Import UK vehicle to the United States....just passing through

I live in the United States and my overland vehicle is a Toyota Landcuiser that I store in the UK. I want to bring it here so that I can travel overland to South America. Does anyone know how to do this i.e. familiar with the customs and import rules? Can I ship it to the US and pick it up at the port? Or can I ship it to Canada then drive it into the United States? Or do I have to ship it to somewhere in South America, e.g. Colombia, and start the trip there?

Hiya, welcome to the forum.

An interesting question, one that personally I don't know the answer to, but I'm sure somebody will be along soon who will. Watch this space!

Hi and welcome,

Hello & Welcome to the forum!

Welcome

How old is the cruiser ?

What nationality are you ?

Sorry all these questions have an impact on if you can do what you want to do

Summary - if you are a US citizen you would have to import the vehicle therefore if under 25 years old it would have to meet all US regulations

If you are a UK citizen then you should be able to import it on a temporary permit

Ah found the reference from a friend of mine who is a US citizen in the UK - note the difference for your status in the US if a UK citizen , tourist ok, resident not
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If you are a tourist, you can import it for a year. The US is NOT a signator of the Carnet system so while it won't hurt, a carnet is only good for you if your going to travel to Canada, Mexico and/or points further south.

What you WILL need is insurance. You need to find a good friend in the US that will let you "live" at their address, register it there (its a state issue, not a federal one) and then insure it.

When lived in Norfolk, VA I had a mate who would ship his truck over and register it at my house. That way he had VA plates and insurance while he was in the states for 364 days!

Btw, if the truck is 25 years old then there is no worries at all. Just pay the customs and duty on your 500$ beat up old defender ;-)

Good luck!
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I can get more detailed info from him

Hi Chengek and welcome.
As a non-USA resident I have inquired about how to take my vehicle to the USA and below is the dept I was told to contact and to send the relevant documentation to. I would have thought that they may be able to help you even if only to direct you to the right department. Hope this helps.

David C. Hurlin
URS, Contractor
EPA Imports Line
Imports Group
Compliance Division
Phone: (734) 214-4100
Fax: (734) 214-4676
2000 Traverwood Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48105

Thanks for responding. The landcruiser was built in 1996. I'm both a citizen of the USA and Ireland. I am also a resident of the US. I have been told by an EPA representative that I definitely cannot import this vehicle temporarily and if I imported it to Canada first, customs would turn me away at the Canadian-US border. It appears that I'm out of luck so I have begun to look at alternate vehicles for a planned trip to South America.

iveco4x4 wrote:

Welcome

How old is the cruiser ?

What nationality are you ?

Sorry all these questions have an impact on if you can do what you want to do

Summary - if you are a US citizen you would have to import the vehicle therefore if under 25 years old it would have to meet all US regulations

If you are a UK citizen then you should be able to import it on a temporary permit

So why not ship the vehicle direct into South America, fly down and pick it up ?

I know of an Iveco that will be for sale again early next year that is already in south america and will be cheap. You could them sell it on again at the end of your trip. Check the 'for sale' section on this site for details

http://www.4x4overlandtravel.com/t969-iveco-4x4-for-sale-in-argentina

Let us know what you get or what you do

Cheers

The plan is to drive to South America from the United States is the simplest answer to the question. We could ship to Mexico or anywhere along the route to South America, but we'd still have to get our current gear to that location and we'd never be able to bring the car back to the United States. We've decided to buy a new vehicle for the trip. We'll keep it here in the States for trips in the Americas(Alaska to South America) and use the Landcruiser for Europe, Africa, Russia and the Far East. I've given up on the idea of bringing the landcruiser to the United States since I'm a resident here.

iveco4x4 wrote:

So why not ship the vehicle direct into South America, fly down and pick it up ?

I know of an Iveco that will be for sale again early next year that is already in south america and will be cheap. You could them sell it on again at the end of your trip. Check the 'for sale' section on this site for details

http://www.4x4overlandtravel.com/t969-iveco-4x4-for-sale-in-argentina

Let us know what you get or what you do

Cheers