Canadian RV-8 project move to USA question?

Good day all, especially DAR's

I wonder if anyone out there has any advice on the con's of moving an RV8 project (Wings, Tail, Fuse, wiring all done, engine is hung) to the USA and completing the project there then have the final inspection carried out in the US and finally registering the airplane in America as a Canadian resident with a vacation home in AZ?

I was told that if I did this and wanted to move it back to Canada one day I would have to pay the GST on it's value to before I could re-register it as Canadian. Of course I have already paid the GST for every nut and bolt to this point, so I don't see how that could be the case, but that's beside the point.

Any information or personal experience with this kind of thing would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks kindly for your time.

Nothing prevents you from taking your kit to the US with you and finish it there.

Once done or 99% done, you'll have 2 choices:

1) Get the plane back in Canada - assemble - inspect - register - then do whatever you want with it, including flying it back to the US.

2) Officialy import the plane kit to the US (paperwork - Transport Canada/FAA - Assemble - inspect - register in US - Fly.

The best choice will greatly depend on your future plans. If you plan to stay in Canada most of the time, and maybe sell your vacation home one day, build werever you like, but register in Canada.

If you plan on moving south, register there.

If you take a US registered plane and import it back to Canada - you will pay taxes equivalent to the value of the plane. Even if you already paid them in the first place.

Thank you.

Thanks very much for the response!

I'm wondering now if there is a time limit for a Canadian registered airplane to be allowed tSteve based in the USA?

Who might be my best source of info for this kind of thing?

FAA, a DAR, or perhaps someone else?

Thanks again.

Moving the project back and forth across the border will be a pain in the *ss with paperwork and taxes, so plan to do this as infrequently as you possibly can. If you re-import it to Canada with the intent on registering it here, you will pay the appropriate combination of PST/GST/HST for your province. This is irrespective of whether you have paid it in the past while building the aircraft. Once the aircraft has been exported from Canada, when it comes back it's treated as a new aircraft.

If you do decide to take it to the US and finish it there, I can't see it being treated any differently than an aircraft that was started in the US. Once flying, you should know that you can't import it back to Canada until it's flown 100 hours. And a Canadian with a residence in Canada flying a US-registered airplane into Canada will in all likelihood be grounded at the airport of entry until they can somehow convince CBSA that they are really only bringing it in temporarily. They will want to charge you the taxes if you try it.

Not sure of your intent, but if you want to build it in the US, and register it as a Canadian plane, all you have to do is co-ordinate with Transport Canada, and fly your Canadian DAR down to look at it once during the build process, and again to issue the Canadian A/W certificate.

Thanks again for the replies.

My intent is to purchase a vacation home in AZ this spring and move my almost completed RV project there (from Canada). I work overseas so would be out of the US for at least 6 months per year, and would spend most of my time off in AZ. I would still have a house and residency in Canada.

I would like to have the option to at least fly my RV on trips to Canada but if being US registered and a Canadian resident would cause grieve with the border agency I'm not sure I would even bother.

The idea of flying an MDRA inspector (Canada's equivalent to a DAR) seems like a great idea (I have already had two 'pre-cover' MDRA inspections carried out on my project here in Canada).

My only question now is; if I had the final inspection carried out by an MDRA inspector down in AZ and registered it as a Canadian aircraft, is there a time limit for keeping a Canadian registered aircraft in the USA?

I'll need to check with the FAA and or TC but I thought I would tap the forums knowledge base first.

Thanks again for your help...

Haven't had time to look for the answer, but I'd be surprised its more than 6 months. As with a visitor entering in the US...

Check with TC - Call their Ottawa office.