Importing Canadian Vehicles

Many Canadian vehicles have emission control systems that are identical to the emission control systems on equivalent vehicles certified in the United States. However, although they are identical to a certified configuration, these Canadian vehicles may not have an emissions compliance label identifying them as conforming to EPA requirements.

Importers need to verify whether the Canadian vehicle they are importing is or is not identical to a United States certified version.

A Canadian vehicle is identical to a United States certified version if one of the following is true:

• The Canadian vehicle has an emission label stating it is certified to United States EPA federal emission standards.
  • How to Find the Vehicle Emissions Label.

• The vehicle manufacturer’s United States representative has provided a letter of compliance that states the vehicle complies with all United States EPA regulations. Generally, EPA only accepts compliance information from the manufacturer’s United States or Canadian representative.
  • List of Manufacturers' United States Representatives.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) may request the importer submit a letter of compliance from the manufacturer, even if the vehicle is determined by EPA to be identical to a United States certified version.

Importers also need to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for NHTSA import regulations.

If the Canadian vehicle is not identical to a United States certified version, please refer to: 

• section 2.1.2.2, "Canadian Vehicles Not Identical to United States Version Vehicles", and
• section 2.1.3, "Non-United States Version Vehicles", in the Procedures for Importing Vehicles and Engines Manual (68 pp, 3.23 MB,, EPA-420-B-10-027, About PDF).