| Proof of ownership issue, US Custom!
The rules vary with State and Province, as well as by the
mental disposition of the Customs border officer on the day
you see him.
When I imported my car, I spent a lot of time on both US
& Canadian Customs web sites making sure I understood
the rules absolutely perfectly beforemaking the trip. I also
made a point of calling the Customs offices of both countries
to talk to an agent to get any advice.
The Canadians didn't much care about anything other than
getting as much of my money as they could. However, the US
Customs border folk decided that they wanted to do things
a bit different than the Web version. They insisted that *all*
the documentation arrive at their office *at least* (their
emphasis) 72 hours before my arrival with the car.
When I commented "That's a tall order, considering that
I don't intend to pay for the car until I go there to look
at it ... why would the seller send the registration documents
for a car that he has not been paid for ?", the US Customs
officer dismissed me with "That's your problem ... sir
...".
Indeed.
I checked the other border crossings in the area, and got
variations of the same story. None of them were at all concerned
that their policies differed from the official version posted
by the Feds on the Web. Aside from the crazy logistics, I
was concerned that the "requirements" would change
between talking to these folks and my arrival at the border,
because they were quite open about their power to "impound
or seize the car" if they didn't like the paperwork.
In the end, I decided to single out one specific agent, work
out an agreement with him, and then have him specify the documentation
he wanted to see, as well as an appointment for the time slot
he was available. I was able to convince this guy that a notarized
copy of the papers should be acceptable, and got the car's
owner to FedEx them to him 72 hours prior to my arrival at
the border ... "and not a minute before", as the
Customs agent insisted ! Finally, I faxed him (no email) a
letter confirming our
arrangements.
Would I do it again? I'd sure think twice about it, but of
course that's exactly what the Customs folk want.
.. gREgg
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