Register a Japanese truck in Arizona.

Where the truck lands

A direct Japan RoRo to Los Angeles or Long Beach is often about 2 to 3 weeks. The booked ship sets the date.

Los Angeles / Long Beach, then I-10 into Arizona. Phoenix is a one-day truck from the port. Tucson is the same corridor.

After it is in Arizona

ADOT titles the truck. Maricopa County (Phoenix) and Pima County (Tucson) run emissions programs. A truck registered outside those areas generally does not take that test. Confirm the model-year cutoff with ADOT before you title in the Valley.

The office that handles the plate is Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division. 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 Arizona

NHTSA’s rule is the same in Arizona 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.

Arizona’s out-of-state title page is written for a vehicle previously titled in another US state. It asks for that title, a signed title application, and an emissions compliance form in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. It does not publish an import age. A truck from Japan still uses the federal 25-year manufacture date on HS-7 Box 1 before that state title.

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