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Importing a Car to the USA
Importing a car to the USA is less about shipping than about compliance. The vehicle crosses the water easily enough; what stops it is a federal safety standard, an emissions declaration or a missing form at the port. Two agencies decide whether your car may stay, and they use two different age thresholds that are widely confused with each other. This guide sets out the forms, the age rules, the duties and the order in which to do things.
Short answer: for normal permanent road use, a vehicle generally has to meet US safety and emissions requirements or qualify for the age exemptions. Narrower import regimes exist for specific purposes.
- NHTSA exempts vehicles 25 years old or more, counted from the date of manufacture.
- EPA has its own exemption at 21 years, in original unmodified configuration.
- Every import needs EPA Form 3520-1 and DOT Form HS-7.
- Base duty is 2.5% on cars, 25% on trucks and 2.4% or free on motorcycles, before any additional tariff.
- For permanent import for normal road use, a newer non-conforming vehicle generally requires a Registered Importer and NHTSA eligibility.
Contents
- Can you import any car into the United States?
- The two agencies and the two forms
- What exactly is the 25-year rule?
- Why EPA says 21 years and DOT says 25
- What if the vehicle is newer than 25 years?
- Show or Display, and why it rarely helps
- What will it cost in duty and tariffs?
- What documents do you need?
- The clean undercarriage rule
- Temporary imports and non-residents
- What happens after the vehicle clears
- Mistakes that cost importers money
- Frequently asked questions
Can you import any car into the United States?
No. For permanent import for normal road use, a vehicle generally has to conform to all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards or qualify for an age-based exemption. US Customs and Border Protection states that motor vehicles less than 25 years old must comply with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to be permanently imported. NHTSA also operates narrower routes for specific purposes, such as Show or Display, temporary import and racing, which are covered further down.
That single sentence decides most import projects. A right-hand-drive Japanese model or a European specification car that was never federalized is non-conforming, and if it is under 25 years old it cannot simply be bought and shipped. The usual options are to wait until it ages into the exemption, to route it through a Registered Importer, or to choose a different vehicle. Narrower routes exist for specific purposes, and they are covered further down.
The two agencies and the two forms
Two federal bodies control vehicle admissibility, and each has its own declaration. Customs and Border Protection collects both at entry but does not set the underlying standards.
| Agency | What it regulates | Form | Age exemption |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHTSA, part of the Department of Transportation | Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards | DOT Form HS-7 | 25 years from date of manufacture |
| Environmental Protection Agency | Emissions standards | EPA Form 3520-1 | 21 years, original unmodified configuration |
| Customs and Border Protection | Entry, duty and physical inspection | Entry paperwork and the two forms above | Not applicable |
CBP describes HS-7 as the form declaring safety compliance at the time of importation, and 3520-1 as the form declaring the emissions provisions under which the vehicle is being imported. Both are declarations you sign, which is why picking the wrong exemption code is a serious problem rather than a clerical one.
What exactly is the 25-year rule?
The 25-year rule is NHTSA's exemption from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for older vehicles, and the clock runs from manufacture, not from model year. NHTSA states that the 25 year period runs from the date of the vehicle's manufacture.
Why the month matters
Because the count is from the date of manufacture rather than the model year, a car built in November of a given year becomes eligible in November 25 years later, not on January 1. Importers who book a sailing against a model year rather than a build date routinely arrive a few months early, and an early arrival is not a waiting-room situation at the port.
Proving the age
NHTSA accepts documentation including invoices showing the date of first sale, registration documents dated 25 or more years ago, and statements from recognized vehicle historical societies confirming the age. Gather that evidence before shipping, not after the vehicle lands, because the burden of proof sits with you.
Why EPA says 21 years and DOT says 25
These are two separate exemptions from two separate agencies, and a vehicle needs to satisfy both. This mismatch is one of the most common misunderstandings in vehicle importing.
EPA Form 3520-1 carries exemption code E for a vehicle at least 21 years old, with the age calculated by subtracting the calendar year of manufacture from the year of importation, and in original unmodified configuration. That is a looser age test than NHTSA's, so a 22-year-old car can satisfy EPA and still fail DOT. For an unmodified non-conforming vehicle relying on the age exemptions, the NHTSA 25-year threshold is the later of the two tests and therefore the one that sets your earliest date. Age alone does not settle EPA, though, because code E also requires the vehicle to be unmodified.
The "original unmodified configuration" trap
The EPA exemption applies to a vehicle in original unmodified configuration. An engine swap, an aftermarket turbo or a replaced emissions system can take a car outside code E even though it is old enough on paper. If the vehicle you are buying has been modified, establish what was changed before you commit, because the declaration you sign has to be true.
For reference, EPA also publishes code B for a US-certified unmodified vehicle bearing a US EPA emission control label in the engine compartment, which is the normal route for a vehicle originally built for the US market and exported temporarily.
What if the vehicle is newer than 25 years?
