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Ex-Pat Importing 928 GTS into US, Information and facts Needed please
Hi,
Im a long time lurker on this forum and i find myself in a position where I actually need to start a thread to try and get some helpful information with regard to importing my car to the USA.
I have called and read lots of information on the official goverment sites but I seem to get some very conflicting information. I actually called on two seperate days to the same department and was told completly different information.
To try and keep it short, here is a brief summary on my situation:
I am a UK citizen but have lived as an ex-pat in Dubai and the Middle East region for the last 12 years due to my work.
I am being transferred to Houston very shortly on an E1 business visa (contract for three years initially) with my present company.
I have a 1993 GTS (Saudi Market model-LHD) that I have owned for five years and a 1975 911 (USA model but now a hot rod rather than original).
I want to bring both these cars with me and will take them with me again when I eventually leave the states.
I am told that the 911 is no problem as it is more than 25 years old but i am getting conflicting advice about the GTS.
Some information tells me that i can bring the GTS for one year but then it has to be permanently ex-ported (this is only useful to me if a can simply send it to Canada, for instance, for a day and then re-import it for another year at the end of the first twelve months ad infinitum).
Other information tells me that I can bring it but I would have to leave it in my garage and not be able to make it road legal (better than having to leave it here or sell it but not perfect obviously).
Other information tells me that i can just bring in as my personal property as an ex-pat and it will be perfectly legal as long as I dont sell it and then take it with me when I leave the states (perfect scenario).
As I am an expat worker I am also told that I dont have to pay any duty on the cars as they are my property and i have owned them for more than 12 months.
Can anyone with any experience help me sift through the maze of information and tell me which of these is correct and/or are there any other options availabe to me.
The last thing i want to do is put the GTS into a container only to be told it cannot clear customs when it gets here.
Thanks in advance for any help that may be forthcoming and hopefully i will soon get to see some of the fantastic cars in person that i see on this forum on a weekly basis.
Suggest you contact Roger for help and advice in this regard. He recently imported [stole!] a 928SE from the UK and imported it to Texas so should know something about the local state regs albeit this was a 25+ year old model.
You might also note that there is [was?] a Ro-Ro service from the US Third coast to Dubai. Not sure of the port of departure - i have a feeling it was somewhere around Louisiana. I rather suspect it mostly operates full on the way over here and much less so on the return leg so rates to the States may be very attractive albeit you can get two cars in one container. I may be able to find out a little more if of interest.
A friend of mine took his two Porsches to Canada a few years ago, no chance of a permanent import but I know he could keep them there temporarily until his work assignment ended and then he was bound to re-export them. I seem to remember talk of a financial bond of some kind to ensure he did just that but details sketchy.
Of course things could be completely different in the States.
Cheers Fred,
I spoke to Roger a few months ago on this but there are different rules for him, and most on this list, as they are all native or residents Americans (I know Roger is a Brit but he is a card carrying resident so it all changes).
The rules are slightly different for those of us who are, in our cae, British and just going there as ex-pats on contracts and also, the type of visa you have is also of consequence.
There is a lot of red tape for a car under 25 years old and some of it conflicts and the last thing i want to do is ship it and then have a problem at the port.
You know how much blood sweat and greenbacks have gone into my GTS over the last few years and the last thing I want to do at this stage is either sell it or send it back to the UK to lie unused for the next few years.
It's all very clear on the website and from my own experience, when I had a question on a car, which happened to have been 24 years old at the time, I called the CBP Offices and they guided me through the process. But in my favor, because the vehicle was originally a US Market and produced vehicle which happened to find it's way to the UK, it was exempt from duties and any further certification, as it was already built to US Federal Specs.
The forms are at the links above. But here's the most relevant quote:
Originally Posted by CBP
Before you decide to import a vehicle or vehicle parts into the United States, you should ensure that they conform to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. These agencies have very detailed requirements that can make importing a vehicle and or its parts difficult, if not impossible, for some vehicles that were not originally manufactured for the U.S. market.
Nonconforming vehicles less than 25 years old entering the United States must be brought into compliance, exported, or destroyed.
Vehicles over 25 years old are exempt from EPA and DOT requirements, although you will still need to obtain and prepare EPA and DOT paperwork to provide to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer in order to clear your vehicle through CBP.
So from the info I read, it appears you will need to wait a couple of years to bring your 1993 GTS over, under the 25-Year exempt rule.
US DOT generally doesn't(can't?) care a whit about your visa or citizenship status - all they care about is the car. If you car was not a US build with WP0 VIN I think you are in a world of hurt.
The only exemptions I've ever heard of for under 25 year cars to drive in the US is engineering and show. Engineering is a special exemption that allows mfg to bring a few cars to the US to test them for design and certification. The show exemption is self-explanatory. If you have a special car, that is only for car shows and is under 25 years, and is not a US VIN coded car, I think you can apply for the show exemption, but you will be seriously limited to how it's used. Basically, from the car hauler/trailer to the show floor and back. Prolly not even on public roads.
Anyway, that's what I've got from my investigation a few years back when I wanted to bring in a under 25 car from Japan. There's one other thing you might look into, and that's to import the car to Mexico, have it registered in one of the states of Mexico, then just go down there, get the car, and drive across the border with Mexican plates. As long as you have proof of insurance that covers the US, and you have your valid ID and visa, you're in. But - no guarantees. You will most likely face some interesting questions at the Border Patrol, but if your paperwork is in order, and you don't plan on registering or titling the car in the US, well - what can they do? I see plates from Mexico once in a while in and around Houston, and many more down by Brownsville.
Talk to Schoki (sp?) here. He's from Germany and spent some time in the US (Texas) teaching air force flight or combat or something I think. He brought over his 92 GTS while he was here.
I do believe you can bring your car for at least one year while you are on a work permit but I haven't looked at the rules lately..
There is a reason it was only a few years ago, we started to see 1989+ Skyline Nissans. As the rolling 25 year rule continues, we'll see more and more...
A friend of mine brought a car over from Europe, which has an EX VIN. He had to sign docs to say it would never be used on the street. SBP, through the EPA, will enforce tough restrictions at the borders/ports or entry.
I drove the only non federalized 1992 928 GTS in North America from 2004 to 2006, correct.
But the rules under NATO are different. As long as the car is safe to drive there was no problem for me.
I had to take the car with me when I left or get it destroyed by a licensed dismantler.
Make no mistake, this is a cracking example- fully restored to a very high standard. I am hoping we can have a joint photo shoot before it goes to wherever it ends up. Then I will bomb you with photos.
Personally I will be glad to see the back of it then I can reclaim ownership of the best 928 in this part of the world- but sad to see a really nice friend departing!
Hopefully one of you chaps can find a practical work around for this problem otherwise he might just have to give the car to me! The Mexico idea was interesting but I doubt it would make it to the border before being jacked!
01-06-2016, 05:54 AM
Ex-Pat Importing 928 GTS into US, Information and facts Needed please
T
Bring it in for the one year as foreign citizen... might get close to the 25 years ?