DIY: How to Import an E30 Touring

[squidmaster]

Great info! Thank you for taking the time!

[Poorhouse]

Great info.

[stonea]

Amazing writeup! Hopefully we see a few more touring make there way over here now.

[getouth]

I registered mine in my home state of Fl. I drove it from the port of Virginia to Fl spent 15 min at the state inspection center then 45 min at the tax collector. The process took about an hour. This was not my first time importing so I had everything in order..... Fl is one of the easiest states imo . No emissions or state inspection just a vin inspection. Super easy my total cost was $163 including title and registration. I live in NC and it is a not nearly as easy.


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[crash n' burn]

Great write up! I personally won't use this as I'm military and the process is not even 10% as complicated. I do admire the commitment of those who do, Keep the good fight going guys. Someone buy roguetoaster a beer!!

There are still a few headaches to deal with. Most states don't make you jump through hoops. I know NC is easy AF and I should have zero issues with my wagon when it gets to the states.

I hope shes staying warm on the boat.

[Grime]

Great write up and very thorough! Makes me appreciate finding mine already imported so much more.

[getouth]

Great write up! I personally won't use this as I'm military and the process is not even 10% as complicated. I do admire the commitment of those who do, Keep the good fight going guys. Someone buy roguetoaster a beer!!

[Garage30]

Excellent writeup, great job!

We have sold a 325iX Touring to a customer in Michigan. Shipping in about 3 weeks. The cost for the broker/import agent usually comes in at around $500 to $700. Imo I'f you aren't really bothered to learn all the ins and outs about importing, and don't live near a port, hiring an agent sure does make things a lot easier.

[roguetoaster]

The first car I used a broker for cost just under $1200 without the duty cost, and included a transport inland of a mere 18 miles. To me that just wasn't worth it at all.

Can confirm that Hoegh does use the Ceres terminal.

Are you talking about lines/payment at the terminal or at the customs office? In each case I never had to wait more than 5 minutes, but have had to wait up to 30 minutes at the port escort.

[Luis A.]

Nice writeup.

Having done this both dealing with USCBP and clearing importation through a broker, I can strongly suggest the latter. The fees were eminently reasonable: Customs entry fee $125 and Bond fee and service $50. Of course, the bill from the broker will be higher since they will pay the US Duty to be paid on your behalf and other fees that you'll have to pay with or without a broker.

If the forum overlords allow it, I am happy to post my broker's contact info for Baltimore.

During one pickup, the ports people demanded payment of certain unpaid fees and they would not accept cash, credit card or personal check. This is Friday at 3 pm and they keep banker's hours. Seeking a cashier's check at that time was impossible. I called the broker and she posted payment on my behalf allowing me to retrieve the vehicle.

Soviet-era bread lines' customer service was FAR better than what you will experience at the ports. I am not kidding or exaggerating. They are perennially pissed off and could care less about your pretty little import.

One last thing, in Baltimore if you are picking up at Amports, at 2901 Childs Street, you do not need a TWIC escort to get in and pick up or drop off a car. This is where Hoegh vehicles come in. If you have to go to the Dundalk Marine Terminal, then you need a TWIC escort.

[Vic]

Roguetoaster,
Thank you so much for your response I really wanted to pm you months ago but, I wanted to remain patient since I knew this write up would come.

It sounds like I'm screwed... When I contacted Jason at NMT I stressed to him what I needed and he sent me all forms that were involved in the importing process and mentioned that an electronic release was filed. None of what he sent was stamped.

It's extremely frustrating having to deal with this and feeling like I'm a stamp or two away from legally being able to drive my touring and it has put a halt to continue wanting to import them. Ivo offered me a sweet malachit Green touring (325is) after I missed out on the one you purchased I held off.

My BMV will not at all assist in this process and it sucks! feels like I've spent money on a paper weight. I'll make some calls Monday and see what gives. Thanks again for your help.

[roguetoaster]

3299 is the form you'd need if you are declaring free items within your vehicle. However, I am not sure if that would fly if you didn't own the vehicle overseas.

[Seawolf]

I just checked my Jag registration documentation, the forms needed for DMV are issued by US Customs, either CF 3299 or CF 7501 (I had both for some reason).

These forms are now CBP3299 and CBP7501.

Just checked with NY dmv where I originally registered the car and Mass RMV, their imported vehicle registration policies both quote either of these docs.

Your dmv is talking out of its rear end.

[808e30325i]

Nice write up Gaelan!

[roguetoaster]

Brokers allegedly have the ability to file some sort of electronic claim that bypasses the HS7/3520 starting that the car is exempt from DOT/EPA requirements. This is truly unfortunate for the end user as they are left out in the cold when the MVA requires stamps as most brokers will give you a 3461 paperless (which technically has release authorization on it) unless you specifically insist on physical, CBP stanped copies of all documents.

It would be nice if MVAs would understand that these are legal declarations and should not need any approval aa they are made on an individuals claim without being checked in most cases. However, they will be stamped when submitted by a broker as long as they do not e file, or iif done in person.

Fortunately for me, when I ended up with a paperless 3461 I was able to extract the process to get a stamped copy from the guy at NMT. However, when I called CBP they explicitly said that they won't stamp non CBP forms, but YMMV as their rules seem less set in stone than you might think.

Who was your contact at NMT? They may be able to provide you with some further info on how to get the HS7 and 3520 stamped by someone, but I don't definitively know how you would do that.