Taking a salvage vehicle from Canada or the US to another country
Exporting a vehicle bought on DNF to a country other than Canada or the US: why the destination's rules decide, the steps out of the US and Canada, and who arranges the shipping.
General guidance. No specialist review is claimed unless named on this page.
Taking it to another country: every country sets its own rules for importing used, salvage and damaged vehicles, and many restrict them or ban them outright. Check with the destination country's customs and vehicle authorities before you buy. Leaving the US or Canada has its own export steps, below.
Canada is one example of how strict those rules can be: it bars salvage-branded vehicles under 15 years old coming from countries other than the US or Mexico. Expect the country you're shipping to to have rules of its own, and read them before you make an offer.
Leaving the US
The title (or the salvage, junk or scrap certificate) has to reach U.S. Customs and Border Protection at least 72 hours before the vehicle leaves: the original or a certified copy, and two complete copies. By sea or air, the documents and the vehicle both go to CBP at least 72 hours before export. CBP authenticates the documents and usually returns the originals.
The export has to be filed electronically, as Electronic Export Information, whatever the vehicle is worth and wherever it's going.
If there's a lien, you'll also need the lienholder's written permission: a signed letter on its letterhead saying the vehicle may be exported. DNF doesn't arrange export, so check with CBP at the port you'll use or hire a customs broker.
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Vehicles for sale (1)Leaving Canada
For a destination other than the US, an export declaration is required for non-restricted commercial goods above a value threshold. The CBSA's exporters' guide sets out the threshold and how to report, and a customs broker can tell you what applies to your vehicle.
Shipping and customs brokers
Shipping and customs brokers are your choice. DNF doesn't arrange them, and we never handle the vehicle payment, the title or the transport: you and the seller settle the price and the paperwork between yourselves, and you take it from there.
See every vehicle listed on DNF, or go back to buying across the border.
Questions and answers
Can I export a junk or nonrepairable US vehicle?
The US export rules don't bar it: a vehicle with a junk or scrap certificate is exported on that certificate, which has to reach U.S. Customs and Border Protection at least 72 hours before the vehicle leaves. Whether the destination country will take it is up to that country.
Do I have to file anything to export a vehicle from the US?
Yes. Electronic Export Information has to be filed for every used vehicle, whatever its value or destination, and the title documents go to U.S. Customs and Border Protection at least 72 hours before export.
Does DNF arrange shipping?
No. Shipping and customs brokers are your choice, and DNF never handles the vehicle payment, the title or the transport.
Sources
The pages we relied on, which have the final say. Rules, fees and auction terms change, so check them before you buy, repair, register or resell a vehicle.
- 19 CFR 192.2, Requirements for exportation (eCFR) (ecfr.gov)
- 15 CFR 30.2, General requirements for filing Electronic Export Information (eCFR) (ecfr.gov)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Exporting a motor vehicle (cbp.gov)
- Canada Border Services Agency: Exporters' guide to reporting (cbsa-asfc.gc.ca)
- Canada Border Services Agency: Memorandum D19-12-1, Importing vehicles into Canada (cbsa-asfc.gc.ca)
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