Po tym :
There are, in certain circumstances, ways that you can still legally take a car into the USA that would otherwise be ineligible for import. Some newer vehicles can be brought into the country using what’s known as a ‘Registered Importer’, while others may be eligible for import under the ‘Show & Display’ rule. So let’s take a closer look at those…
Registered Importers
The Registered Importer programme was established in 1990, as a result of the 1988 Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act. Essentially, a Registered Importer (RI) is a garage that is certified by the state as being competent to carry out the modifications necessary to bring an overseas-built vehicle into line with the safety standards stipulated in the Act.
If you want to take a car that’s less than 25 years old into the USA, this is the primary route you should look at. A complete list of all current Registered Importers can be found on the National Highway Traffic Safety Association’s website. However, it should be noted that not all RI’s will accept vehicles imported from all countries, and not all RI’s are certified to work on all models of car, so you may need to look around to find the right importer for you.
It’s also important to note that while an RI is state-certified as competent to carry out such work, this is not a blanket import licence. Each individual car will still have to be submitted to the Department of Transportation for inspection, and should a particular vehicle fall foul of said inspection, you will still be liable for the cost of the work carried out – as well as the cost of re-exporting the vehicle from the country!
What’s more, there are many cars that are simply never eligible for import, even using the services of a Registered Importer. The rules here are very specific: in some cases, for instance, you may be able to import the sedan version of a car but not the convertible, or the 3.5L model but not the 5L version. A full list of vehicles that are completely banned from US roads – until they’re 25 years old, that is – can be found, again, at the NHTSA website.