Register a Japanese truck in Florida.

Where the truck lands

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

Jacksonville is the discharge. Miami, Tampa, and Orlando are inland trucks from that berth, not separate Japan RoRo calls on our list.

After it is in Florida

FLHSMV titles the truck. Florida does not run a statewide emissions inspection. Use tax is paid in Florida and is not in the Japan price. A VIN check is part of a normal out-of-country title.

The office that handles the plate is Florida Highway Safety and 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 Florida

NHTSA’s rule is the same in Florida 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.

Florida’s title page says you apply for a Florida title when you bring a vehicle into the state from another country. The minimum file on that page is proof of identity, proof of ownership, form HSMV 82040, and the title and tax fees. It does not publish an import age. The age is 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