For permanent import for normal road use, a non-conforming vehicle under 25 years old generally requires NHTSA eligibility and a Registered Importer, or an individual who has contracted with a Registered Importer to bring the vehicle into conformity. There is no self-service route into that category. Narrower regimes exist for other purposes, including Show or Display and temporary import, and both are covered below.
What a Registered Importer actually does
Registered Importers are business entities specifically approved by NHTSA to import non-conforming vehicles and to perform the modifications needed to bring them into conformity with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The process carries hard conditions: a bond of 150% of the vehicle's declared value must be posted, and the modifications must be completed within 120 days.
Why this route is usually uneconomic
Between the bond, the conformity work and the risk that a particular model is not eligible, the Registered Importer path tends to make sense only for genuinely valuable vehicles. NHTSA maintains a list of non-conforming vehicles it has determined are eligible for importation. A model that is not already on that list is not automatically excluded, because a Registered Importer can petition NHTSA to determine it eligible, but that petition has to succeed before the vehicle can come in.
Show or Display, and why it rarely helps
Show or Display is a narrow NHTSA exemption for vehicles of historical or technological significance, and it is far more restrictive than enthusiasts expect. A vehicle admitted this way cannot be driven more than 2,500 miles per year.
Approval is generally denied where more than 500 units of that model were produced, where a US-certified version of the model existed, or where the vehicle was previously approved for importation through the modification route. In practice it covers a small number of rare vehicles, and it is not a general workaround for a car that misses the 25-year mark.
What will it cost in duty and tariffs?
Duty is calculated on the price paid or payable, and the base rate depends on the vehicle type.
| Vehicle type | Base CBP duty rate |
|---|---|
| Automobiles | 2.5% |
| Trucks | 25% |
| Motorcycles | 2.4% or free |
Additional tariffs on top of the base rate
Since 2025 the base duty has not been the whole story. A Section 232 action, set out in a presidential proclamation published in the Federal Register, imposed a 25 percent ad valorem tariff on imported passenger vehicles, defined to include sedans, sport utility vehicles, crossover utility vehicles, minivans and cargo vans, and on light trucks. The automobile tariff took effect on April 3, 2025. Vehicles qualifying for preferential treatment under the USMCA may have the tariff applied only to non-US content where the importer provides documentation of US content.
The 25-year Section 232 exemption
This is the part that changes the budget for most classic and JDM imports, and it is widely missed. CBP's guidance states that used passenger vehicles and trucks are subject to the Section 232 duties, except those manufactured in a year at least 25 years prior to the year of the date of entry. A separate tariff heading, 9903.94.04, covers those older vehicles at a zero additional rate.
In plain terms: if your vehicle is old enough, the 25 percent Section 232 tariff does not apply to it. The ordinary duty still does, so a 25-year-old light truck is still classified as a truck at the base rate. But the extra 25 percent that dominates the arithmetic on a newer car falls away.
The two 25-year tests are not the same test
NHTSA and CBP both use 25 years, and they count differently. This catches people who assume one clearance implies the other.
| Test | How the age is measured |
|---|---|
| NHTSA safety exemption | 25 years from the exact date of manufacture |
| Section 232 tariff exemption | Manufactured in a year at least 25 years before the year of entry |
The tariff test is year-based, so a vehicle built anywhere in a qualifying year is treated the same across the whole entry year. The safety test is date-based, so a vehicle built in November is not exempt until November. A car can therefore be outside the Section 232 tariff while still being too young for NHTSA, which is a compliance problem rather than a cost one.
Country of origin can change everything else
Beyond Section 232, additional country-specific measures are introduced, amended and withdrawn regularly, and they do not simply stack. Some are written to exclude goods already subject to Section 232 duties, so adding percentages together produces a number that is not real. Others change scope, or move from a duty to a restriction, within weeks.
The practical consequence is that there is no single reliable tariff figure to plan against. Your landed cost depends on the vehicle type, the year of manufacture, the country of origin, the classification and the measures in force on the day of entry. Get a written figure from a customs broker or from CBP for your specific vehicle and origin before committing money, and re-check it if the purchase and the shipment are weeks apart. Anyone quoting a flat percentage without asking where and when the car was built is guessing.
What documents do you need?
CBP expects the paperwork that proves what the vehicle is, who owns it and how it arrived. Missing any one of these turns a routine clearance into a hold.
- The shipper's or carrier's original bill of lading.
- The bill of sale.
- The foreign registration.
- Any other documents covering the vehicle.
- EPA Form 3520-1 with the correct exemption code.
- DOT Form HS-7 with the correct declaration box.
- Age evidence where you are relying on an exemption.
If the vehicle is being bought at auction abroad or sight unseen, settle the title position before the money moves. Our walkthrough on transferring a car title covers the sequence, and the auction-buying pitfalls are set out in our auction car shipping guide.
The clean undercarriage rule
This one surprises people because it is physical rather than administrative. CBP requires that the undercarriage of imported cars be free of foreign soil, and advises having the car steam-sprayed or cleaned thoroughly before shipment.
