How to Import a Car from Germany to the USA

Germany builds and sells many cars that never reached American showrooms: the BMW M5 E34 Touring, the BMW Z1, the European-spec BMW M3 E36, the Audi RS2 Avant, the Audi RS4 Avant B5, the Porsche 968 Club Sport and the Mercedes E55 AMG estate. Once a car is 25 years old, it can come to the US even though it was never certified here. This guide explains, step by step, how a car leaves Germany and arrives at a US port with everything needed for a US title.

Step 1: Check that the car is legal to import

A car that does not meet US safety and emissions standards can be imported once it is at least 25 years old, counted month for month from its date of manufacture (49 CFR 591.5(i), declared on form HS-7). The EPA exemption is separate and applies to vehicles at least 21 years old in original configuration (form 3520-1). Check the build month on the manufacturer’s plate before you pay anything. See the 25-year rule explained and how the build plate proves eligibility.

Step 2: Buy the car and collect the German documents

A German car has a two-part registration certificate. Make sure you receive both parts in original:

• Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I (the Fahrzeugschein), the registration document.
• Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II (the Fahrzeugbrief), the document that names the registered keeper. It is the key paper for your US title. A private seller hands it over only once the price is paid in full.
• On a car registered before 2005, the older paper Fahrzeugschein and Fahrzeugbrief take the place of Teil I and Teil II.
• A signed bill of sale (Kaufvertrag) showing the price, the VIN and both parties.
• The report from the last general inspection (Hauptuntersuchung, the “TÜV” report), the service book (Serviceheft) and workshop invoices, if they exist.

Before you pay, check these points:

• The VIN on the car matches the VIN on Teil I and Teil II.
• The seller is the person named in the papers, and you know how many previous keepers are listed.
• The inspection reports and invoices give a continuous history.

Keep in mind that Teil II shows the registered keeper, and the keeper and the owner are not always the same person. Ask for proof of ownership if the names differ.

Step 3: Export the car from Germany

Deregistration. The car is taken off the German register (Außerbetriebsetzung) at a vehicle registration office (Zulassungsbehörde). The office needs Teil I and both number plates. In Berlin, for example, the fee is €17.10 in person, or €3.30 online when Teil I carries a scratch-off security code on the back. Teil II is not on the list of documents to hand in, so you keep it for your US title.

Customs export declaration. Every car leaving the European Union needs an export declaration, including a car for private use. It is filed electronically in Germany’s ATLAS customs system. The export customs office opens the procedure and issues an export accompanying document; the exit customs office at the port closes it. The export customs office then sends the exit notice (Ausgangsvermerk), which confirms that the car has left the EU. The VIN goes in the goods description of the declaration.

German VAT. If you buy from a dealer at a price without German VAT, the dealer needs proof of export. If the customs record is not enough, the dealer can ask you for proof of customs clearance or registration in the US. Keep a copy of your US entry papers for that purpose.

Export plates. A car that will be driven on its own wheels to the border or the port should carry export plates (Ausfuhrkennzeichen), issued by a registration office with export-plate insurance. They are valid for 15 days to one year, depending on the insurance contract.

Very old or very valuable cars. EU rules treat means of transport more than 75 years old and worth €50,000 or more as cultural goods. Exporting one outside the EU requires an export licence. This does not affect most cars on this site, which are far younger.

Step 4: Ship it to a US port

Cars for the US leave mainly from Bremerhaven and Hamburg. We use the ports of Baltimore, Newark, Savannah, Houston and Long Beach.

• RoRo (roll-on, roll-off): the car is driven onto a car carrier. It is usually the cheapest option for a running car.
• Container: the car is strapped inside a closed box. It usually costs more than RoRo.

Shippers quote about 20 to 25 days port to port to the East Coast, about 35 days to Savannah or Houston, and about 45 days to the West Coast. Schedules change; check the sailing date with the carrier.

Step 5: Clear US Customs

A licensed customs broker files the entry with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The broker needs:

• The original bill of lading from the shipping line.
• The bill of sale or invoice.
• The German registration documents (Teil I and Teil II).
• DOT form HS-7 with box 1 checked (vehicle at least 25 years old).
• EPA form 3520-1 with code E (vehicle at least 21 years old, original configuration).
• CBP form 7501, the entry summary, filed by the broker.

Duty. Since July 24, 2026, a car built in the EU pays 10 % in total: the 2.5 % base rate topped up by a Section 301 tariff. A car built in the UK pays 12.5 %. Pickups and cargo vans classified under HTS 8704 pay 25 % if built in the EU and 35 % if built in the UK. What counts is where the car was built, not where you buy it: a German-brand car built outside the EU pays the rate of its country of manufacture. The Section 232 auto tariff does not apply to cars built 25 years or more before the year of entry. On top of duty come the Merchandise Processing Fee (0.3464 %, minimum $34.58, maximum $670.86) and the Harbor Maintenance Fee (0.125 %).

What it costs: a worked example

A car bought for €20,000 in Germany, built in the EU, shipped RoRo to Baltimore. Exchange rate: ECB reference rate of October 21, 2026, 1.1234 USD per EUR.

Not included: transport from the port to your home, state sales tax, title and registration fees. Freight rates move; ask for a quote on the day.

Step 6: Title and register it in your state

Take the stamped CBP 7501, the HS-7, the 3520-1, the bill of sale and the German registration documents to your state’s motor vehicle agency. Some states also require a VIN inspection before they issue a title. California is different: a gasoline car built after 1967 needs CARB laboratory certification, which is not guaranteed, and a diesel cannot be registered by direct import. Georgia and Maine are also high-risk states for imported cars. Read our state-by-state import guide before you buy.

Or let us do all of it

We find the car in Germany or anywhere in Europe, inspect it in the country, handle the export paperwork, ship it, clear US Customs and hand you a car landed at a US port with the papers to title it in your state, at one all-in price.

• Ask us to find a specific car
• Browse the European models never sold in the US
• See how it works

Importing from elsewhere in Europe? Read how to import a car from the UK to the USA and how to import a car from Portugal to the USA.