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Rider Resources · Importing a Motorcycle

Importing a Motorcycle to Canada

Bringing a bike across the border — usually from the US — involves federal rules (Transport Canada, CBSA), duties and taxes, and provincial plating. Here's the process in plain language, sourced from the official pages.

The Short Version

Which rules apply depends almost entirely on two things: where the bike was made, and how old it is.

Most riders importing a bike are bringing one in from the United States, under 15 years old. That route runs through Transport Canada's Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) program: the bike must be on RIV's admissibility list, unmodified, clear of recalls, and pass a federal inspection within 45 days of crossing the border.

A motorcycle 15 years or older (by its manufacture date) is exempt from federal safety-standards compliance entirely — it skips the RIV inspection — but CBSA still checks it at the border and duties/taxes still apply.

Importing a used motorcycle from a country other than the US or Mexico is generally prohibited unless it qualifies under the 15-year exemption or a narrow set of other exceptions. New bikes bought directly from a manufacturer can sometimes qualify if they meet Canadian standards — check with CBSA before you commit to a purchase.

Under 15 years · from the US

Importing from the US (RIV Program)

The most common path. Do the checking before you buy — a bike that fails inspection has to leave the country even after you've paid duties and taxes on it.

Before you buy

  • Check the make/model/year against the RIV Vehicle Admissibility List. Being listed as "compatible" doesn't guarantee approval — it's a starting filter, not a promise.
  • Confirm the bike is unmodified from its original factory state. A motorcycle converted into a trike, for example, does not qualify.
  • Check for open recalls and get proof they're cleared — Transport Canada's own recall database only covers vehicles originally sold in Canada, so a US-market bike needs separate confirmation. Contact RIV to ask if electronic recall clearance is available for that make/model.

At the border and after

  1. Clear US Customs and Border Protection for export — CBP wants the title and an Internal Transaction Number (ITN) submitted at least 72 hours before you reach the port of exit.
  2. At the Canadian border, complete the Vehicle Import Form (Form 1) with a CBSA officer — this is done in person, not online — and pay applicable duty, GST, and any other taxes owed.
  3. Register with RIV and pay the program fee (currently $325 CAD plus applicable sales tax — confirm the current amount at riv.ca, as RIV fees do change).
  4. Present the motorcycle for its federal RIV inspection within 45 days of importation (one year for a salvage-titled bike). Passing gets you a Canadian compliance label.
  5. Take your import paperwork to ServiceOntario to get it plated (see "Getting It Plated in Ontario" below).
15+ years old · any origin

Vehicles 15 Years or Older

Age is measured from the manufacture date on the compliance label, not the model year.

A motorcycle manufactured 15 or more years before the date you import it is exempt from Motor Vehicle Safety Act compliance — no RIV inspection required. You still have to clear CBSA: they'll check ownership documents, inspect for soil/pest contamination, confirm the age exemption, and collect any duties and taxes owed.

The catch: if the bike has no manufacture-date markings anywhere on it to prove the exemption applies, it doesn't qualify — and becomes inadmissible on that basis. Keep the compliance/VIN plate legible and don't buy a bike missing one.

Successfully clearing customs on an older import still doesn't guarantee Ontario will plate it — check the provincial requirements below before you finalize a purchase, especially for anything unusual (right-hand drive, salvage history, non-standard lighting).

From outside the US/Mexico

Importing from Somewhere Other Than the US or Mexico

  • Used motorcycles from a country other than the US or Mexico are prohibited from import under Canadian tariff rules, with only narrow, specifically-listed exceptions.
  • New motorcycles bought directly from a manufacturer may be importable if they were built to Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) or were sold at retail in the US, or are a prescribed Mexican-market vehicle — but a bike built only for, say, the UK or Japanese domestic market and never certified for Canada generally cannot be permanently imported.
  • The 15-year age exemption still applies regardless of origin country — an older bike from Europe or Japan can potentially come in on that basis, subject to the same CBSA checks as above.

This is the area where mistakes are most expensive — a bike CBSA turns away at the border has to be re-exported, often at your cost. If you're considering a source outside the US or Mexico, contact CBSA's Border Information Service or a licensed customs broker before you pay for the bike, not after.

Duties & Taxes

Rough shape of the bill — get an exact number from CBSA's tariff classification for your specific model before you budget.

Typically applies

  • GST — 5% of the vehicle's value, collected at the border
  • Duty — motorcycles manufactured in the US or Mexico generally qualify for duty-free treatment under CUSMA with proof of origin; motorcycles manufactured elsewhere are subject to the standard Most-Favoured-Nation tariff for their HS classification
  • RIV program fee — currently $325 CAD + tax (US imports under 15 years old only)
  • Provincial sales tax — applied when you license the vehicle, not at the border

Sometimes applies

  • A/C excise tax — a flat $100 if the bike has an air conditioning unit (rarely relevant to motorcycles)
  • Green Levy — targets high fuel-consumption vehicles; check whether it applies to your import
  • Customs broker fees if you use one — optional, but many riders find it worth it for a first import

Trade rules move. Canada and the US have both adjusted vehicle-related tariffs in recent years in response to broader trade disputes. As of our last check, motorcycles (HS Chapter 87.11) sit outside the passenger-vehicle surtax orders currently in effect — but confirm the current duty rate for your bike's exact classification with CBSA or a customs broker at the time you import, not from this page.

Getting It Plated in Ontario

Clearing the border and Transport Canada is half the job — Ontario has its own requirements before you can legally ride it.

  • Safety Standards Certificate — required before plating any imported or newly-acquired used motorcycle. Have it inspected at a licensed Ontario inspection station; the certificate is valid for 36 days after inspection and isn't a warranty.
  • Insurance — you'll need proof of at least $200,000 in liability coverage before ServiceOntario will issue a plate.
  • Vehicle permit — bring your import paperwork (RIV documents or CBSA clearance for a 15+ year exemption), bill of sale, and ID to ServiceOntario to register the bike and get a permit and plate.
  • Ontario plates are owner-linked, not vehicle-linked — they move with you, not with the bike, if you already hold a plate.

Sources & Notes

This page summarizes, in plain language, the process described on the following official government pages as of our last review. Rules, fees, and tariffs change — always confirm current details on the source page before you buy or import a vehicle: