Registration, insurance, check on car imported from outside US

[Janosch]

Hi everyone.

I come from Denmark in Europe and i've been reading alot here on the forum, but now i have a question i hope you guys can help me with.

I have a 1970's cuda that i am bringing to the states in october, and it will go with RO/RO (roll on - roll off) from Bremerhaven in Germany to New Jersey. Now i have most of the shipping fixed, but i don't know how things should work out when i need to import the car and get it registrered. I brought the car from the states to denmark in 2005, and i have the title which has an "export stamp" on it. It was last registrered in New York in 1999.

The plan was to drive to california in it, and spend my vacation there, passing by SEMA on my way. But i need to know how i am going to manage everything with the registration and insurance.

Here in denmark we have a periodically and first time check of every car that is/needs to be registrered. How is that over there??

Sorry for such a big bunch of questions, but i just want to be prepared, it's so uncool to get the car overthere and then not being able to drive it ;-)

Thank you.

[dropit69]

well it really depends on which state you are going to register it in?..every state veries on it..so just call that state (dmv) department of motor vehicles and ask ..they are great people to deal with :lol: so be patient with them ..

[6'9"Witha69]

If you want to get it done in NJ, here is some info:
http://www.dmv.org/nj-new-jersey/vehicle-registration.php

[Janosch]

Yeah, i have been looking around on dmv.org alot, but it doesn't get me anywhere with no adress in the states and a car that has some age..

I'll try to give them a call and see what they can come up with, it would just be nice to have some clue where i should start and what to ask.. but after your comment and this family guy episode ( http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6191292490496351838&q=dmv+family+guy ) i really don't know if i'm up for the challenge.

About where to registrate it i don't know if it would be best in california (since that's where i'm heading), or New York/New Jersey where i'll start out.

Besides from that i don't see anything about importing cars on dmv.org

[Kenova]

Is the car remaining in the US, or is it just visiting? If the car will remain in the US, i would think it would have to be registered in the state of residence. If the car will only be in the US for a short time and then return to Denmark, it may not be necessary to register it. It may only need valid insurance (liability) and registration from the country of origin.
This is the way it works for Canadians visiting the US and for Americans visiting Canada. It is quite possible that the rules are different for overseas visitors.
Perhaps you should check with the American Consulate. They may have a better idea as to how to deal with an international trip in your car. They certainly couldn't be any worse than the DMV.
Ken

[EFI69Cam]

If it is temporary, I think you can run with your Danish tags. I see many Mexico plates around here.

Call the the American Embassy in Denmark.

[6'9"Witha69]

Snip . . .They certainly couldn't be any worse than the DMV.
KenWanna Bet!!:dunno:

[ty1295]

If you send me an email I can help you out. I am taking care of the worlds fastest syclone from sweden right now and we have had to deal with the same issues.

It is fairly easy if you are shipping it back home. Being an original car it isn't that hard to get back into country either. Should be duty free.

Non-residents can import a car for up to 1 year, and run on original plates from your country. You will need US insurance.

[email protected] if you want more info, have questions. I can atleast guide you into where to go. Best is to get a customs broker ~$200 as they will take care of a lot of paperwork for you.

[Janosch]

Is the car remaining in the US, or is it just visiting? If the car will remain in the US, i would think it would have to be registered in the state of residence. If the car will only be in the US for a short time and then return to Denmark, it may not be necessary to register it. It may only need valid insurance (liability) and registration from the country of origin.
This is the way it works for Canadians visiting the US and for Americans visiting Canada. It is quite possible that the rules are different for overseas visitors.
Perhaps you should check with the American Consulate. They may have a better idea as to how to deal with an international trip in your car. They certainly couldn't be any worse than the DMV.
Ken

No the car is going to stay in the US. The problem is that i don't have an address overthere for at least the first 2 months.

Since i am going to CA in that time i guess it should be registrered there, but can i register it to "california" when i am in New York, or would i need some kind of temporary license plates?



If it is temporary, I think you can run with your Danish tags. I see many Mexico plates around here.

Call the the American Embassy in Denmark.

I wouldn't be able to use the plates from my own country since i can't get it registrered here, so i haven't got any. But i will try and call Embassy, haven't thought of that one.



If you send me an email I can help you out. I am taking care of the worlds fastest syclone from sweden right now and we have had to deal with the same issues.

It is fairly easy if you are shipping it back home. Being an original car it isn't that hard to get back into country either. Should be duty free.

Non-residents can import a car for up to 1 year, and run on original plates from your country. You will need US insurance.

[email protected] if you want more info, have questions. I can atleast guide you into where to go. Best is to get a customs broker ~$200 as they will take care of a lot of paperwork for you.

