Transporting through 3 states & border issues...

[Whaler]

Hi am about to purchase pomfritz's Bigfoot this weekend down in Northern California. My wife and I are very excited and can't wait to make new memories with it. I am having major issues still trying to get clear information regarding legally towing it from California, through Oregon, through Washington, then finally meeting customs at the Canadian border. I have already purchased a binder temporary insurance with the campers been in case of a collision, comprehensive, theft etc.

When I can't seem to get clear info about though is, legally it must have a license plate on it, doesn't it?

I have called the California DMV they won't be open on the weekend so I won't be able to purchase some kind of a temporary registration plus they said I would need to forfeit the title to the state… Which seems very weird.

My insurance agent see who deals with licensing here in British Columbia claims that I must have a plate or a temporary plate on the vehicle to legally tow it.

Does anyone have experience doing this? What is the easiest least hassle way to make this happen?

2 o'clock on a Friday afternoon and I'm running out of time to make phone calls and put things in place for this weekend… Starting to get a little bit stressed.

Please help.

Thanks, Sean.


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[Permit Bob]

Sean,


This might be a bit of a different situation, however....


I just purchased a new travel trailer and brought it home to New Mexico; crossed four state borders.


Purchased an insurance rider for the trailer (gave the insurance co. the vin#), was given a bill of sale and a certificate of origin (from the manufacturer and the state; one document) AND a temporary tag which was obtained from their MVD and applied to the rear of the trailer. Drove back to my home state with no issues.


Within 30 days I need to go to the MVD here in New Mexico and register the trailer to obtain a permanent license plate. When I do that I'll need to show my bill of sale and point of sale document for them to figure how much tax I owe them on the purchase of this trailer. That tax is calculated for the state the trailer is registered in.


I'm not an expert and this is the first time I've ever bought something this way, but I would assume you'd need that temp. tag and bill of sale (at a minimum) to legally pull it and get it across the Canadian border. Otherwise.... They might question who you got it from???


Just my thoughts,


Eric

[Dudley]

I bought our casita in ND in may and all we did was get a "drive out permit" which was good for all the states and provinces. I did not have to surrender the title and had no problems at the border. The trailer was older than 15 years so all I did was fill in the RIV document and pay the GST, no RIV fee. Placed the permit in the back window of the trailer and headed north. I could have even bought the permit from a state trooper and I think it was about $30

[cpaharley2008]

Sean,
With a bill of sale you should be good without plates as long as you have proof of insurance. Lots of Escape buyers get their units in BC and drive them cross country home without issues. In California the plates stay with the vehicle, so you may have plates already. Don't fret the small stuff, enjoy your trip back home.

[Whaler]

Okay so as it turns out the seller Gary will leave the plates on the trailer for me which has current and legal tags still on it. I will have a bill of sale, and a pink slip or clear title from him to me to present at the border. I talked to the California DMV and they said his registration and tags are perfectly legal for me to drive the trailer with… Pleased and relieved. Thanks for your help folks.



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[cpaharley2008]

I'd still get a bill of sale for registration/tax purposes.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Sean,
Don't fret the small stuff, enjoy your trip back home.

I agree with that!
A good friend used to say..."Why worry? They can killya but they cain't eat cha... It's aginst the law!

[kootenaigirl]

I was just going to suggest you may already have a plate on it, perfect. Yes make sure you have the bill of sale and also the ad or copies of emails as sometimes they will want to see that at the border to make sure you aren't trying to pull a fast one regarding paying appropriate sales tax.
Sounds like a fun trip.

[Dudley]

Yes they do ask info on how you found the trailer and want to see a email trail as far as the purchase price is concerned. They were more interested in that , than the trailer itself. I pulled up to Canada customs and declared the trailer, the pointed out a spot to park it and never looked at it. Could have brought back anything in it. The whole process took about 10 minutes. Not sure of the age of your trailer but if its 15 years old its easy.

[Bob Miller]

I'm guessing that this is too late to help but:


In California, unless they have personalized plates, the existing plates always stay on the vehicle. If the registration is current you are good to go. If NOT if you are a member of the Canadian Auto Club it is an affiliate of the AAA in California and they can also do registration transfers/plates etc and most are open on Saturday.
hope this late bit helps.

[Gerry Kiernan]

I would suggest that you stop by your insurance agent or ICBC office and get a few copies of vehicle transfer papers to take with you. Fill your end out before you go, and have the current owner fill out his end when you get there. I would also get a bill of sale from the current owner. Why a few copies? I don't know about you, but it seems I always screw up the first one. The bill of sale and the local paperwork should get you across the border without too much hassle.

[Bob Miller]

You can also print out any of the California DMV forms you might need from dmv.ca.gov, including Bill of Sale, and the Transfer of Vehicle forms.