The reason is agricultural: soil carries pests and plant disease. The consequence is practical. A vehicle that arrives with dirt packed into the wheel arches can be held for cleaning at your cost and on the port's schedule, which also runs your storage clock. Clean it at origin, where it is cheap, rather than at the port, where it is not.
Temporary imports and non-residents
A non-resident may import a vehicle duty-free for personal use for up to one year, where the vehicle is imported in conjunction with the owner's arrival. A non-conforming vehicle brought in this way must be exported within one year and may not be sold in the United States.
EPA covers the same situation with exemption code O on Form 3520-1, for a vehicle imported by a non-resident for personal use for a period up to a year. NHTSA likewise allows non-residents to temporarily import non-conforming vehicles for personal use for a period not exceeding one year, with the vehicle registered abroad, kept unsold and exported on expiry.
Returning service members face a different set of rules again, since a government-funded vehicle shipment runs through its own channel. Those are covered in our guide to military POV entitlements, storage and timelines.
What happens after the vehicle clears
Clearance gets the vehicle released at the port. It does not get it home. Plan the domestic leg before arrival, because free time at a terminal is limited and storage charges start when it expires. If the vehicle lands during a busy month the pickup window is wider than you may expect, which is covered in our guide to peak season car shipping.
Choosing the ocean leg
The two normal methods are roll-on roll-off and container, and they differ on cost, protection and what may travel inside the vehicle. Our comparison of roll-on roll-off versus container shipping covers the trade-offs, and the wider sequence is in our guide to shipping a car overseas.
Getting it from the port to your address
TCI Logistics moves vehicles to and from all major US ports, with drivers holding the Transportation Worker Identification Credential required for secure maritime facilities. Details are on the port-to-port vehicle transport page. An imported classic that is not running on arrival, which is common, needs a winch or forklift load booked in advance through inoperable car transport, and a high-value import is usually worth moving on an antique and classic vehicle service.
Mistakes that cost importers money
- Counting 25 years from the model year. NHTSA counts from the date of manufacture, and a few months matters.
- Assuming the EPA 21-year exemption is enough. It satisfies one agency. The vehicle still has to clear NHTSA.
- Buying a modified car and relying on code E. The EPA exemption requires original unmodified configuration.
- Getting the Section 232 position wrong in either direction. On a newer vehicle the extra 25 percent dominates the budget. On one manufactured at least 25 years before the year of entry it does not apply at all.
- Shipping a dirty car. A soiled undercarriage means cleaning at the port, at your cost, on their schedule.
- Leaving age evidence behind. The burden of proof is yours, and it is far harder to assemble after the vehicle has shipped.
- Arranging no onward transport. Terminal free time is short, and storage is charged daily.
If you are weighing whether to import at all, the vetting questions are the same ones you would ask of any transport partner, and our checklist for choosing a car shipping company applies. You can also discuss a specific route with our team through the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 25-year rule for importing cars to the USA?
It is NHTSA's exemption from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for older vehicles. CBP states that motor vehicles less than 25 years old must comply with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and NHTSA states the 25 year period runs from the date of the vehicle's manufacture. A vehicle at or past that point may be imported without meeting those standards.
Is the age counted from the model year or the build date?
From the date of manufacture, according to NHTSA, not the model year. A car built in November becomes eligible in November of the 25th year, not on January 1. Acceptable proof includes invoices showing the date of first sale, registration documents from 25 or more years ago, and statements from recognized vehicle historical societies.
Why do some sources say 21 years instead of 25?
Because that is the EPA threshold, not the DOT one. EPA Form 3520-1 code E covers a vehicle at least 21 years old, calculated by subtracting the calendar year of manufacture from the year of importation, in original unmodified configuration. For an unmodified non-conforming vehicle relying on the age exemptions, NHTSA's 25-year test is the later age threshold and sets the earliest import date.
How much duty will I pay on an imported car?
The base CBP duty is 2.5% for automobiles, 25% for trucks and 2.4% or free for motorcycles, on the price paid or payable. A Section 232 tariff of 25 percent applies on top for newer vehicles, but CBP exempts those manufactured in a year at least 25 years before the year of entry. Get a written figure for your vehicle and origin before committing.
Can I import a car that is under 25 years old?
For normal road use, only if it already conforms to US safety standards or goes through a Registered Importer, with a bond of 150% of declared value and modifications completed within 120 days. The model must already be eligible, or a Registered Importer must successfully petition NHTSA. Narrower routes such as Show or Display and temporary import exist for other purposes.
Do I really have to wash the car before shipping it?
Yes, and specifically the underside. CBP requires the undercarriage of imported cars to be free of foreign soil and advises having the car steam-sprayed or cleaned thoroughly before shipment. The concern is agricultural pests. A vehicle arriving with packed dirt can be held for cleaning at your expense while terminal storage charges accrue.
