Problem: Importing a vintage car to USA?? (1 Viewer)

[bikemaniac]

Hi,

It is a bit off topic:

I live in Denmark, Europe, and I own a 1930 Ford Model A. I want to ship the car to New York an drive across USA following the Lincoln Highway and sell it in California (probably using ebay). The car has Danish registration papers and is 85 years old. The plan is to keep the Danish registration papers, danish license plates and buy insurance in USA through hagertys.com - they already approved positively of the insurance part.

I contacted a vehicle import agent in New York and they tell me I cannot do it - it will be illegal. I HAVE to take the car with me again back to Europe within 90 days!!!!

Can this really be true??

What can i do in order to complete this road trip adventure?

Thanks, Lucas

 

[Fast Eddy]

Maybe you can sell it first to a new owner in the US, get them to work out the import and prearrange the drive across the US?

 

[land crusher]

The issue is that to sell a car in the US, it must have gone through the importation process first. In your case you wish to bring it in temporarily, still registered in Denmark and that is why it has to leave the country within 90 days. As Fast Eddy says, the only other way to do it it would be to import it first, register it in the US and then sell it (or find someone you can sell it to in advance of the trip). Think of it like a visa. If you wish to visit the US as a citizen of Denmark, you can do so for 90 days without a formal visa, but you are supposed to leave before the 90 days is up. If you come to the US and want to stay permanently, you need to apply for permanent residency or one of the various long-term visas, and you cannot do that while in the country on a simple 90 day tourist visa. The US treats cars in a similar fashion--even cars from Canada.

 

[Floodit]

Land crusher has it nailed. It's the temporary status that requires the 90 day part.

The issue is that to sell a car in the US, it must have gone through the importation process first. In your case you wish to bring it in temporarily, still registered in Denmark and that is why it has to leave the country within 90 days. As Fast Eddy says, the only other way to do it it would be to import it first, register it in the US and then sell it (or find someone you can sell it to in advance of the trip). Think of it like a visa. If you wish to visit the US as a citizen of Denmark, you can do so for 90 days without a formal visa, but you are supposed to leave before the 90 days is up. If you come to the US and want to stay permanently, you need to apply for permanent residency or one of the various long-term visas, and you cannot do that while in the country on a simple 90 day tourist visa. The US treats cars in a similar fashion--even cars from Canada.

 

[MAO]

I know this is an old thread but it doesn't hurt to ask if you ever made the trip you described? I am in the same position and wondering how the import process was for you...I am thinking of driving a 1980 diesel troopy into the US and after traveling, my intention is to sell it, but so far I haven't found the right info or a broker who can do this process for me...
It sounds like I'd have to permanently import the vehicle first (not the 90 days temporary import), drive it around the US and then sell it as an imported truck