Register a Japanese truck in Delaware.

Where the truck lands

Japan to Baltimore is the long sail, often about 4 to 6 weeks by the Panama Canal or a hub. The booked ship sets the date.

Baltimore is a short truck into Delaware. Wilmington is not the Japan RoRo berth we quote.

After it is in Delaware

Delaware has no broad state sales tax. Registration fees are still due at the DMV. There is no separate Delaware import ban on a vehicle that has cleared CBP on the 25-year path. Title is after federal release.

The office that handles the plate is Delaware Division of Motor 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 Delaware

NHTSA’s rule is the same in Delaware 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.

Delaware’s import procedure says a vehicle under 25 years old must show compliance with, or an exemption from, the federal safety standards before it can be titled. The file includes the foreign ownership paper, an English translation, a stamped customs entry, and HS-7. Delaware does not publish a second age on top of that 25-year line.

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