than 72 hours before you plan to take it across. You want to make sure the sled has no liens on it prior to doing this.
2. Phone the manufacturer of sled you're buying and get them to give you a recall clearance letter. You will need to supply the VIN, and possibly the bill of sale. They will check to see if all recalls were done. If they are not done get the owner of the sled to do them, they are free for them usually. DO NOT buy a sled if all recalls are not done, you may not be able to get them done free in Canada. Once the owner gets them done, phone the manufacturer again and get them to give you an updated clearance letter.
3. When you come back across, stop at the US side and go inside the public entrance. Ask for an officer to check the sled out and make sure the VIN is there and they will stamp the title/certificate of origin/registration. They typically don’t even look at the sled, just the paperwork you provide.
4. Take the title/certificate of origin/registration and bill of sale along with any other proof of purchase you have to the CDN side. They will get you to pull over and go inside.
5. Go inside and pay GST on the purchase price. You will need the title/certificate of origin/registration and bill of sale, the date of manufacture (off the side of the tunnel) and whatever other proof you have of the sale price. They give you a Form 1 and they fill it out. They fax a copy of it to RIV. You have 45 days to get the sled approved for import from this time on.
5. Pay the RIV fee @
www.riv.ca ($205) as soon as you get home.
6. Fax the recall clearance to RIV with your reference # from your form 1 and your online payment reference #.
7. Phone RIV 48 hours later and give them your case number which will be in red at the top of your Form 1. Get them to confirm that they have the copy of the Form 1 sent from the border, the payment you made and the recall clearance. They will mail you a Form 2 or you can get them to email it to you. Email is much faster but dealing with them is like pulling teeth.
8. Take the Form 2 to Canadian Tire or any other approved outlet. At the Auto Service desk, tell them you have a sled you need them to fill the Form 2 out for. They verify the VIN and model number. Then they get you to start the sled to make sure the kill switch works and check for reflectors.
9. Go register the sled with your completed Form 1, Form 2, bill of sale and title. You pay the PST and you're done.
Important contact information:
US Customs Fax number for Emerson crossing: (701) 825-6567
US Customs Contact number for Emerson crossing: (701) 825-6551
RIV Fax number: (416) 626-0366
RIV Contact: 1-888-848-8240
Polaris customer care: (763) 417-8650
Arctic Cat USA: 218-681-9851
Arctic Cat Winnipeg Office: 982-1772 (forwards to 986-1656)
Arctic Cat Winnipeg Recall Letter Request Line: 204-832-0205
Hope this helps. It's really an exercise in patience and paperwork management more than anything.
