Register a Japanese truck in Washington.

Where the truck lands

Japan to Tacoma is often about 2 to 3 weeks on a direct Pacific Northwest sailing. The booked ship sets the date.

Tacoma is the berth. Seattle, Olympia, and the Puget Sound cities are local trucks. Spokane is I-90. This is the short sail from Japan.

After it is in Washington

DOL titles the truck. Washington does not list a statewide emissions inspection as a registration step. Use tax is collected at title and is not in the Japan price. Right-hand drive is not a separate DOL ban. A kei truck still has to pass the same federal 25-year gate, and DOL can ask extra questions about a mini-truck. Send the stock number before you pay the balance.

The office that handles the plate is Washington State Department of Licensing. 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 Washington

NHTSA’s rule is the same in Washington 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.

Washington’s rule for a vehicle from another country, WAC 308-56A-115, asks for the foreign ownership document, a customs entry summary, and a certified English translation. It does not publish a different import age. The age is the federal 25-year manufacture date on HS-7 Box 1. Use tax is still due at title.

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