Driving to Montreal

Hopefully this is the right place to get this question answered:

Next year we (couple and babygirl from the Netherlands) intend to buy an RV in the US and drive this to Montreal where we will live and work for a while with a Canadian temporary work permit. Idea is to use the RV for several months in Quebec for weekend trips and store it in the US before the winter starts (would anyone have an idea where and how we can do this?)

Main question is how long can we keep the RV in Canada (because of the US license plate) before we need to import it or something?

Thanks for your answers!

I am guessing here, but if you are in Canada less than 6 months, you're probably alright.

Vehicle registration is done at the provincial level, not federal, so you should probably check with DOT in Qu?bec.  Here's a link:
http://www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/portal/page/portal/accueil_en

I do know people driving for several years with plates from out of province because they are commercial vehicle and it's registered wherever the headquarters are located.  So you may not need to register it in Canada.  But again, best check with DOT in Qu?bec.

    I think this is the correct website, under #2, Exemptions.  Unfortunately the one provided by Marc deals with Provincial Registration.

http://www.riv.ca/RIVExemptions.aspx

    You will find that there are not many campsites close to Montreal, but there are many that have lots to offer within a couple of hours.  A 2 hour drive from Montreal will get you to the Quebec City area, the Ottawa/Gatineau area, the Eastern Townships or into the Laurentians.  A day's drive will take you to the Gaspe, mid Ontario, or the Maritimes.  (where both Marc & I live) 
    As for storage, we do have some forum members who might have local information, and hopefully they join in.

Ed

This is the answer I was looking for. Thanks Ed!

"RIV exemptions:
[..] visitors, for a period of 12 months or less; temporary residents [..] or individuals with valid work permits for a period of 36 months or less"

Does this really mean that we can just keep it in the Montreal area, without bothering?

We don't mind a few hours drive, thanks for the tips. Anyone information on storage as Ed's suggesting?

Heppie
Just more info for you to consider. You are only 40 miles North of the US border when in Montreal. That area of New York State is the Adirondacks and is quite beatiful . ... just sayin . The price of fuel for the motorhome is also going to be much more reasonable there too.

    As for understanding the legaleze, I would suggest you contact them and ask them the questions directly, and keep copies of their replies.
    As wannabfree says, you are only less than an hour from the border, and that opens up loads of great RVing areas.  There are some real nice State Parks on Lake Champlain in both NY or VT.  You'll have a great time visiting    ;D

Ed

I see some complications with registering the RV in the U.S. and living in Canada.

The first that comes to mind is the insurance, because if you insure it in the U.S., you need to have a U.S. address, and U.S. drivers license.  If you get a Quebec (or any other Canadian) drivers license, which you need if you live there, you cannot legally cross the border with a vehicle registered in the U.S.  If you live in Quebec, and have a Quebec drivers license, you cannot insure the vehicle if it is registered in the U.S.

Imporrting an RV into Canada requires clearing customs, and making any modifications to conform to Canadian road law.  This is usually relatively trouble free, but there are coaches that cannot be cleared.

More information HERE

Storage of an RV in Montreal is easy if you cannot park it at your home.  There are hundreds of facilities where you can store an RV around the City.

If your RV is registered in the U.S. and you don't want to import it into Canada, you can probably find a place to store it in Plattsburgh N.Y. or Burlington VT  which is what some people in Montreal have done (myself included).

Your other option is to buy the RV in Canada, in which case there would be no problem with registration, insurance and travel within Canada and in the U.S., if you will be living in Montreal.

Upscale RV parks around Montreal are almost not available except for one that can accomodate larger size RV's:  Alouette RV Park

It's located south of Montreal on the road to Quebec City, and about 45 minutes from the center of Montreal. 

There used to be another park in Laval but has been closed for several years.

There are a few other RV parks that could be considered: HERE

The KOA west of Montreal could be an option if you would be living in the West Island of Montreal or in the Husdon, St. Lazare area.

Quick reply for Steve;

It's not completely clear yet, but the idea is to use a postal address or possible the dealer's address to register the RV. If my information is correct an international driver license would be ok to register and insure the RV. Hopefully this will work.

The other option we also consider; buying a Canadian registered RV and travel through the US and than back into Quebec. We considered buying one in BC and than travel south, but the practical problem than is that a lot of additional miles must be made and the temperature is not too high early March...

