Importing and registering your car in California

I recently relocated from Vancouver to San Francisco, along with my cat Bowser, a uhaul container and my 2013 mini cooper.  I am writing this blog post to document the process for importing and registering my mini cooper.

Importing

For importing, visit the local US Customs and Border Protection office with your vehicle at
648 W Field Rd,
San Francisco,
CA 94128
Phone: (650) 989-2501

Here are the documents to bring with you:

1. Letter of Compliance 

You will have to obtain a letter of compliance from the car dealer where you purchase the vehicle from. It briefly outlines that the vehicle met with US emission and safety standards.  

2. VIN number

3. Passport

4. Driver license

You will fill out the Form 7501 there which will be needed for your vehicle registration below.

Registering

For registering, visit the local DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). I highly recommend making an appointment before visit as the average walk-in wait line is more than 2 hours. You can make an appointment here.

Here are the documents to bring with you:

1. Proof of Ownership 

DMV originally asked for the Registration Certificate, I actually never had one (US only?). They accepted my ICBC insurance document which clearly documented that I am the owner of the vehicle. 

2. Smog Test Report

Smog test is available at most gas stations. Make sure they issue you a Vehicle Inspection Report at the end. 

3. I-94

If you are on a working visa, please bring your I-94 with you

4. Form 7501

This is the paper for the CBP office about the import

5. Passport

Good luck with the move! 

Hongdae at Night & Acoustic Lives

Sun is setting down and Hongdae is getting busy!

We were too early for the music lives, so we walked around the block and I got to take pictures of all the cute exterior of the stores.

Very interesting decos! 

First stop: AcousticHolic

Tuesday night, its not busy. Howere, the girl was very good at singing!

Our next stop: RadioKitchen

Very cool stage! We saw two group artists there. 

Too bad I didn't take their name down.

Saw a cute street vendor on the way back at the end of night. 

Puppy Cafe in Hongdae

We came across a puppy cafe right outside of Hongik University. 

Since we went to the cat cafe already, why not check out some cute man's best friends as well? 

The address: 

343-6 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea

 The dogs gets very excited every time there is people near the entrance, and the owner always uses treats to distract them...

You Are Here Cafe

I love eatyourkimchi, I learned so much info about Seoul from their videos!
I know that they have their own cafe opened in Hongdae this year, so we paid a visit.

Notes and photos from fans all over the world. 

Our drinks. My smoothie was so rich and yummy!

On the second floor, it was filled with stylish mismatching chairs and cute plushes chilling here and there. It was too cute I almost melted. (*≧∪≦)  

More info: http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/you-are-here-cafe-opening/

Cat Cafe in Hongdae

First thing off my do-to list: Visit Cat Cafe! ((^∀^*))

There are couple Cat Cafes in Hongdae, we went to one called Ycat Cafe. It is right outside of the Unversity.

The address is: 

3F, 358-92, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Korea 

서울시 마포구 서교동 358-92 3층 청춘고양이

This is on the entrance of the building, the cafe is on the third floor. 

This little thing was the first one to come to us. It looks like it came straight out of a cartoon or thing... (･´з`･)

I walked around the cafe to take photos, lots of the cats are still sleepy.

This one likes the cashier's counter. (≧∀≦)   

There is a gigantic hamster wheel for the cats.

This is the first munckin cat I have ever seen!  (*_*) So adorable...

Nice t-shirt!

The young ones chilling on the carpet in the center of the cafe.

What a pose...   (o´▽｀o)

Dan got his own body guard.

Here are some more shots of the white munchkin.

The owner came out, and he was treated like a celebrity! (･∀･)

 (=´∀｀)人(´∀｀=)  

Hongdae Morning

So we set off to Seoul and arrived at our first destination Hongdae  (홍대)  on the night of Friday Oct 10th.

Because of jetlags, we woke up pretty early.

Here is our first breakfast! Toast, egg, and a cup of nespresso. φ(>ω<*)

We went out to the streets of Hongdae after that.

Street was so quite, as if its like a different place compare to last night.

Graffiti are spotted every corner of Hongdae.

Arrived at the entrance of Hongik University, we walked in to check out for a bit. 

Our first coffeeshop visit.  We ordered waffle and coffee fro coffeesmith right outside of Hongik University. It was very tasty and the environment is amazing! ヾ(･∀･)ﾉ  

Right outside of the back of coffeesmith, I found these adorable cat murals.  (≧ω≦)