Written byImporting a truck into the US shouldn’t be overly complicated, however, it often is. With various federal and state regulations, there is always a lot of research to be done and paperwork to be filled ahead of time if you want your vehicle to not only be delivered but allowed on the road too.
This is especially the case with something like a Honda Acty or other small Japanese kei trucks and cars because they are so different from everything else on the US roads, that they often don’t fit in some standard state vehicle regulations. As a matter of fact, kei trucks are actually banned for import inside the US. And, yet, there is actually a perfectly legal way to get and drive them in most of the country, and these vehicles have even been rising in popularity in recent years. Let’s find out how all of this works below.
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1. Look into all necessary federal and state regulations regarding the import of kei trucks
First things first – because of the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988, the import of the Honda Acty and other Japanese kei trucks is strictly forbidden. However, the US also has the “classic vehicle” loophole, which renders any foreign vehicle manufactured more than 25 years ago “a classic vehicle” and makes it exempt from many regulations imposed by organizations like the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The vehicle should still comply with any applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), of course, but since kei trucks are built to last for way longer than 25 years, this should rarely be a problem. To be applicable, you will need to go over the right paperwork. This includes an EPA Form 3520-1 and a DOT Form Hs-7. These need to be applied to alongside the original bill of lading, the invoice (bill of sale), the vehicle’s foreign registration certificate, and any other document your local Customs and Border Patrol inspector asks for.
Passing the FMVSS is far from the only thing to note, however. The next step to look into is whether your state allows the import of kei trucks altogether, regardless of age.
As of writing this, the import of kei trucks is illegal in 9 states:
- Connecticut
- Georgia
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- Vermont
9 other states have restrictions on the import of kei trucks and those restrictions vary from state to state and need to be researched in detail:
- Colorado
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Four other states or territories don’t have any recorded laws on kei trucks on the books as of right now:
- Alaska
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
In all 29 other states in the country, the import of the Honda Acty and other kei trucks is perfectly legal. If importing a Honda Acty is legal in your state and you successfully prepare and go through all the necessary paperwork, you’ll be ready to buy and import your mini truck.
Before making the purchase, we would advise to also check if there are good vendors for kei truck replacement parts nearby, as there aren’t many such places in the US. Having the right place to buy Honda Acty parts near you is key for successfully owning and maintaining such a vehicle in the US for decades to come.
2. Purchase your Honda Acty kei truck and arrange its shipment
Since you’re buying a 25+ years old second-hand vehicle, there are many ways to do this and arrange its shipment. You can do so personally if you find the right seller online. Or you can use any of the various private agencies that help with the selling and shipping of used vehicles around the globe.
Not all such vendors are equally reputable and effective, of course, but the process itself isn’t all that complicated, and individual buyers and sellers often arrange things on their own online.
3. Sort out the customs and port clearance
Port clearances can be handled either with the help of a customs broker or on your own. If you don’t want to bother with it yourself, you can hire a firm to receive and process the necessary paperwork for you. This is the fastest way to go about it, but there’s going to be a fee.
If you don’t mind the paperwork, you can do it yourself too. There are even services, such as Eezy Import you can also use to assist you.
4. Arrange the domestic transportation from the port
Kei trucks are small and light, so you can often do this on your own, especially if you don’t need to transport your new acquisition over too great of a distance and you have a trailer. Alternatively, custom brokers can help with that process too or you can hire a transport company.
5. Register it for street use
Finally, you’ll also want to register your Honda Acty at your local DMV office to ensure it’s ready for street use. This process is different from state to state. Many DMV employees are often confused by kei trucks since Japanese vehicles don’t have VIN numbers (and have chassis numbers instead) and that’s not common in the US.
