Italy
USA trade laneItaly holds the stock US collectors want: Alfa Romeo Giulias, Spiders and GTVs, Lancia Fulvias and Delta Integrales, Fiat 500s and Abarths, and Ferraris, Maseratis and Lamborghinis — including European-market versions that were never sold in the United States. Whether a car can come in at all is decided by the 25-year rule, and what it costs at the border is decided by its age: modern EU cars are under Section 232, while cars old enough fall outside it.
We work through WCA partner agents in Italy; AGF has no office there. Our partner collects the car from the seller, dealer or storage, handles the Italian export paperwork and loads it at Genoa or La Spezia. AGF runs the US side from Glendale: the entry filed by our licensed customs brokers with the correct DOT and EPA declarations, and enclosed delivery to your door.
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Shipping Luxury & Classic Cars from Italy to USA
Collector cars ship in containers: a sole-use 20ft for a single valuable car, or a shared 40ft with racking to split the cost. Roll-on/roll-off sailings from Salerno suit ordinary running cars when a sailing to your US port fits. In a container the car travels as a declared vehicle with the fuel tank near empty and the battery secured, and the underbody is washed before loading, because USDA rejects imported vehicles carrying soil.
From Genoa or La Spezia, New York is 9-22 days depending on whether the service calls direct, Savannah about 21-25 days and Los Angeles about 35 days through the Panama Canal. Condition is documented at collection, loading and devanning, so the car that left Modena is provably the car that arrived.
- Sole-use 20ft for one valuable car; shared 40ft racking for cost
- RoRo from Salerno for running cars when a sailing fits
- Fuel near empty, battery secured, declared as a vehicle in the container
- Underbody washed before loading to meet USDA soil rules
What Drives the Cost
- Sole-use container, shared container or RoRo
- Enclosed transport in Italy from the seller to the port
- Duty: modern EU cars pay 15% all-in under Section 232; cars made 25 or more years before the year of entry fall outside it and pay the normal 2.5% duty topped up to 10% in total under the Section 301 measure — verified at quoting
- Marine insurance at agreed value
- Enclosed delivery in the US, and any state emissions or registration work
- Spare parts shipped with the car, declared and dutied as their own lines
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 | Passenger cars | Modern cars built in the EU pay 15% all-in under Section 232. Every entry carries a DOT HS-7 and an EPA 3520-1 declaration under the correct exemption code. |
| 9903.94.04 | Section 232 exclusion for vehicles manufactured at least 25 years before the year of entry | Used with the 8703 line for qualifying classics: the car leaves the Section 232 tariff and pays the 2.5% base rate topped up to 10% all-in under the Section 301 measure on EU goods — verified at quoting. |
| 8708 | Parts shipped with the car — wheels, spares, engines | Declared separately from the car. Listed auto parts from the EU pay 15% all-in under Section 232. |
| 8711 | Motorcycles and scooters — Ducati, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Vespa | The same DOT 25-year logic applies to non-US-model motorcycles; duty and any EPA requirements are confirmed per bike at quoting. |
Regulations and Compliance
The 25-year rule (DOT)
A car not built to US safety standards can be imported permanently once it is at least 25 years old, counted to the month of manufacture, and declared on the DOT HS-7. Younger cars must carry the manufacturer's US certification label or go through a Registered Importer, which for most Italian exotics is impractical or impossible. Check the build date before you pay a deposit.
EPA 3520-1
Every car also needs an EPA 3520-1 declaration. Cars at least 21 years old and in original configuration use the age exemption; newer non-US-specification cars face EPA certification requirements that rule most of them out.
Section 232 — and two different age tests
Modern EU cars pay 15% all-in under Section 232. Used cars manufactured in a year at least 25 years before the year of entry are excluded and pay the normal 2.5% duty topped up to 10% all-in under the Section 301 measure. That tariff test counts by year while the DOT rule counts by month, so a car can clear one before the other — we check both against the build date.
Italian export paperwork
A car leaving Italy for good must be deregistered for export (radiazione per esportazione) at the Italian vehicle register, the PRA; the export customs declaration is part of the evidence. The seller provides the certificate of ownership, the registration document and a bill of sale, and these — with a certified translation — become the basis of your US title application, so the originals travel with the car.
Cars more than 75 years old
Pre-war and early post-war cars can count as cultural goods: EU rules require an export licence for means of transport more than 75 years old above a value threshold, and Italy's cultural-heritage law can require clearance from the Ministry of Culture. For anything that old, the seller should confirm the export position before the sale is agreed.
State registration and California
After federal entry, each state titles imported cars its own way. In California, registering a European-specification car is a separate emissions process for all but the oldest cars, and it can be slow and expensive — check with a California specialist before buying. We never promise street legality; we deliver the complete document trail for titling.
Door-to-Door Import Service
We start with the car's build date and documents, so the DOT, EPA and Section 232 position is known before you commit. Our partner agent in Italy collects the car by enclosed transport, completes the deregistration and export declaration with the seller, and loads it at Genoa or La Spezia with photos at every handover; the ISF is filed before loading.
On arrival our licensed customs brokers file the entry with the HS-7 and 3520-1, duty is paid, and the car is devanned, inspected and delivered enclosed to your home, shop or storage, with the full document set for your state title.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import a car from Italy that is less than 25 years old?
How much does it cost to ship a car from Italy to the USA?
Is a classic car from Italy subject to the Section 232 car tariff?
What paperwork does an Italian seller need to provide?
Luxury & 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.
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Transit, duty exposure and container loads side by side in our cars import guide.
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