That sounds great, an email is heading your way.
The car is not original, that is why i can't get it registrered here in denmark (tight rules), but it is not going home either so that's not an option.

Thanks for all the answers so far..

[neki67]

I wouldn't be able to use the plates from my own country since i can't get it registrered here, so i haven't got any.

From one European to another; why can't you get it registered in Danmark? Isn't it an option to register it in another EC country and afterwards register it in Danmark? It's European law to let you register a car that already has a registration from another EC country.

I can help you with that one if/when necessary.

René,
the Netherlands

[Janosch]

From one European to another; why can't you get it registered in Danmark? Isn't it an option to register it in another EC country and afterwards register it in Danmark? It's European law to let you register a car that already has a registration from another EC country.

I can help you with that one if/when necessary.

René,
the Netherlands

First of all i would need to pay the Registration Fee.. It is there no matter what country a car comes from. That is about 170% to pay from the cars value. Now if we take in cars older than 35 years it is 170% of the cars price when it was new, that makes 35 year old cars less expensive (in the range of 3000-5000$). Now my car is not original, so they will put on a Registration Fee on top, that will vary depending on what they judge the car to be worth. Let's say they go for 20.000$, that would mean i had to pay 34.000$ in Registration Fee.

Now when i've had that done it would need to go to a "check". This check makes sure the car is legal for the Danish streets. Now the rules for what is legal in Denmark are very tight. You can only have 20% more engine power than stock, and if you change anything in the construction it has to be TÜV aproved or aproved by the danish institute. Now if i had to get the things aproved it would cost even more.

And if i am that lucky to get the car through the check i can be sure that i won't be able to get an insurance, since they just raise their prices to a level where i wouldn't want to go..

Haha, i'm sorry if i just scared you guys, Denmark is a nice country, but not if you want to drive a nice car ;-)

Just an example, a Chrysler 300C Hemi from new costs 170.000$ here in DK. (i guess you can relate to that).

[EFI69Cam]

Just out of curiosity, whats a more common european sedan cost there? Like a VW Jetta (Bora) or BMW 325 sedan?

[Janosch]

Just out of curiosity, whats a more common european sedan cost there? Like a VW Jetta (Bora) or BMW 325 sedan?

Here's the price on these cars as new.

VW Jetta 1.6 costs 47.500$

VW Jetta 2.0 TDI costs 63.000$

BMW 325i costs 97.000$

That is only in denmark. it is not that expensive in the other european countries !

[EFI69Cam]

Lets see, In the US the 300C MSRP is $32,995, the 2006 325i sedan is $30,100. The price of the BMW is 91% of the price of the 300C.
There the 300C is 170k, and the BMW 97k. The BMW is only 57% the price of the 300C.

If your talking 97k Euros, then BMW is not marking there cars down for you, and it seems like the 170k for the 300C is Daimler-Chrysler being real dumb, or your Gov't is taxing the s..t out of American cars. What is the MSRP for a Toyota Corolla there?

[Janosch]

My guess would be that you're right on the taxing part about the American made cars.

Until september (when dodge is starting in europe) we have only had Chryslers here. So until september something like the Viper was names Chrysler Viper...

I do think that BMW charges more for their cars in the states than here, so that might as well be a part of the reason that there is such a big difference between the Chrysler and the BMW.

A toyota like this Toyota Corolla 2,0 D-4D H/B Sol 5-d costs 55.000$

Note that all the prices i listed have been in dollars and not euro's. In Denmark we are still using DKR instead of €.

But the taxes are crazy here.. Glad we're a member of the EU, because that forces us to bring down the taxes to a better level.. Wonder how many years that will take :hand:

[neki67]

First of all i would need to pay the Registration Fee.. It is there no matter what country a car comes from. That is about 170% to pay from the cars value. Now if we take in cars older than 35 years it is 170% of the cars price when it was new, that makes 35 year old cars less expensive (in the range of 3000-5000$). Now my car is not original, so they will put on a Registration Fee on top, that will vary depending on what they judge the car to be worth. Let's say they go for 20.000$, that would mean i had to pay 34.000$ in Registration Fee.

Now when i've had that done it would need to go to a "check". This check makes sure the car is legal for the Danish streets. Now the rules for what is legal in Denmark are very tight. You can only have 20% more engine power than stock, and if you change anything in the construction it has to be TÜV aproved or aproved by the danish institute. Now if i had to get the things aproved it would cost even more.

And if i am that lucky to get the car through the check i can be sure that i won't be able to get an insurance, since they just raise their prices to a level where i wouldn't want to go..


