ハワイ
Hawaiʻi: what importing a Kei vehicle actually looks like
Hawaiʻi is one of our busiest destinations. Importing a 25-year-old Kei truck or van into the state is legal under the federal 25-year exemption. Registering one for road use is a separate question, decided locally, and the answers vary and change. Here is the honest version before you spend money.
Registration: legal to import, uncertain to plate
Importing a Kei vehicle 25 years or older is legal. That part is settled. Whether you can register it for road use depends entirely on your state, and in Hawaiʻi on your county, since each county runs its own registration and safety inspection.
Rules vary widely and are changing frequently. Some places allow full registration, some restrict road class or speed, and some do not currently register Kei vehicles at all. Several jurisdictions have changed their stance in the past two years, in both directions. We deliberately do not publish a list of who says what, because that information goes stale fast and being wrong here is worse than being general.
The underlying issue is that a Japan-market Kei vehicle was built for Japan and never carried a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards certification label. That is what registration officials look at.
Get it in writing before you buy
If road registration matters to you, contact your county DMV, describe the specific vehicle, and ask for the answer in writing. A verbal yes at a counter is not worth much when a different inspector is on duty. We will help you research the current rules and point you at the right questions to ask, but we cannot guarantee a registration outcome, and anyone who tells you they can is not being straight with you.
Plenty of Hawaiʻi customers buy anyway, with their eyes open: farms, ranches, nurseries, resort and property maintenance, and private land where a road plate is not needed. Others accept the uncertainty and try. We will keep serving both, we just will not promise you a plate.
Arrival and pickup at Honolulu
- 01Sailing details. You get the vessel, sailing date and expected arrival as soon as the booking is made, plus the Japan-side export documents for your entry.
- 02Customs entry. You are the importer of record. You or your broker file the entry and pay duty and fees before the vehicle can be released.
- 03Three free days. Consignees generally get three free delivery days after the vessel discharges. After that the terminal starts charging demurrage and storage, so line up your entry and your pickup window in advance.
- 04Collect at Pier 31/32. Bring photo ID and the release paperwork. Arrange a driver or a tow if the vehicle is not being registered.
- 05Title and plates. Handled by you at your county DMV, subject to the uncertainty above.
Neighbor islands: an extra leg
Vehicles bound for Maui, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi Island, Molokaʻi or Lānaʻi still land in Honolulu and clear customs there. Getting to your island is a separate inter-island barge booking that you make after the vehicle is released.
That leg has its own cost, its own schedule and its own document requirements, usually the customs release, proof of ownership and a booking in the consignee's name. Budget both the extra fee and the extra week or two, and remember the Honolulu free days keep ticking while you arrange it.
Titling and registration basics
- · Title first with your county Division of Motor Vehicles and Licensing, using the customs entry, the Japanese export certificate and its translation, and our bill of sale.
- · A safety inspection is required before plates are issued, and that is the point where a Kei vehicle is most often questioned.
- · Annual weight tax and registration fees are set locally, and Kei vehicles fall in the lightest brackets.
- · Insurance can take a few calls. Some carriers will not write a grey-market vehicle without a title in hand.
- · No road registration does not mean no use: private property, farm and off-road use stay open.
関税
US import duty
Duty is calculated on the FOB price of the vehicle, which is the price you pay us for the vehicle itself. Ocean freight is billed separately and is not part of the dutiable value.
| Vehicle | Classification | Duty |
|---|---|---|
| Kei trucks | Cargo / light truck classification | 25% |
| Kei passenger vehicles under 1000cc | Kei vans, Mira Gino and similar | 15% |
| Larger passenger vehicles | Toyota Crown and other full-size JDM cars | 12.5% |
These rates have changed several times in the past few years and can change again between the day a vehicle sails and the day it arrives. Treat every figure here as an estimate and confirm the rate with a customs broker at the time of entry.
Shipping to Hawaiʻi?
Tell us your island and how you plan to use the vehicle. We will tell you plainly what to expect at your county before you commit.