Register a Japanese truck in Maryland.

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 in the state. A buyer near the port has no long inland haul. Western Maryland is still a truck from the same berth.

After it is in Maryland

Maryland VEIP requires an emissions inspection in many counties. Some rural counties are outside the program. The MVA will not title on the federal entry alone. Bring the CBP release, the export certificate, and an English translation.

The office that handles the plate is Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. 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 Maryland

NHTSA’s rule is the same in Maryland 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.

Maryland’s overseas-vehicle page says the truck must be titled within 60 days of entry into the United States. HS-7 Box 1 or Box 2A is the safety line they list. A foreign registration needs an English translation with the embassy seal. A Maryland safety inspection is part of the title unless the vehicle is new, meets US specifications, and has never been registered. Maryland does not publish an import age other than that federal form.

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