# UK registered Vehicle in USA



## Do28 (Dec 21, 2010)

How long can I use a non US vehicle in Florida before having to re register it?

I am planning on shipping a couple of my motorbikes out having discovered I can ship for less than 500 quid.

Is there is time limit before I would be required to re-register them?

Which licence would I ride them on?


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## PDXnative (Aug 5, 2008)

You cannot bring a vehicle into the US, unless it meets EPA requirements, which are pretty strict, or if the vehicle is at least 21 years old. You can read all about it here:

Automotive Imports Facts Manual | Importing Vehicles and Engines | US EPA


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## Do28 (Dec 21, 2010)

The bike is a 97 and is an ex military Harley Davidson which meets the California emissions standards. There are already at least a dozen of them in the USA that I have restored and sold to the US over the last year. I restore them in my spare time.

They were used by both the US and British Military.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

What basis do you plan to register the bikes on? Start with FL DMV's site please.


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## goodman (Oct 3, 2009)

flybe said:


> How long can I use a non US vehicle in Florida before having to re register it?
> 
> I am planning on shipping a couple of my motorbikes out having discovered I can ship for less than 500 quid.
> 
> ...


We made the big mistake of shipping our vehicle & Harley Davidson from UK to California. Once they arrived we were told they could only be kept here for a year & then they had to be shipped back (they do not conform to Californian specifications, even the Harley!!!) I don't know if the rules are the same for Florida but I would check this out before shipping your motorbikes. We also had to register the vehicles & get license plates almost immediately. The whole process was complicated & a hassle and we just wish we hadn't bothered plus the expense of shipping them back & trying to sell them in the UK when we are in the US.


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## Do28 (Dec 21, 2010)

goodman said:


> We made the big mistake of shipping our vehicle & Harley Davidson from UK to California. Once they arrived we were told they could only be kept here for a year & then they had to be shipped back (they do not conform to Californian specifications, even the Harley!!!) I don't know if the rules are the same for Florida but I would check this out before shipping your motorbikes. We also had to register the vehicles & get license plates almost immediately. The whole process was complicated & a hassle and we just wish we hadn't bothered plus the expense of shipping them back & trying to sell them in the UK when we are in the US.


Well after much messing around finally got the all important EPA paperwork from the various bikes manufacturers. I managed to get 2 out of 3 bikes I wanted to bring with me issued with the correct paperwork. The 3rd is going to have to go in storage.

To get the paperwork for the Harley and the Suzuki I needed to provide a copy of the logbooks for each bike to customer services at HD and Suzuki. They then use the frame and engine numbers to see if the bikes are on the NHTSA list of bikes that can be imported into the USA. If they are on the list then they issue a certificate of compliance to state that they can be imported and meet the EPA regulations. This is then given to the import company in order to get them cleared through customs. Once through customs you get a paperwork pack to take to the DMV. My Yamaha did not have a direct USA equivalent so I can't get the paperwork for it.

It should be noted that there are special versions of motorcycles for use in California so a bike that may be allowed to be imported to the USA and used in other states may not be allowed to be used in California on a permanent basis. 

Once in Florida the bikes are subject to the 6% use tax even if you have owned them more than 6 months but it is based on current value not original value and items over a certain age are given a zero value. So worse case looks like one is free of tax and the other is a couple of hundred dollars. Much better than selling and starting again.


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