🇨🇦 Importing a Japanese car to Canada
Canada exempts vehicles 15 years or older from federal safety standards — a decade more permissive than the United States.
15-Year Rule
In 2026, vehicles built in 2011 or earlier qualify. That line moves one year every January — a car that is ineligible today may be legal next year.
Duty: 6.1% MFN plus 5% GST (provinces add PST/HST). A CPTPP certificate of origin brings duty to 0%, but used JDM cars often can't get one, so budget for 6.1%.
Duty origin follows where the car was built, not where it was bought. A German car purchased in Japan is still EU-origin, so the Japan trade-agreement rate does not apply to it.
How it goes
- Check the vehicle is 15+ years old by month of manufacture.
- Confirm it is not on the Transport Canada inadmissible list.
- Ship to a Canadian port and file Form 1 at the border.
- Pay 6.1% duty plus GST (and provincial tax on registration).
- Provincial safety inspection, then register.
2,958 cars in stock qualify (2011 and older)
View all ›Prices are the Japanese domestic asking price. Shipping, duty and compliance are extra — ask us for a landed quote and we will put the whole number in one place.