How to Fill Out RIV Form 1: Documents, Border, and Next Steps

To fill out RIV Form 1, use the online e-Form at riv.ca before you travel: enter the vehicle’s 17-character VIN, its year, make, model, and body style, its month and year of manufacture, and your Canadian mailing address and phone number, then print all four copies to hand to the border services officer when you cross. The Registrar of Imported Vehicles runs this declaration on behalf of Transport Canada, and every U.S. vehicle you are importing permanently must go through it before any province will register or insure the vehicle.

Two Ways to Submit the Form

The efficient route is the e-Form on the RIV website. You complete every field online, print all four copies, and bring them with you. The border services officer needs the printed copies at the time of declaration, so do not leave this to the port.¹

If you hire a licensed customs broker, they submit the declaration electronically through CBSA’s Single Window Initiative. In that case, you do not create or print the e-Form yourself.²

A paper copy is also available at the border, but filling it out on the spot slows the crossing and leaves no time to correct errors.

What the Form Asks For

Each field on Form 1 has to match the vehicle and the title exactly. A single wrong character can hold up the file later, when RIV generates your Vehicle Inspection Form from the same data.

Vehicle Identification Number: the full 17-character string stamped on the dashboard or door jamb. Copy it directly from the physical plate rather than from the bill of sale.
Year, make, model, and body style: match these to the U.S. Certificate of Title, not to marketing names.
Month and year of manufacture: found on the compliance label, usually on the driver’s door frame.
Canadian mailing address and phone number: RIV uses these to send inspection paperwork after the border crossing, so give an address where you can actually receive mail.

Get These Ready Before You Fill In the Form

Form 1 assumes you have already confirmed the vehicle can be imported and that you have the supporting documents in hand. Three things need to be settled first.

Admissibility

The vehicle must have been originally manufactured to U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and it generally must be less than 15 years old. Buses manufactured on or after January 1, 1971, are also covered. Transport Canada publishes an admissibility list, searchable by make, model, and year, that tells you whether your specific vehicle can enter Canada through RIV and what modifications it may need.³

Some vehicles fall outside RIV entirely and do not use Form 1:

Vehicles 15 years old or older are not regulated by RIV.
Low-speed off-road vehicles, including side-by-sides, ATVs, dune buggies, and dirt bikes with a designed maximum speed of 32 km/h (20 mph) or less.
Vehicles not originally built to U.S. or Mexican safety standards are ineligible for the RIV program.

Other CBSA and provincial requirements can still apply to these vehicles.⁴

Recall Clearance Letter

You need a letter from the manufacturer confirming that every outstanding safety recall on the vehicle has been addressed, and the letter must reference the full 17-character VIN. Without it, you cannot bring the vehicle into Canada.⁵

Every manufacturer has its own process. Some issue the letter free through a dealership or portal, and some charge. Volvo, for example, charges $1,000 USD and requires you to submit the VIN through its online system. Response times vary, and several weeks is common, so start early. If the vehicle was previously declared salvage, some manufacturers will not issue a clearance letter at all, which makes the vehicle ineligible for import.

U.S. Export Filing

U.S. Customs and Border Protection requires an Electronic Export Information filing through the Automated Export System at least 72 hours before you drive the vehicle across the border, regardless of value. The filing produces an Internal Transaction Number that has to appear on your export documentation.⁶

Bring the original Certificate of Title, or a certified copy from the issuing state, plus two complete photocopies. CBP inspects the vehicle and verifies the VIN on the day of export. Many land border ports do not process vehicle exports on weekends, so call the port ahead of time to confirm hours.⁷

Presenting the Form at the Canadian Border

At the CBSA port of entry, hand the officer your completed Form 1 (all four printed copies), or let your broker transmit it electronically. Present the original U.S. title, the recall clearance letter, and your personal identification. The officer reviews the documents, inspects the vehicle to verify the VIN, and processes the declaration.²

Clean the vehicle thoroughly before crossing. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency requires vehicles entering Canada to be free of soil, mud, and organic debris, because soil can carry regulated plant pests. A dirty undercarriage or wheel wells can trigger a CFIA hold.⁸

Once everything checks out, the officer stamps your Form 1 and returns a copy. Keep this stamped copy with the vehicle at all times. It is your legal authorization to possess and drive the vehicle in Canada until the federal inspection is completed. If the vehicle does not meet Transport Canada’s import requirements, CBSA has authority to detain it under section 101 of the Customs Act.²

After the Form Is Stamped

The RIV registration fee is $325 CAD, payable at the border or in advance through the RIV website, with GST or HST added based on the province where you enter. Entering through Ontario means paying 13% HST on the fee; entering through Alberta means only the 5% GST. RIV will not release your Vehicle Inspection Form until the $325 fee is paid.⁹¹⁰

CBSA also collects customs duty (vehicles that qualify as originating under CUSMA enter duty-free; most vehicles built in North America qualify), GST or HST on the vehicle’s value, a $100 federal air conditioning excise tax if the vehicle is equipped with air conditioning, and, for fuel-inefficient vehicles, a green levy that varies by model.¹¹

You then have 45 days from the border crossing to pass a federal inspection at an authorized RIV inspection centre (one year for salvage vehicles). To book, go to riv.ca and enter the case number from the top-right corner of your Form 1 or the RIV confirmation email; that pulls up your Vehicle Inspection Form, which the inspection centre retrieves digitally when you arrive. Missing the 45-day deadline can trigger fines, penalties, and forced removal of the vehicle under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.¹²¹³

Once the vehicle passes the inspection and receives its CMVSS compliance label, the federal side is finished, and you can take the paperwork to your provincial or territorial licensing authority to register the vehicle, obtain plates, and arrange insurance.

1
Registrar of Imported Vehicles. Vehicle Import Form
2
Canada Border Services Agency. Memorandum D19-12-1 – Importing Vehicles Into Canada
3
Transport Canada. Vehicle Import Compatibility (Admissibility) List for Vehicles Purchased in the United States
4
Registrar of Imported Vehicles. Vehicle Admissibility
5
Transport Canada. Frequently Asked Questions – Importing Vehicles Purchased in the United States Into Canada
6
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Exporting a Motor Vehicle
7
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Requirements for Exporting a Vehicle
8
Canada Border Services Agency. Bringing Food, Plant and Animal Products Into Canada
9
Canada Border Services Agency. Customs Notice 20-26 – Fee Increase Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) Program
10
Registrar of Imported Vehicles. Make an RIV Payment
11
Canada Revenue Agency. X3-1 Goods Subject to Excise Tax
12
Transport Canada. Transport Canada Checklist for Importers of U.S. Cars
13
Registrar of Imported Vehicles. Track the Status of Your Vehicle Inspection Form