You'ld better get yourself an address over here in the Netherlands. Get it on Dutch plates (less than $1000,-), insure it here (annual all risk insurance for approx. $50,- + 1% of the appraised value) and drive it to the Netherlands once a year for the annual check which shouldn't be a big deal(standards for old cars are far less, e.g. you don't need seat belts for cars manufactured prior to 1973, no windshieldwasher, all mods/upgrades allowed as long as they don't interfere with either common sense or general safety regulations, etc.). No road tax for cars older than 25 years.And the best part of it; you'ld be doing it in a perfectly legal way . . . .

[EFI69Cam]

My guess would be that you're right on the taxing part about the American made cars.

Until september (when dodge is starting in europe) we have only had Chryslers here. So until september something like the Viper was names Chrysler Viper...

I do think that BMW charges more for their cars in the states than here, so that might as well be a part of the reason that there is such a big difference between the Chrysler and the BMW.

A toyota like this Toyota Corolla 2,0 D-4D H/B Sol 5-d costs 55.000$

Note that all the prices i listed have been in dollars and not euro's. In Denmark we are still using DKR instead of €.

But the taxes are crazy here.. Glad we're a member of the EU, because that forces us to bring down the taxes to a better level.. Wonder how many years that will take :hand:

Thats too bad about the taxes on American cars, many people don't realize how unbalanced trade practices really are. They might not call the taxes import duties, but they really are.

[toxicz28]

Here's a link to New York's DMV website.
http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/

Two things that I have learned from a friend working in a police department that deals with alot of illegals(not saying you're coming here illegaly, but it could work in your benefit)
1. Most of the illegals get drivers licences in South Carolina
2. They register their cars in Connecticut

[Turbo Rob]

Thats too bad about the taxes on American cars, many people don't realize how unbalanced trade practices really are. They might not call the taxes import duties, but they really are.

All the cars are taxed that way over here, not just American cars.

[EFI69Cam]

All the cars are taxed that way over here, not just American cars.
Then why does the 300c cost so much more than the BMW, when the difference is not so great over here?When I was in Germany back in 1990, I remember being told that registration taxes were based on displacement, but I don't recall anything about purchase taxes other than import duties.

[Turbo Rob]

Then why does the 300c cost so much more than the BMW, when the difference is not so great over here?When I was in Germany back in 1990, I remember being told that registration taxes were based on displacement, but I don't recall anything about purchase taxes other than import duties.

I just checked the German Chrysler website, and a Chrysler 300 starts in Germany for Euro 33,900 (19% value added tax included). With the exchange rate, that is a bit higher than in the states, and factoring in the German taxes the price is not that bad. In Europe, automobile taxation varies widely by country. I saw an article in a German newspaper about a year ago, and I believe the taxation in Denmark is far more than the initial cost of the car, as Janosch stated. And about the 300C costing so much more in Denmark, there is probably some of what my macroeconomics prof called "snob-appeal" price added. As you remember from your stay in Germany, BMWs are fairly common cars here. And remember, the base price on a BMW increases by about $10K when you add only a few option packages to the car (which most of was would want - sport package, xenon lights, 3 liter six cylinder, etc).

What is really nice over here is the BMW 330 diesel. 0-60mph in six seconds and still get 40 mpg. I wish I could bring one of those back to the states with me.

I just checked the German BMW site. A 325 sedan begins at Euro 33.6K with 19% sales tax. That's pretty close to a base 300C Chrysler.

You are right about registration tax being based on displacement..this is for the annual registration, versus sales tax which is based on value (which varies widely by nation within the European Union).

My secretary is from Denmark. Since she lives and works in Gemany, she buys and registers her cars in Germany. She said the exact same car is about 1/2 the price in Germany as it would be in Denmark.

For the Americans reading this...consider yourself fortunate to pay 3%-8% sales tax on cars. As Americans we are very lucky to have low taxes compared to Europe (as I am sure Janosch from Denmark and Rene from the Netherlands (goede avond Rene..Hoe haat it?) can attest to.

I hope I have not rambled on to much about this topic.

Janosch - I too am shipping my car back to America - it is even not that easy for me, although I only shipped the car to Europe from America a year ago. And as Ty1295 said, use a customs broker, as it will make your life easier, especially with your unique situation.

[EFI69Cam]

I just checked the German Chrysler website, and a Chrysler 300 starts in Germany for Euro 33,900 (19% value added tax included). With the exchange rate, that is a bit higher than in the states, and factoring in the German taxes the price is not that bad. In Europe, automobile taxation varies widely by country. I saw an article in a German newspaper about a year ago, and I believe the taxation in Denmark is far more than the initial cost of the car, as Janosch stated. And about the 300C costing so much more in Denmark, there is probably some of what my macroeconomics prof called "snob-appeal" price added. As you remember from your stay in Germany, BMWs are fairly common cars here. And remember, the base price on a BMW increases by about $10K when you add only a few option packages to the car (which most of was would want - sport package, xenon lights, 3 liter six cylinder, etc).

