Importing Minis

[MiniNHF]

I tried doing some research on the internet and it must be to complicated for my brain to handle....

Has anyone imported a mini from Canada to the United States? If so what is the process, fees etc?

Thanks in advanced for anyone that can help on this

 

[Ryan Johnson]

I think there was a thread not too long ago on this, if you type some of the key words in the search engine you may have some luck

Sorry no help form the other side of the world

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Yes, I did in 2003. We went and got him ourselves. His seller was fantastic, she got all the health papers and Coggins done on her end. He was shipped from her place in Manitoba to a stock yard in Toronto. There we produced a bill of sale and took possession.

When we went through customs it was a bit of a challenge. They sent us to several different buildings until we found the correct one. They did take our driver's licenses until we cleared importation. After that you have to go to the Federal veterinarian, to get the horse inspected. It was $28 back in 2003, I don't know what it is now. Inspection was a joke, I opened the trailer, he looked at Sunny, I picked up his forelock to show markings and that was it. Away we went and Sunny was now a US Citizen.

Now, if you're having him professionally shipped, I don't have a clue...

 

[MiniNHF]

^ thanks for the info

I have a friend who is willing to go get the horse who is from Minnesota, which is a shorter travel, 10 hours then have him shipped to me which is about 10 hours via shipper vs 35 hours via a shipper... trying to find the easiest/less troublesome of the two. I think the furthest away ive gotten any horse is 4 hours lol

I searched but knowing myself I didnt put in the right key words lol

I think there was a thread not too long ago on this, if you type some of the key words in the search engine you may have some luck

Sorry no help form the other side of the world

 

[JWC sr.]

I would suggest you contact one of the professionals in the field, there are several that advertise here at Lil Beginnings that I am sure would be glad to share information with you that is up to date and concise.

 

[Minimor]

you will need to have a negative coggins, taken within 180 days of import into the US, and a health certificate (the sort that is CFIA approved, for permanent export) and you will need an inspection by USDA vet at the port of entry. An import permit is not required for Canadian horses.

I am not sure what the fee is for the inspection by the vet at the border. Your coggins/health paper will probably end up costing somewhere between $150 and $200, perhaps a little bit more. (just a guess, based on local vet charges)

There were some new requirements (as of 3-4 years ago) regarding who can transport horses (for permanent export) into the US. I have a friend I could ask about that--she told me about it at the time; I am pretty sure she had to sign up for it and got some sort of a bar code, but I don'tever know if that was because she was hauling multiple horses down into the US (her own sales) or if everyone hauling an export horse into the US has to have that code. I didn't pay a lot of attention at the time. Not sure if that bar code qualifies her as a broker for exporting her own horses, or if she still has to go through a broker. To import horses into Canada we don't need a broker if the price is under a certain amount, but I believe all horses going into the US have to go through a broker.

You will also have to provide a bill of sale when you take the horse across the border; it needs to have the correct sale price noted on it, because the border officers can check out the selling price if they suspect it is lower than it is supposed to be. They will check the seller's website to see if the sale price listed there matches the price on the bill of sale. If there are multiple horses on that sale page, they can question why your horse's price is lower than some of the others listed on the site. They can even check your bank account (and that of the seller) to see if the financial records match your bill of sale. I don't know what percentage you pay on the selling price, but I believe you do pay a tax based on that price.