Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 08:29:16 -0800 (PST)
From: Paul Witek <pwitek@domain.elided>
Subject: [alfa] Importing Alfas - "Personal Exemption"
As far as I know, the "personal exemption" was eliminated a few years
back. I'm pretty sure that to get any newer vehicle into the US requires
the services of a Registered Importer.
There's a rather extensive list of hoops that need to be jumped through,
both in terms of the DOT and the EPA. And, of course, you'll have to get
it through customs, which involves more fees and duties, etc.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/factmtop.htm
I'm afraid the old days of just buying one over there and shipping it
back are over.
I know that circa 1990, the general rules for personal importation
were changed (at the request of Mercedes Benz of North America) to
make what was possible in the '80s near-impossible. (EPA exemptions
were eliminated, and the regulation of Registered Importers was
changed to make their job very expensive and put most of them out of
busines.) Circa 2000, the "Show & Display" exemption was created to
allow the importation (for show and display purposes, annual mileage
<2500) of cars that could be proven to be of "historical or
technological significance." I'm certain that the once-per-lifetime
"personal property" exemption still exists--whether its been
restricted to military personel, I can't say for sure. I think that
checking with a U.S. consulate might be the best way to get the real
scoop.