How To Import a Car into the United States

Here is the process in the order you will actually encounter it.

Start with eligibility, because nothing else matters if the car fails

Two federal agencies have to be satisfied, and they have different rules. This trips up more people than any other part of the process.

The Department of Transportation requires that a vehicle meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Vehicles at least 25 years old, calculated by month and year of manufacture rather than model year, are exempt.

The Environmental Protection Agency requires emissions compliance. Its exemption threshold is 21 years, not 25, provided the vehicle retains its original engine.

The practical effect is that 25 years is the number that governs, because the stricter of the two rules wins. A 23-year-old car satisfies the EPA and still fails the DOT.

That 25-year threshold is why a whole category of imports exists at all, from Japanese performance cars to kei trucks, which have become one of the most popular things to bring in under the rule.

The month matters more than people expect. A car built in November 2001 becomes importable in November 2026, not in January of that year. Customs will check the build date on the chassis plate, not the year on the title.

If the car is newer than 25 years

Your options narrow considerably. A Registered Importer can modify some vehicles to meet FMVSS, but only models NHTSA has already determined are capable of being brought into compliance, and the cost is frequently more than the car is worth.

The Show or Display exemption is the other route, reserved for vehicles of unusual historical or technical significance. NHTSA maintains the eligible list, approval is not automatic, and cars admitted under it are limited to 2,500 miles per year.

Anything else that is under 25 years old and was not built to US specification generally cannot be imported for road use. Cars seized for violating this rule get crushed or exported, and the owner does not get the money back.

The forms

These are the documents the process actually runs on, and they are the piece most guides leave out.

• DOT Form HS-7 declares your vehicle’s safety compliance status or the exemption you are claiming. Box 1 is the 25-year exemption.
• EPA Form 3520-1 does the same for emissions. Code E is the 21-year exemption.
• CBP Form 7501 is the entry summary, usually prepared by your customs broker.
• The original foreign title and bill of sale. Copies are not sufficient.
• ISF filing (Importer Security Filing) must be submitted before the vessel departs. Missing this deadline carries real penalties.

The exporting country’s rules apply too. US Customs requires the original title be presented at the port of export at least 72 hours before the ship leaves, and your shipper handles the corresponding export filing.

Shipping: two real choices

Roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) means the car is driven onto the vessel and parked in a hold. It is the cheaper option and perfectly adequate for an ordinary vehicle. The car must be operable, and you cannot pack personal belongings inside it.

Container shipping puts the car in a sealed steel box. A shared container splits the cost across several vehicles, and a dedicated container gives you exclusive use. Containers protect against weather and handling damage, and they allow a non-running vehicle to be shipped. They cost more and add loading time at both ends.

For a valuable, rare, or non-running car, container. For a $12,000 driver, RoRo is usually the sensible call.

Marine insurance is separate from the shipping line’s liability coverage, and separate again from the road policy you’ll need once it’s registered, which our overview of why you need car insurance covers, which is limited and often calculated by weight rather than value. Buy dedicated coverage for the car’s actual worth.

What it costs

Five categories, and the duty rate is the one people get wrong most often.

1. Duty

Passenger cars are dutiable at 2.5 percent of the vehicle’s declared value. Motorcycles are lower. Trucks are 25 percent, a legacy of a 1960s trade dispute over chicken exports that has never been repealed. If you are importing a pickup or a commercial van, budget accordingly, because that figure surprises people badly.

Trade policy on vehicles has been unusually active in recent years, so confirm the current rate with a customs broker before you commit rather than relying on any published figure, including this one.

2. Merchandise Processing Fee

Charged at roughly 0.35 percent of value, with a minimum and maximum that Customs and Border Protection adjusts every fiscal year for inflation. Check the current figures on the CBP site rather than trusting a number from an older article.

3. Shipping

Driven by distance, method, vehicle size, and the specific ports involved. Get several quotes. The spread between shippers on identical routes is often wide.

4. Port and broker fees

Terminal handling, customs brokerage, and any storage that accrues while your paperwork clears. This is the category that grows when documents are wrong, since demurrage accumulates daily while you sort it out.

5. State registration and taxes

Federal clearance is not the finish line. Your state will want its own inspection, sales or use tax, and a title. Some states are relaxed about foreign vehicles and some are difficult, and California in particular applies its own emissions rules that federal exemption does not override.

Check with your state DMV before you buy the car. Discovering that your state will not title a right-hand-drive import after it has cleared customs is an expensive way to learn the rule.

The sequence

1. Verify eligibility. Confirm the build month and year against the 25-year rule before money changes hands.
2. Check your state’s requirements. Do this second, not last.
3. Buy the car and secure the original title.
4. Choose a shipper and book the sailing. Arrange marine insurance separately.
5. Clean the undercarriage thoroughly. US Department of Agriculture rules require it, and soil or plant matter will get the vehicle held or steam-cleaned at your expense.
6. Engage a customs broker. Optional in theory, worth it in practice for a first-time importer.
7. File the paperwork. HS-7, EPA 3520-1, ISF, and the entry summary.
8. Pay duties and fees, and clear customs.
9. Collect the vehicle. Arrange transport from the port, since the car may not be legal to drive until it is registered.
10. Register it in your state. Inspection, tax, title, plates.

Where imports actually go wrong

Miscounting the 25 years. Model year is not build date. Check the plate.

Assuming a Registered Importer can fix anything. They can only work on models NHTSA has already deemed eligible, and the list is shorter than people expect.

Skipping the state check. Federal admissibility and state registrability are separate questions with separate answers.

Undervaluing the car on the paperwork. Customs sees a lot of vehicles and knows what they are worth. Declaring a low value to reduce duty is fraud, and the penalties dwarf the savings.

Forgetting parts availability. A car built for another market may need components that no US supplier stocks. Factor that in before you fall for something obscure.

Is it worth it?

For an ordinary car, almost never. Buying domestically from one of the best places to buy a used car will nearly always come out cheaper. Between shipping, duty, brokerage, and registration, an import usually costs more than a comparable US-market car does domestically.

It makes sense when the car was never sold here, which is the entire reason the 25-year rule became a cultural event among enthusiasts. Right-hand-drive Japanese performance cars, European models that skipped the US market, and low-volume homologation specials are the cases where importing is the only route. If that is the territory you’re in, our guide to what a homologation car is explains why those models are so tightly tied to specific markets, and the JDM project car pros and cons piece is worth reading before you commit to one.

None of this is legal advice. Rules change, trade policy has been volatile, and a customs broker who does this daily will save you more than their fee. Talk to one before you wire money overseas.

Common questions

Can I import any car into the United States?

No. Vehicles under 25 years old must meet federal safety standards or qualify for a narrow exemption. Most non-US-market cars newer than that cannot be imported for road use.

Is the rule 21 years or 25 years?

Both. The EPA exempts vehicles 21 years and older from emissions requirements, and the DOT exempts vehicles 25 years and older from safety standards. Since both agencies must be satisfied, 25 years is the effective threshold.

How much is import duty on a car?

Passenger vehicles are generally dutiable at 2.5 percent of declared value and trucks at 25 percent, plus a merchandise processing fee. Rates have been subject to change, so verify current figures before budgeting.

Do I need a customs broker?

Not legally, but for a first import it is money well spent. Errors cause storage charges that accumulate daily while you correct them.

Can I drive the car home from the port?

Usually not. The vehicle typically has no US registration or plates at that point. Arrange a transporter.

Will my state definitely register an imported car?

Not automatically. State requirements are independent of federal clearance, and some states apply additional emissions or equipment rules. Confirm with your DMV before purchasing.