Happy Halloween.

I've been getting increasingly peeved at those border crossing guys for making me import my pinche Nena.  Not that it won't be nice to have a car, but those border guys should give you all the information you need to import your car so there are no surprises and so you can make an informed decision BEFORE you start paying fees and stuff.  If I had known what all would be involved I would have just sold her for scrap and been done with it all. But they made it sound like it would be relatively easy and not tooooo expensive... They should have given me some kind of check-off sheet, a to-do list if you will, of what one needs to do and approximate costs.  But they don't.  So for anyone else reading this who might be importing a vehicle from the US into Alberta, here's your check list.

PRE-BORDER CROSSING

• 72hrs before arriving at the border, export your vehicle from the US.

BORDER CROSSING

• Pay steep tax on vehicle. If you don't have your bill of sale, they will look up the value of your car in their reference book and it will likely be more than the actual worth. 

POST-BORDER CROSSING

• Go online to RIV website to get a printable RIV form. ($200)
• Bring the RIV form and car to Canadian Tire for a ten minute RIV inspection ($0.00)
• Bring all the forms to a registry office and receive another form for an out of province inspection. ($10.00)
• Take THAT form (and maybe all the others) to an inspection approved/licensed mechanic for a thorough inspection. ($75-200, depending where you go)
• Purchase Albertan auto insurance (about twice as expensive as in US) 
• Take ALL the above forms and proof of insurance back to the registry office to register your vehicle (around $80.00) 

Now you are done, as far as I know... But then there may be plenty more surprised looming around the corner.