What is really nice over here is the BMW 330 diesel. 0-60mph in six seconds and still get 40 mpg. I wish I could bring one of those back to the states with me.

I just checked the German BMW site. A 325 sedan begins at Euro 33.6K with 19% sales tax. That's pretty close to a base 300C Chrysler.

You are right about registration tax being based on displacement..this is for the annual registration, versus sales tax which is based on value (which varies widely by nation within the European Union).

My secretary is from Denmark. Since she lives and works in Gemany, she buys and registers her cars in Germany. She said the exact same car is about 1/2 the price in Germany as it would be in Denmark.

For the Americans reading this...consider yourself fortunate to pay 3%-8% sales tax on cars. As Americans we are very lucky to have low taxes compared to Europe (as I am sure Janosch from Denmark and Rene from the Netherlands (goede avond Rene..Hoe haat it?) can attest to.

I hope I have not rambled on to much about this topic.

Janosch - I too am shipping my car back to America - it is even not that easy for me, although I only shipped the car to Europe from America a year ago. And as Ty1295 said, use a customs broker, as it will make your life easier, especially with your unique situation.

I remember the Germans bragging that their taxes were among the lowest in Europe, but again that was 16 years ago.
The EU has added another taxation entity to the picture, I'm sure it is different now.

[Turbo Rob]

I remember the Germans bragging that their taxes were among the lowest in Europe, but again that was 16 years ago.
The EU has added another taxation entity to the picture, I'm sure it is different now.

Yes it is. I was living in Holland from 1990-1992. A lot of changes have occured in the following years, most for the good. The main change I noticed (I was back in the states and in Portugal from 1992-2000) when I came back is the amount of traffic on the autobahns. There are not a whole lot of sections you can still open it up on (like there was 16 years ago). It is not uncommon to set in traffic jams for hours at a time on the autobahns due to the traffic density. And I do believe the Germans still have among the lowest tax rate, although that has gone up since you were here.

I am glad I am in the military and have tax free privileages here.

I went to the Danish websites to try and look up new car prices, but the Danish language proved a bit much for me.

[Janosch]

You'ld better get yourself an address over here in the Netherlands. Get it on Dutch plates (less than $1000,-), insure it here (annual all risk insurance for approx. $50,- + 1% of the appraised value) and drive it to the Netherlands once a year for the annual check which shouldn't be a big deal(standards for old cars are far less, e.g. you don't need seat belts for cars manufactured prior to 1973, no windshieldwasher, all mods/upgrades allowed as long as they don't interfere with either common sense or general safety regulations, etc.). No road tax for cars older than 25 years.And the best part of it; you'ld be doing it in a perfectly legal way . . . .


wow, is it like that on the insruances with any car? We do (a lot of danes) kind of the same scheme as you are describe just with an address in Sweden. I guess it would be a good way to come around all the problems here at home, but i'm just skipping the idea about getting it on the streets here, and instead go straight to the states..

Through all my searches until now i guess i just need to find myself a customs broker that can take care of the import part. Now where do i do that? I have no doubt that alot of people wants to be my customs broker cause i get a hell of a lot returns with a google search :)

I'll get in contact with the shipping company to see if they can help me on that part.



Here's a link to New York's DMV website.
http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/

Two things that I have learned from a friend working in a police department that deals with alot of illegals(not saying you're coming here illegaly, but it could work in your benefit)
1. Most of the illegals get drivers licences in South Carolina
2. They register their cars in Connecticut

Oh thanks, i'll check that out as well.. :geek:



I went to the Danish websites to try and look up new car prices, but the Danish language proved a bit much for me.
:bsjerk:Come on.. it's not that bad :-P Just tell me if there's some prices you'd like..

I do think that germany still has the lowes taxes on cars..

[neki67]

wow, is it like that on the insruances with any car?

Nope, just with classic cars. And like I said, no road tax, even if you drive it on propane, which is about a third of the price of regular gas. I'm planning on using my 454 on propane with a 2x4 manifold and (thus) a double set of mixers.

[Janosch]

Nope, just with classic cars. And like I said, no road tax, even if you drive it on propane, which is about a third of the price of regular gas. I'm planning on using my 454 on propane with a 2x4 manifold and (thus) a double set of mixers.

We have the seem thing about classic cars and insurance here, but only if they are original! :banghead:

Road tax is only 12% of the normal price on classics (+35 years).

We haven't got alot places where we can buy propane here in dk yet so it would be a shame here..

What is that 454 in?