Japan
USA trade laneJapan builds the cars American enthusiasts queue for: Skyline GT-Rs, Lancer Evolutions and kei sports cars that were never sold here, and Japanese-market versions of Supras, RX-7s, Integra Type Rs and Land Cruisers. Every month another set of them crosses the US 25-year line — through 2026 it is the cars built in 2001, including the R34 Skyline GT-R M-Spec, the Lancer Evolution VII and the first DC5 Integra Type R. The trade is legal and well worn, but US import law counts to the month of manufacture, Japanese papers do not show that month, and a car that arrives one month early is refused entry.
AGF ships cars bought from Japanese dealers, exporters and auction agents. On the Japan side we work through WCA partner agents — AGF has no office in Japan — or alongside the exporter's own forwarder. Our work is at the US end, where most of these cars land: AGF is based in Glendale, close to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Containers are devanned at partner facilities near the ports, the entry with its DOT HS-7 and EPA 3520-1 declarations is filed by our licensed customs brokers, and the car is trucked to any state with the document pack your DMV will ask for.
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Shipping JDM & Classic Cars from Japan to USA
There are two ways across. In a container, a shared 40ft typically carries three or four cars loaded by the exporter in Japan; Yokohama to Los Angeles/Long Beach takes about 11–20 days, around 11 on a direct sailing, and the cars are devanned at a partner facility near the ports. RoRo car carriers sail from Yokohama/Kawasaki, Nagoya and Kobe to Long Beach in about 14–18 days; RoRo is usually cheaper for an ordinary running car but gives less control over handling, and the car must run and travel empty. For the East Coast, all-water services take about 25–38 days to New York and 28–42 days to Savannah, which is why many East Coast buyers land the car in Los Angeles and truck it.
Preparation in Japan matters as much as the sailing. The underbody is washed before loading, because USDA does not admit vehicles carrying soil and a dirty car is held for cleaning at the importer's cost. The ISF is filed at least 24 hours before a container is loaded. And Japanese New Year, Golden Week (late April to early May) and Obon (mid-August) close the transport offices and yards that issue export papers — buy a week or two before them, not during.
- Shared 40ft container: typically three or four cars, devanned near the ports in Los Angeles
- RoRo from Yokohama/Kawasaki, Nagoya or Kobe to Long Beach: about 14–18 days
- Underbody washed in Japan — USDA refuses vehicles carrying soil
- Photos at loading and devanning; open or enclosed truck delivery to any state
What Drives the Cost
- Duty: cars 25 years and older sit outside Section 232 and pay 12.5% in total (the 2.5% base rate plus the 10% Section 301 layer on Japanese goods); newer, US-market Japanese cars pay 15% all-in under Section 232 — verified at quoting
- Kei cars of 1,000 cc or less (Honda Beat, Suzuki Cappuccino): their subheading is also on the Section 232 steel and aluminum derivative list, which can mean 25% on the full value — a ruling from our customs brokers before you buy
- Shared container or RoRo, and inland transport in Japan from the auction yard or dealer to the port
- Where the car lands and goes next: Los Angeles devanning, East Coast discharge, open or enclosed truck to your state
- Compliance work: build-date evidence, certified translation of the export certificate, and CARB modification if the car is to be registered in California
- Agreed-value insurance, and storage if the paperwork is not ready when the car arrives
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Our licensed customs brokers verify every code before you commit to an order.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8703.22 / 8703.23 / 8703.24 | Passenger cars with spark-ignition engines over 1,000 cc — Skyline, Supra, RX-7, Evolution, Integra | 2.5% base rate. Cars 25 years and older fall outside Section 232 and pay 12.5% in total with the Section 301 layer; newer cars fall under Section 232 at 15% all-in for Japan. Verify at quoting. |
| 8703.21 | Passenger cars of 1,000 cc or less — kei cars and kei sports cars | This subheading also appears on Annex I-B of the Section 232 steel and aluminum action (25% on full value). Whether that reaches a 25-year-old kei car is something our customs brokers rule on before you buy. |
| 8703.32 / 8703.33 | Diesel passenger vehicles — Land Cruisers, Delica vans, Hilux Surfs | Same duty logic as petrol cars. Diesel imports cannot be converted for California registration. |
| 8704.31 | Kei trucks and other light goods vehicles with petrol engines | 25% base rate (the 'chicken tax'); the Section 301 layer adds nothing on top. See our kei truck guide. |
Regulations and Compliance
The 25-year rule, counted to the month
A car not built to US safety standards can enter permanently once it is at least 25 years old, declared on the DOT HS-7 under box 1, and EPA admits it under code E on form 3520-1 when it is at least 21 years old and in original configuration — so an engine swap can cost you the EPA exemption. Both are counted from the month and year of manufacture, not the model year or the sale date. A car shipped too early can be seized, or must be exported or destroyed at your cost.
Prove the build date before you pay a deposit
Japan's export certificate records the month of first registration (初度登録年月), not the month of manufacture. CBP can ask for proof of the build month, so get it before you commit: the manufacturer's build-date record for the chassis number, a dated build plate, or another verifiable source. A listing that relies on the model year or the first-registration date alone is not proof.
Japanese export papers become your US title documents
Japan has no US-style title. Before export the seller deregisters the car, and the certificate issued — 輸出抹消仮登録証明書 for a registered car, 輸出予定届出証明書 for a kei vehicle — is the ownership document. Keep the original and get a certified English translation: with the CBP-stamped entry summary and the bill of sale, it is what your DMV registers the car from. Japanese cars carry a chassis (frame) number rather than a 17-character VIN, which most DMVs record after a VIN inspection.
California: shipping is easy, registration is not
Landing a car in Los Angeles is simple; registering it in California is not. Direct imports of model year 1975 and later must be modified and certified by a CARB-approved laboratory before the DMV will register them, which industry estimates put at roughly $7,500–15,000 per car, and diesel vehicles and motorcycles cannot be converted at all. The federal 25-year rule does not exempt a car from CARB. We will never tell you a JDM car is street legal in California — get the path confirmed in writing by CARB and the DMV for your exact car before you buy.
JDM scams and misdescribed cars
The JDM boom attracts fraud: cloned exporter websites, deposits requested to personal accounts, edited auction sheets, wound-back odometers, and cars presented as older models or earlier builds than they are — CBP has seized cars imported on false identities. Buy from a company you can verify — Japanese used-car dealers and exporters hold a secondhand dealer licence (古物商許可) from their prefectural public safety commission — pay company accounts only, check the auction sheet with the auction house, and ask for a copy of the export certificate before the final payment. We review the documents before a car is booked.
Door-to-Door Import Service
Before you buy, send us the listing: we check the build-date evidence and the export papers, and quote the freight and the duty for that car. Once you have bought from the dealer, exporter or auction agent, our WCA partner agent in Japan — or the exporter's own forwarder — collects the car, completes deregistration and the export declaration in NACCS, washes the underbody and loads the container or delivers to the RoRo terminal; we file the ISF at least 24 hours before loading.
In Los Angeles, our licensed customs brokers file the entry with the HS-7 and EPA 3520-1, the car is devanned at a partner facility near the ports and inspected against the loading photos, and it goes by open or enclosed truck to your door in any state, with the stamped entry summary, the export certificate and its certified translation, the bill of lading and the bill of sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I import a car from Japan to the USA?
Which cars are legal under the 25-year rule in 2026?
Can I ship a car from Japan to California and register it?
How much is the tariff on a car imported from Japan?
JDM & Classic Cars is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
Compare other origins for cars
Transit, duty exposure and container loads side by side in our cars import guide.
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