Register a Japanese truck in Mississippi.

Where the truck lands

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

Brunswick is the closest berth on our list. The truck moves west into Mississippi. Jacksonville is the alternate if that sailing is sooner.

After it is in Mississippi

Mississippi titles after federal release. There is no statewide emissions program. County tax collectors issue the plate. Inspection is whatever that office currently asks for, not a rule we invent here.

The office that handles the plate is Mississippi Department of Revenue, Tag and Title. 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 Mississippi

NHTSA’s rule is the same in Mississippi 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.

Mississippi Department of Revenue, Tag and Title is the office that titles the truck in Mississippi. Their linked page is where the plate is issued after customs release. This page does not add a second age on top of 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