Buying guide

Importing a classic or exotic car into the U.S.: the 25-year rule, EPA, and customs

Updated October 22, 2026 · Written by the Only for the Wealthy editors · General information, not legal or financial advice

Some of the most coveted cars in the world were never sold here: the homologation specials, the home-market icons, the European variants that collectors whisper about. Bringing one home is entirely possible, and entirely unforgiving of shortcuts. Customs is blunt about it: a car that doesn’t meet U.S. standards “must be brought into compliance, exported, or destroyed” [1]. Here is how the people who do this well protect themselves before the wire goes out.

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The two gatekeepers: safety and emissions

Every imported car has to clear two separate federal tests, and passing one says nothing about the other [1].

Safety (NHTSA, part of the Department of Transportation). You file form HS-7 at entry declaring which safety, bumper, and theft standards the car meets or which exemption it uses [1][2].
Emissions (EPA). You file EPA form 3520-1 declaring which emission provision applies [1][4].

A car built for the U.S. market carries the manufacturer’s certification label near the driver’s door and an English emissions label under the hood. Customs notes that a car bought abroad is unlikely to meet all U.S. standards, and says to be skeptical of a foreign seller who claims it does or that it “can readily be brought into compliance” [1].

The 25-year rule, precisely

NHTSA’s import regulation lets a car in without meeting current safety and bumper standards when “the vehicle is 25 or more years old” [5]. That is why each new model year of overseas legends becomes importable as it ages in. Two cautions:

Age is about the build date of that exact car, not the model’s debut. Confirm the manufacture date from the car’s own plates and documents before you commit, and if it is borderline, wait.
The 25-year rule is a safety exemption only. Emissions are a separate question (next section).

Younger cars that don’t conform can only come in through a DOT Registered Importer, and only if NHTSA has determined that model and model year eligible; otherwise someone must first petition NHTSA [1][5]. The importer also posts a DOT bond of 150% of the car’s dutiable value, on top of the normal customs bond [1][5]. NHTSA publishes the lists of eligible vehicles, pending petitions, and active Registered Importers [2]. Customs warns that if the car isn’t similar to one sold in the U.S., compliance becomes “very complex and costly,” and NHTSA recommends talking to a Registered Importer before you buy and ship [1].

“Show or display” is a separate, narrow NHTSA program that needs written approval before the car leaves the foreign country, and the car must still satisfy EPA, generally through an Independent Commercial Importer [1][2].

Emissions: the part that catches people

Old enough to be excluded. EPA’s rule excludes gasoline cars and light trucks originally made before January 1, 1968, diesel cars made before January 1, 1975, and motorcycles made before January 1, 1978 [6].
The age-based exemption for later cars. EPA’s rule also has an exemption for older vehicles that aren’t excluded, but it requires the car to be imported by an EPA certificate holder [6]. EPA’s import page adds that it has long read this to mean the engine must be identical to the one originally installed, same model and configuration, and strongly encourages calling its Imports Hotline (imports@epa.gov, 734-214-4100) before importing [3]. An engine swap can sink the plan.
Otherwise, an Independent Commercial Importer. Nonconforming cars must be modified, tested, and certified by an EPA-recognized ICI, and EPA won’t release the car until that work is done. Customs notes some cars can’t be made to comply and that ICI fees are, in its words, “very high” [1][3].

EPA warns that Customs or EPA can seize or export a car that arrives without ICI arrangements or a valid exemption, and levy fines [3].

Paperwork for the port

Customs lists the original bill of lading, the bill of sale, the foreign registration, and any other documents covering the car, plus the HS-7 and 3520-1 [1]. Practical points from the same page [1]:

You may hire a licensed customs broker to make the entry; CBP officers can’t do it for you.
The car clears at the first port of entry unless a forwarder sends it in bond to another port.
The undercarriage must be free of foreign soil (a USDA pest rule), so have it steam-cleaned before shipping.
Don’t pack belongings in the car. Everything inside must be declared, and undeclared contents can mean a fine or seizure.

Lying on the HS-7 is a federal crime: NHTSA’s form notice cites a fine of up to $10,000, up to 5 years in prison, or both [2].

Duty and taxes: budget before you bid

Customs lists a base duty of 2.5% for cars and 2.4% or free for motorcycles, based on the price paid or payable [1]. Additional tariffs imposed by separate trade actions can apply on top of that, so get the current total in writing from a licensed customs broker for your car’s country of origin before you buy.
Some imported cars owe the federal gas-guzzler tax, and an individual importing for personal use can be the one liable. Cars with a combined rating of at least 22.5 mpg owe none [1].
Duty-free returns exist only in narrow cases, such as certain U.S. goods returned, and the importer has to prove eligibility [1].

Red flags

A foreign seller promising the car is “already U.S.-legal” or “easy to federalize” with no certification label to back it up [1].
A car just shy of 25 years old offered with a plan to “hold it at the port.”
A replaced or non-original engine on a car relying on EPA’s age-based exemption [3].
Pressure to wire money to a private account or an “escrow” site you’ve never heard of. Read our escrow fraud guide first.

A before-you-buy checklist

Confirm the exact car’s build date from its plates and documents, and whether it is 25 or more years old on the day it will arrive [5].
If it is younger, check NHTSA’s eligible-vehicle list and get a written quote and plan from an active Registered Importer [2].
Decide which EPA path applies (excluded by age, the age-based exemption through a certificate holder, or an ICI), and call EPA’s Imports Hotline if you’re unsure [3][6].
Get a written estimate of duty, tariffs, fees, and any gas-guzzler tax from a licensed customs broker [1].
Collect the bill of sale, foreign registration, and bill of lading, and have the car cleaned underneath [1].
Once it’s home, run the U.S. checks in our title and history guide before titling it in your state.