Thank for the addresses for storing the RV.

March would be a bit early to be traveling with an RV in the northern states and especially in Eastern Canada, particularly if you are not accustomed to the climate and to driving a large vehicle.  Most people who migrate back to Canada from the Southern States wait until at least the first week of April (still risky) to mid and end April.

Snow can fall in Eastern Canada and in the higher elevations of the approach routes to Montreal in Northern New York, Vermont or Pennsylvania (depending on which interstate highway you take).

We considered buying one in BC and than travel south,

Click to expand...

If you do this and intend to put Quebec license plates on it, when purchasing in B.C or any other Province, the sealer will put a temporary "Transit Sticker" which is a temporary travel permit before you arrive at the Province of final registration.  These Transit Stickers are valid for two to three weeks, so the vehicle must be registered in its home province.

I don't know how long an International drivers license is valid in Canada or in the U.S. when you are taking up residence, but I would suggest you contact the authorities in the licensing ofices of Quebec to clarify drivers license reqirements, and insurance .

Some of the proposals you alluded to about using a dealer's address, etc are clearly illegal and if you have an accident in either Canada or the U.S. and your insurance or resident status does not conform to the law with regard to vehicle registration, you could expose yourself to legal problems as well as insurance claims being denied, for which you would be personally liable.

How come using a post box e.g. is illegal? In a previous discussion I was told that this would be ok...

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=48832.0

You have to have an address so you can register the RV. If you buy it in the states and register it here you will need an address in the state you register it in. I think that in most states you can rent a PO box for registering. But you will need to find one that is a mail box/mail forwarding service like http://www.maillinkplus.com/.

Heppie,

You must realize that people here on the forum giving you their opinions are just that, their opinions.  Often they may not be not factual; or even up to date.  It's up to you to contact the appropriate authority and find out what the law requires; and how you can comply.

You also need to realize that the US and Canada are very large countries with States and Provinces that have, often time, different legal requirements specific to each area. 

While we are anxious to help, we are not a legal source for information.

Marsha~ 

Of course, I understand. I still hope to find a person who traveled a similar path 

Goedemorgen Heppie;

I am a Dutchie like you, living in Alberta.  I can put you in touch with a Dutchman who bought a motorhome in the NY, traveled around in it for a year, including in Canada, then sold it. I know this is not exactly what you have in mind but it may be a good start for you to get in touch with him. Let me know and I will set up this contact. In fact he is a (former?) Forum member.

A big difference with Holland is that vehicle registrations are done by a state or province and each state or province has its own rules. Maybe in one state you can use a PO box to register a vehicle, but in another state you can not. Between states or between provinces it is simple to move a vehicle, i.e. buying one in BC then selling it in Quebec but if you buy in one country, then are planning to sell in another country, things get more complicated. You will need good insurance and that too is determined by the state or province where the licence plates are issued. Some provinces in Canada have "no fault" insurance while others have regular rules.
Generally speaking you can drive in a province for three months with the plates from another province but then you have to change. We learned this the hard way when we moved from Quebec to Alberta (car was impounded!).

Also generally speaking, traveling from March to June would pretty well exclude Canada, except for BC, because of the weather. The weather in BC is much like Holland but the rest of Canada is much colder and have lots more snow.

It seems to me that you'd be best off buying a unit somewhere in New York State, travel down the east coast then loop back to Montreal. Store it in NY. My contact can tell you how that would work with the insurance. The good weather in Montreal starts in May. We lived in Montreal for 14 years and LOVED it! It is a vibrant city and lots of fun. Any idea where you'll be living?

BTW my Dutch home city is Hilversum. Where are you living?

Elly

Elly, Thanks very much for this reply. I sent you an email!

On your way to Montreal, stop in Malone, NY to play one of the finest golf courses in the northeastern USA. Malone is one hour south west of Montreal and ten miles from the Canadian border. There are several border crossings across Northern NY. Most are uncongested and pose little delay in crossing. However, if you cross at Champlain, NY, (interstate 87) you could have along delay due to the volume of traffic.

Thanks very much John! Only thing left now is the RV. We're getting a grip on the material... I hope Elly will read her mail in 2012 and hopefully we can book the tickets asap. Happy new year to everyone!

Heppie, Can you resend your email to me? Please send it to edalmaijer at aol.com. That works better than the gmail account.

Thanks!