When shipping a car overseas, there is quite a bit of paperwork involved, as well as laws of which you need to make yourself aware. Depending on each situation, taxes or duties might apply. One example of such tax is called a gas guzzler tax. You can sometimes get an exemption for taxes such as these.
Once such exemption occurs when a non-resident ships a vehicle to the U.S. from a foreign country. The vehicle will not be required to conform to emission or safety standards. However, it cannot be sold. This is also the case for vehicles that are being shipped to the U.S. for demonstration, research or competitive purposes. Cars like these are exempt as long as they are not taken out on public roads.
Members of the U.S. military and civilian employees who are coming back to the U.S. after being deployed can also ship vehicles without having pay extra taxes or duties.
It’s important to verify which laws, taxes and/or duties may apply to your vehicle before you begin the process of importing a vehicle. Each case is different so you should always make sure to do the research regarding yours so you will know what is involved in the process.
