Just sharing my experience of importing a car from Japan to Canada. TLDR: it’s fun, not that expensive, but a bit slow.

But… why?

Some cars are exclusive to Japan, weren’t sold anywhere else. It’s also easier to find some specific models there, prices can be lower too. I like to think cars are generally better maintained there, but I might be biased. If you’re into cars, you’ll get it. If you don’t really care about cars, this is obviously not for you.

In my case, I was dead set on getting a kei van, more specifically a Suzuki Every wagon, the turbo version, with high roof, A/C, 4 wheels drive, and if possible, electric sliding doors and heated seat. Pretty much the most “luxurious” version of the Every.

Rules?

I did a bit of research to make sure this was a good idea. I regularly see japanese exclusive cars driving around town, so I knew it shouldn’t be too complicated.

First thing is to understand the laws to see what you can and cannot import. In Canada, the general rule is that a car has to be at least 15 years old to be imported.

In BC, the car will have to pass an inspection, to confirm it’s safe enough to be driven on the roads. The inspection covers everything, down to oil leaks, so be prepared having to fix things before passing inspection.

How?

3 easy steps!

  • Finding & buying the car
  • Shipping
  • Importing in destination country (taxes, duties, customs clearance)

I recommend going through a company that will at least handle the search/buy process (they will have access to auctions that you wouldn’t be able to) and shipping. You can technically do the importing process all on your own. Or find a local broker that will help you go through it. I personally went for the easiest route: used a company that does it all. It’s obviously the most expensive way to go at it, but I was willing to pay for the peace of mind.

My Experience

Timeline

  • Contacted B-Pro via email May 11th 2025
  • Initial $1000 deposit May 16th 2025
  • Started receiving auction findings May 19th 2025
  • Finally a Suzuki Every ticking all the boxes May 28th 2025
    • Received walkthrough videos via Telegram
    • Auction won! 385,000 JPY (~= $3,500CAD)
  • Received bill from B-Pro May 30th 2025
    • Total to be paid: $8,125.00 CAD (in addition to the $1000 CAD deposit)
  • Received and signed purchase contract June 3rd 2025
  • Received shipping update from B-Pro August 6th 2025
    • Vessel Name: Crystal Ace Estimated Departure: 2025/08/14 Estimated Arrival: 2025/09/01
  • Received another shipping update from B-Pro August 27th 2025
    • Vessel Name: Grand Duke Estimated Departure: 2025/08/22 Estimated Arrival: 2025/09/02
    • Car had effectively shipped by the time I got the email. Tracked the boat using https://www.marinetraffic.com
  • RoRo ship arrived in New Westminster (Annacis Island) September 2nd
    • Ship left on Sep. 3rd
  • Received customs & sale documents by email September 5th 2025
    • Canada custom coding form
    • Shipping documents
    • Bill of sale
    • Japanese export certificate
    • RIV info
  • Received email about towing company for car pickup from the port September 6th 2025
    • Received the phone number of the tow driver
    • Scheduled date Sep. 9th
    • Contacted him to tow the car to Ocean Park Auto
    • Price: $175 CAD
  • Received customs & sales documents in paper format September 9th
  • Tow driver picked up the car and delivered it to Ocean Park Auto September 9th
    • Received pictures after delivery
  • Got inspection results from Ocean Park Auto September 12th
    • Needs:
      • DRL (daytime driving lights)
      • Battery failed load test
      • Left front strut is leaking - requires replacement, advised to replace both front struts
  • Received estimate from Ocean Park Auto September 15th
  • Received a call from Ocean Park Auto September 16th
    • Received wrong parts for front suspensions
    • Can’t find parts, they’re searching
  • Got multiple calls from Ocean Park Auto while they tried to find the parts.
  • Car was finally ready October 29th
  • Car picked up October 31st

Details

I went with B-Pro as they’re canadian ❤️ and seem to have a good reputation.

I first contacted them to make sure they could help me find the the perfect Every. Once they confirmed they would be able to find something that suits me, I made a deposit. They then started sending me auction cars matching my requirements. Each one comes with its auction sheet and pictures, provided by the auction house. It took a while until there was one that ticked all the boxes. I gave them the go ahead, with the maximum price I’m willing to pay.

They sent me videos of the cars a bit before the car was up for auction, and asked me to confirm I still wanted it. The person recording showed the interior, exterior, undercarriage, and pointed to little defects and potential problems. I don’t think I would buy a car without those videos. The pictures from the auction house are ok, but definitely not enough to get a sense of the state of the car. Auctions are going fast, I got confirmation I won the car half an hour later, for quite less than my max price.

It was then time to empty my pockets and pay for the car, fees, transportation, taxes and duties.

Then nothing for a long while, as we have to wait for a shipping company willing to take my kei car on their boat. I got an email from B-Pro with the shipping info.

I first was planning to bring the car home, check everything and fix the eventual issues myself before trying to pass the inspection. But once again, my laziness got the better of me. I contacted a shop that was recommended to me, they do car inspections and they have experience with japanese imports. I organized the transport of my car from the port to the shop. They did the inspection, gave me a list of what needed to be done to pass the inspection, and got to work. That’s where we hit a little issue, finding parts. It took a while because they tried to source them locally first, but ended up having to get them from Japan. That’s the major downside of importing. Once they finally received them though, it went pretty fast.

And on October 31st, I was a happy man.

Overall, it went pretty smooth. It took a while but it’s not like there were major roadblocks. Getting the parts was annoying, but I didn’t deal with it, the shop did. I had to pay though, that wasn’t cheap. But it’s part of the game. I knew there was a potential for repairs being needed to pass inspection, and that was part of my budget. Receiving a list of cars to pick from every week was very fun. And it gets very exciting when I finally saw one I liked. All in all, I do recommend it!