Shipping a Motorhome to Canada for Touring: Halifax, Costs and the 12-Month Rule

How much does it cost to ship a motorhome to Canada?

Typical RORO sea freight from our customer quotes in the last 90 days (the lower and upper quartiles):

UK to Halifax

Motorhome £2,550–3,510; 4x4 camper £1,930–3,060; expedition truck £3,660–5,290

Europe to Halifax

Motorhome €2,920–4,060; 4x4 camper €2,190–3,520; expedition truck €4,200–6,130

Home from Halifax to the UK

Motorhome US$2,860–3,980; 4x4 camper US$2,190–3,460; expedition truck US$4,140–5,990

Home from the USA or Canada to Europe

Motorhome US$2,520–3,440; 4x4 camper US$1,690–3,020; expedition truck US$3,560–5,100

Halifax import fees are about €200–350 for a RORO vehicle. Marine insurance is extra unless stated. Price is set by length, width, height and weight, so declare the measurements including racks, boxes and ladders.

Why Halifax?

• RORO sailings: weekly from Liverpool and Southampton, about 8 days at sea
• Free storage at the port: 5 days at Halifax
• A customs broker is not needed for a RORO vehicle in Halifax; we give customs clearance support and work with your own broker if you prefer
• From Halifax the road runs through New Brunswick to Quebec and to the US border in Maine

Containers also go to Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver for vehicles low enough to fit.

The 12-month visitor rule

The Canada Border Services Agency lets a visitor bring in a vehicle used only by them for up to 12 months without meeting Transport Canada requirements. Transport Canada says visitors need no formal declaration, only the visitor may drive the vehicle, it cannot be sold or given away in Canada, and it must leave before the time limit. Non-commercial temporary imports are documented through the CBSA's E29B process; keep any permit you are given with the vehicle papers. Students and workers with a permit can keep a vehicle for the length of the permit, up to 36 months.

Your own stay is separate: border officers routinely admit visitors for six months, and a longer stay needs a visitor record from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Plan the trip so the vehicle leaves Canada within its 12 months.

Taking a vehicle to Canada: visitors, temporary residents and permanent import →

Driving on into the USA

Many travellers land in Halifax and cross into the USA. The USA has its own rules: a non-resident can keep the vehicle there for up to one year, with DOT form HS-7 box 5 and EPA form 3520-1 code O, and the EPA approval letter must be in hand before the vehicle enters. Apply before you leave home. We confirm the land-border paperwork for your vehicle before you ship.

• Check your motor insurance covers both countries: some US insurers are not licensed in Canada, so arriving in Halifax first can matter
• On ESTA you can stay 90 days in the USA, and short trips back to Canada count towards them
• Ship home from Halifax or from a US port such as Baltimore

Shipping a motorhome to the USA →

Insurance and preparation

• Motor insurance valid in Canada is needed before you drive. We give you contacts and introductions to insurers; we do not sell it
• Marine cargo insurance for the crossing, through us: motorhomes from €300 single trip or €600 multi-trip, up to €50,000 value, with contents up to €15,000 for motorhomes insured through us
• Gas bottles removed, or empty with a gas-free certificate
• Belongings: some carriers allow limited tourism items in motorhomes, stowed out of sight and at your own risk
• Clean inside and out, with no soil, seeds or food
• The vehicle travels inside the ship's enclosed hold, lashed in place

Preparing your vehicle for shipping: the checklist →

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