Register a Japanese truck in California.

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 and Long Beach are the discharge even for the Bay Area and Sacramento. The truck then goes up I-5. Oakland is a container port, not the RoRo berth we quote.

After it is in California

Federal release at the port is not a California plate. The DMV says a direct foreign import that was not built to US safety standards and California emissions standards cannot be registered unless it fits an exemption or is modified and tested under CARB’s direct-import program. BAR’s gasoline smog-check cutoff is model year 1975 and older. A truck that is only 25 years old is still inside the years California smog rules cover. Read the DMV imported-vehicle page and ask CARB (1-800-242-4450) before you pay the balance for a California title. A 1975-and-older truck is the conversation that matches the cutoff the DMV manual discusses.

The office that handles the plate is California DMV, imported vehicles. 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 California

NHTSA’s rule is the same in California 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.

California does not treat the federal 25-year release as a plate. The DMV imported-vehicle page says a direct import that was not built to US safety standards and California emissions standards cannot be registered unless it is modified and tested under CARB’s direct-import program. The same page asks for FMVSS evidence on vehicles manufactured after 1995, and the registration handbook sends a 1968-or-newer vehicle that does not meet EPA or FMVSS to CARB at 1-800-242-4450. BAR’s gasoline smog cutoff is model year 1975 and older, which is a separate test from the import age. Bring the customs release. A truck that is only 25 years old can still be inside the years California covers.

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