Canadian to buy used in US

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sujane80

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Nov 19, 2016
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I have been thinking of buying a cheap used RV in the US privately, probably in Texas or Arizona, and using it this spring and summer in the US and Canada.  I have a Jeep that I bought in the US and keep in Mexico, and used North Dakota to register and license it remotely, using my Canadian address which they allow.  I am wondering on the best course of action - should I buy it in the US and get a temporary permit to drive it up to Canada and import it to register and license in Alberta - or register and licence in ND like I did my Jeep.  If I do that, can I drive it into Canada to use for the summer and not import it?  And if I bring it back to the US and store it for the winter, does owning a US registered vehicle and keeping it in the US affect my non-resident tax status?  I mean will the IRS look at me having a vehicle registered and licenced in the US as being a de-facto resident of the US?  I plan to use the RV full-time during spring/summer/fall in Canada and US and possibly in Mexico during the winter.  I will work remotely online wherever I am.
 
The one thing you are not likely to be able to do is bring a US registered vehicle back to Canada for more than a very short VISIT if you are a Canadian resident. The boarder people will likely insist on you formally importing it. They may even give you a formal notice with a specific date by which the vehicle has to be removed from Canada if they have any doubts about what you are doing. (Many Canadian boaters have been caught up in this nightmare when they wanted to repair and/or store a US registered boat back here over winter.)

Your US car/RV ownership normally will not affect your residency/taxpayer status but be aware it might work against you should something else trigger an inquiry. Remember, as a visitor to the US, you are not allowed to work there under most circumstances.

Importing the RV to Canada and using it as a "snowbird" or storing it like your Jeep are by far the safest options but you can still get tripped up by US immigration laws especially if you are "young". I have been asked a number of times "How do you intend to support yourself during this visit to USA" and I have been retired for a loonng time and look it.

This may be of interest to you: https://www.riv.ca/ImportingAVehicle.aspx
 

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