The following provides information concerning the importation of a vehicle (passenger car, truck, trailer, motorcycle, moped, bus, or MPV) built to comply with the standards of a country other than the U.S. or Canada. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is responsible for improving safety on our Nation's highways. As part of the overall effort to achieve this goal, NHTSA develops and enforces Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) which require minimum levels of safety performance for motor vehicles. A part of our enforcement program is the monitoring of vehicles imported into the United States to ensure that they comply with applicable FMVSS.

As a general rule, all motor vehicles less than 25 years old, must comply with all applicable FMVSS and be certified by the original manufacturer to that effect in order to be imported into the United States on a permanent basis. Federal law prohibits importation of a motor vehicle not certified as conforming to the standards, except under the conditions prescribed below. The regulations defining the requirements for importing a vehicle can be found at Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 591 (49 CFR 591), "Importation of Vehicles and Equipment Subject to Federal Safety, Bumper, and Theft Prevention Standards."

If a vehicle that is not certified to meet U.S. standards is less than 25 years old and entering on a permanent basis, it must be imported by a Registered Importer (RI) or the importer must have a contract with an RI. A vehicle imported in this manner must enter under a DOT bond in an amount equal to 150% of the dutiable value. The bond will be released after the RI brings the vehicle into conformance with all applicable FMVSS and bumper standards.

Since the cost of modifications or the time involved to bring a vehicle into conformance may affect your decision, we recommend that these aspects be discussed with an RI before cars are bought and shipped to the U.S. You may wish to contact one or more to discuss the specifics of your situation.

Federal regulations concerning emission control devices are under the purview of the Environmental Protection Agency, Manufacturers Operations Division, EN-340, 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC 20460, (202) 233-9660. Information concerning duty or other Customs matters can be obtained from the Office of Field Operations, U.S. Customs Service, Washington, DC 20229, (202) 927-0300, or the nearest U.S. Customs port.

For information regarding registration or operation of a properly imported vehicle in a specific state, we advise you to contact the Department of Motor Vehicles or other appropriate agency in that state since the requirements vary by state.

^* Registered with DOT and EPA