variation on the "25+ year old" question

[Ian7]

Does anyone know definitively (please, no speculation), can we bring in a car that isn't quite 25 years old yet, use it for track days, then on its 25th birthday tag it for road use, or will it not even be allowed off the boat because its only 23 years old?

thx

[mrmustang]

Does anyone know definitively (please, no speculation), can we bring in a car that isn't quite 25 years old yet, use it for track days, then on its 25th birthday tag it for road use, or will it not even be allowed off the boat because its only 23 years old?

thx

 

I know you can get customs to waive certain regulations as far as importing for "display" or "racing" purposes only. Not certain about what happens with the car once it is on the beach here 9so to speak) and then turns 25 years old. Your best bet will be to contact the appropriate US customs office. Either that, or maybe check out the following:

 

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/

 

Bill S.

[Ian7]

thx, yes I am aware of the temporary import for display etc but that has a hard 365 day limit at which point you must prove its be exported .... and they also make a big point of saying it can't come straight back in again LOL

[lucky dawg]

Bringing a car into the US is a federal issue. Licensing one is up to the individual states. So, as was previously posted, you have some research to do and a few calls to make.

[Croc]

I got an attorney to opine on this issue during my import process of a few (too many) cars that had some classification issues requiring sorting. The answer is that no it cannot change status once it is in the country. It needs to be exported and then re-imported.

 

It comes down to the car classification and paperwork issued at time of import. The import approval forms come as a package and show which classification of import the car entered the US under. Its then a case of once a duck always a duck.

 

If you import as an over 25 year old car then you receive (amongst many other forms) - a CBP Form 3461 which shows it is a valid import. Form 3461 is attached with EPA3520-1 which shows what category of import for EPA purposes (i.e. over 21 year old gets EPA exempted so it can be acceptable for road use) plus your HS-7 form which shows what category the car was imported under. States want the entirety of the customs import approval package for title/registration as this shows that it is not an imported race car being registered as a regular car. Some states also insist on having a foreign title for the vehicle to surrender for a state title (makes it fun/impossible when you have a no-title country).

 

If you brought a car in under the race or show&tell category then their paperwork approving import would be critically different as it will show different classification for import or EPA treatment. Remember also that EPA require their pre-approval prior to import of any race cars. So trying to bring in a regular road car under 25 years old will not fly since it will not look like a "race car" plus you cannot show the evidence of how it will fit into existing race classes (since I bet there are no others currently racing). My attorney advised against trying to argue that an under 25 year old road car was being brought to the US for preparation as a race car since the EPA always reject that from his past experience. But thats not the way you want to go anyway.

 

The only way to modify import paperwork package from a race/show import to show it as an over 25 year old car is to export and re-import. This would then produce a completely new documentation package showing the correct classification as over 25 years old and show the correct EPA exemption classification on that form. There are time delays around export and re-import cycling times but I have not gone into that in detail as I approached things by waiting for the 25 year mark to hit.

 

I suggest finding a friendly CBP person who can take you through the intricacies for your situation specifics. It may take a few calls but they are out there. I am happy to talk you through the actual paperwork trail from my various cars by phone when I get back in the country in late August - PM if you want that.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Croc