How To: Import a foreign vehicle to Hawai'i

So. You've gone and purchased something 25+ years old (probably from Japan), and now you need to know how the everliving hell to import it to the State of Hawai'i? You have come to the right place, my fellow human seeking foreign horsepower. This quest involves many types of paperwork, but I will guide you. Nothing is exceptionally difficulty, but there is a lot of "back and forth," and you must be careful that you are filling things out correctly. This is going to take some time. It is advised that you go through this in chunks, but only after you read the first sentence of the next paragraph, as that may dictate the pace at which you have to work.

​

You'll notice lots of bold and underlined entries and items here. That is intentional.

​

The first step (the ISF) in the process detailed below needs to be complete no later than 24 hours BEFORE your vehicle leaves Japan. This is important. Inform your exporter that you'll need to do this, please. The federal vehicle importation process is very regimented, and fines for screwing it up can reach $10,000 USD. Read that last part again. Fines. No good. There are many regulations that are enforced by different governmental agencies. At the least, this could result in delays of your vehicle clearing Customs / Agriculture inspection, and at worst, take money from your pocket. You'll want to get all of the paperwork to your customs broker as quickly as possible after you receive the supporting documentation, but the ISF is of paramount importance.
 

I highly recommend using a customs brokerage service to navigate the process. Yes, it will cost you some money. I feel that a small investment in securing professional help navigating the import process is worth all but eliminating your chances of being the lucky winner of a CBP / DOT / US Ag fine. Mrs. Projekt-EN07 and I have imported five, soon to be six vehicles from Japan, and each time I have used the services of American Customs Brokerage Co, Inc. Every time, they have taken care of me and provided great service. They've caught the mistakes that I've made. 

​

Your customs broker will not complete your paperwork for you. You need to do that, and then submit it with the other required documents to them for review. This is the first step I mentioned above - There are several documents that your customs broker is going to want from you:

1. Importer Security Filing (ISF) form. This form needs to be submitted to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) at least 24 hours before the vehicle is loaded onto the vessel that it will be leaving Japan on. There are several fields that are important here:

   • Importer name & Person in Charge are most likely going to be the same.

   • Bill of Lading No.

   • Seller Name & Address.

   • Buyer Name & Address.

   • Ship to Party (probably the same as the Buyer Name & Address).

   • Importer of Record / FTZ Applicant Identification Number:

     • Name / Address / IRS (Social Security Number) / Consignee (probably you) / IRS (Social Security Number)​

     • Commodity HTS No. You can ask your customs broker for help, or check the US Census Bureau Schedule B Search Engine. As an example, this is what I worked my way to through the "Describe your Product" feature at the top of the page for a Kei truck. You'll want the bottom number, in my case it was "8704.31"

     • ​​​

​​​

​​

​​

​​

​​

​​

​​

​​

1. (BLEH! Numbering got all screwed up) (should be a square as above, not a number) Container Stuffing Location (I just put the seller's location, didn't have a problem)

2. (should be a square as above, not a number) Consolidator / Stuffer (I put the address of the shipping company, no problem either)

3. (lol should be #2) ​​​EPA Standard Form 3520-1- Declaration Form - Importation of Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Engines Subject to Federal Pollution Standards. (The form is here.) For Honolulu, the port code is "USHNL." The form is pretty self-explanatory. For block 5, you'll need the month and year of manufacture. After filling out the form through block 14, you'll want to check the "code E" box. Submit the full, two page pdf.

4. ​DOT Form HS-7. Thankfully this one is pretty easy. I just put the City, and State for "Port of Entry." Left the rest of the top line blank. Second line, Make / Model / Year / VIN. Skip the next line, then fill out the description line. The only thing you should have to worry about other than that is checking checkbox "1" on the middle section, and filling out the month / year of manufacture. You're probably going to be both the "Importer" and "Declarant" at the bottom. 

5. ​Your Bill of Lading from the Shipping Company. 

6. The invoice for purchasing your vehicle. This is how they'll determine the charge for the customs brokerage charges. The following are examples and may be different than what you experience. This data is from 2022. I will update it with the most current vehicle when I have that info:

   1. Customs Duty and Fee​

      • Duty: 2.5% of purchase price. Could be as high as 25% for a truck.

      • Merchandise Processing fee: 0.3464% (Min. $27.23 & Max. $528.33)

      •  Harbor Maintenance fee: 0.125%

   2. Customs Bond Premium:​

      • ISF bond: $50.​

      • Entry bond: $100.

   3. (my customs brokerage fees)​

      • ISF filing: $75.​

      • Entry filing: $125.

      • DOT filing: $35.

      • EPA filing: $35.

​

​​

​