How Long Does It Take to Ship my Vehicle to Canada?

Know How Long Does It Take to Ship my Vehicle to Canada

If you decide that you want to ship a vehicle into Canada from the United States you’ll undoubtedly be curious how long the whole process is going to take. After all, you must plan how early you start having the vehicle shipped to make sure it arrives on time for use in Canada. The truth is that it’s very hard to predict exactly how long transporting your vehicle to Canada will take, because the timeframe depends on the company that you use as well as other shipping factors.

How Long is the Wait Time?

Most shipping companies have a wait time that you must sit through before the shipping process begins. Often, you’ll deposit your vehicle and then start the waiting period before transport finally becomes available. This usually takes between one and two weeks after booking the company to do the job. Always ask how long you’ll need to wait before the company will begin shipping your vehicle. For shorter trips the wait time will be the bulk of the time for your transport job.

3 Day Processing on Imports

In the event that your car is considered an import, an extra three days of processing time will be required; however, this is typically accomplished during the waiting period. Customs officers in Canada need to be provided with certain documents to prepare for the shipment of vehicles. Allow the border patrol agents one extra day to process the vehicle and review the paperwork.

Transportation

The actual transportation period can take anywhere from 3 days to several weeks with most shipments depending on the distance that needs covering. A shipment from just below the Canadian border to one of the southern territories is not going to take nearly as long as going from a southern part of the United States into somewhere like the Northwest Territories.

You should expect to wait anywhere from a week to a month when having a vehicle transported into Canada. That includes the initial wait period after hiring the company, all the way through the final delivery of your vehicle. It’s best to ask for specific timeframes when providing all the details of your transport job to the company you’re working with, that’s the only way to get an accurate estimate for the project. Always contact the shipping company well in advance of when you need your vehicle moved, and plan your transport based on the time quote that you receive.

For the fastest shipping times from the U.S. to Canada, be sure to fill out the fast quote form on this page and an agent with A-1 Auto Transport will be in touch shortly to get your car booked for the highest quality Canada auto transport.