Register a Japanese truck in Alabama.

Where the truck lands

Japan to Brunswick is an East Coast sail, often about 4 to 6 weeks. The booked ship sets the date.

Brunswick is the closest berth on our Japan RoRo list. The truck then moves by road into Alabama. A buyer in Mobile is closer to Brunswick than to Baltimore.

After it is in Alabama

Alabama titles the truck after CBP release. There is no separate Alabama import ban on a vehicle that has cleared the federal 25-year path. County license offices handle the plate. Ask that office whether your county wants an inspection before you pay the vehicle balance.

The office that handles the plate is Alabama Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle. Read their current page before you pay the vehicle balance. County rules change, and the page they publish is the one that titles the truck.

How old the truck has to be in Alabama

NHTSA’s rule is the same in Alabama as in every other state. A vehicle at least 25 years old, counted from the date of manufacture, can be imported without regard to the full federal safety standards. That entry is HS-7 Box 1. The badge year on the fender is not the clock.

Alabama Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle is the office that titles the truck in Alabama. Their linked page is where the plate is issued after customs release. This page does not add a second age on top of the federal 25-year manufacture date.

The federal file, then the state

The federal gate is the same in every state. NHTSA’s 25-year rule runs from the date of manufacture on the plate, not the badge year. The entry is HS-7 Box 1. EPA is a separate file. CBP’s vehicle page says a vehicle is exempt from EPA standards when 21 years have passed since the original production year and it is still in original condition. Form 3520-1 is filed at entry. A truck can clear one clock and fail the other. Your broker files the entry at the discharge port. CBP’s importing-a-car page prints auto duty at 2.5% and truck duty at 25%. Those printed rates are not in our price. US$500 by card starts the Japan-side order. Ocean freight is quoted after the sailing is booked. State title, use tax, and any inspection come after CBP releases the truck. A federal release is not a state plate.

NHTSA: importing a vehicle · EPA: importing vehicles and engines · CBP: importing a car · United States overview