Is import of HMMWV in to the U.S. allowed?

[seriesonelandy]

Hi All,

Currently I live in Italy and will be returning to the U.S. after a few years when I retire. Here ex- NATO or U.S. import HMMWVs are classified as street legal. I would like to buy one here and ship it to the U.S. when I return.

Is importation of HMMWV allowed by the U.S.? Though it is a street-legal vehicle here, will it be classified as street-legal in the U.S.? (I understand most of the ex-military HMMWVs in the U.S. are classified as non-street legal).

Would very much appreciate useful advice/info.

Cheers!

 

[greenjeepster]

I would guess not because there would be no record of it being released from service in the USA which is a requirement of ownership. Perhaps your importation paperwork would be enough, I am not sure about that. I would seriously investigate this before attempting to import or you might find that your investment cannot leave the Customs lot.

ALL US Military Surplus HMMWVs are classified as off-road use. Some States have allowed registration of some that are surplus, but they were still sold initially under the restricted off road use. Depending on the state a person lives in, even if purchased a "Titled" HMMWV, there have been cases where the title has been revoked when the buyer attempts to put it in their own name.

 

[nattieleather]

I would think you would need to check what the federal import laws say as well as DOD regulations. I would think that federal laws would supersede state laws in this case. I'm sorry I don't have a better answer for you, but the last thing you want is for customs to seize your truck and demolish it because you didn't have the paperwork in order.

 

[seriesonelandy]

I would guess not because there would be no record of it being released from service in the USA which is a requirement of ownership. Perhaps your importation paperwork would be enough, I am not sure about that. I would seriously investigate this before attempting to import or you might find that your investment cannot leave the Customs lot.

ALL US Military Surplus HMMWVs are classified as off-road use. Some States have allowed registration of some that are surplus, but they were still sold initially under the restricted off road use. Depending on the state a person lives in, even if purchased a "Titled" HMMWV, there have been cases where the title has been revoked when the buyer attempts to put it in their own name.

Thanx for the info! There are also a few ex-U.S. military Humvees for sale here that were bought and imported to Italy by some agents. They must have record of them being released from service in the USA. I will check. I will be living back in Texas when I return to the U.S. Anyway, I have to be careful before I think of shipping it!

 

[NDT]

Have it RORO'd to Galveston TX fron Zeebrugge BE. I can pick it up for you. Then do a bonded title on it. It is not in violation of any law to title a HMMWV that was assembled from parts or sourced other than from Government Planet.

 

[tomelroy]

ALL Hmmwv produced are considered not road worthy here in the US. It doesnt matter which batch or when you got it...They do not meet DOT and EPA regulations for road use. From what I understand Arnold Schwarzenegger's M998 required ~100K to make it street legal. I have imported Ex Air-force Snow Cats from Canada and did not have a problem because of their off-road nature. The snowcats were made in the US in the 80's. From my experience I don't think you would have a problem importing a HMMWV as off-road. It will not be considered road worthy.....There is an exception...what year was the HMMWV made?

 

[sigo]

There is so much incorrect information out on the inter webs about the legalities of HMMWV ownership that you can never be sure what you read is true. There are even myths being perpetuated in this very thread.

Bottom line, check with US customs and with the state you plan on making home. My opinion is you have a pretty good shot at importing legally. Titling in a state legally is another matter, but people have been tilting HMMWVs for years with minimal issues. It's all about the documents you have to show it's a legitimate on-road vehicle.

I've registered and titled various vehicles (including 3 different MVs) in four states within the last 6 years and I found if you have legal documents from another state, the next state won't really care what kind of vehicle you have. It's all about the paper trail. I'm curious how a state will view your customs paperwork and your Italian title. I titled and registered a Japanese made 1987 Mitsubishi J53 Jeep a few months ago and the GA "DMV" got a kick out of the original Japanese title. Ultimately the Jeep had been titled in GA the week before by the importer, so with my GA title from the importer to show the vehicle was already considered legal and it belonged to me they processed my application. The Jeep wasn't in the DMVs computer system, but my papers were in order so I didn't have any problem. Mitsu-Jeeps have never been sold in the US, they don't meet emissions standards, they don't meet Federal safety standards, and it's right hand drive. None of that mattered because it's over 25 years old. I'd wager you're going to be fine as long as US Customs lets it in.

 

[Retiredwarhorses]

ALL Hmmwv produced are considered not road worthy here in the US. It doesnt matter which batch or when you got it...They do not meet DOT and EPA regulations for road use. From what I understand Arnold Schwarzenegger's M998 required ~100K to make it street legal. I have imported Ex Air-force Snow Cats from Canada and did not have a problem because of their off-road nature. The snowcats were made in the US in the 80's. From my experience I don't think you would have a problem importing a HMMWV as off-road. It will not be considered road worthy.....There is an exception...what year was the HMMWV made?

so "God knows how many I have had" are/were not legal? Funny, but they all had titles, insured and were daily drivers.
none of this was an issue till the Gov planet trucks came out....but we are straying from topic.

 

[tim292stro]

...but we are straying from topic.

I wonder if I could import an M1A1 after I steal it from ISIS?

 

[SCSG-G4]

I wonder if I could import an M1A1 after I steal it from ISIS?

That's really straying!

 

[tomelroy]

Importing a hmmwv as off road would not preclude you from titling or insuring it. In fact some states require all off road vehicles made after 1988 to be titled and registered.

 

[greenjeepster]

Correct: CT issues a tag for an ATV on off-road vehicles. Many western states have special ORV tags.

The question here though is about importation, not registration. I think that importation laws are on the importers side, (if vehicle is over 25 years old) but there would be a lot of resistance and you would need deep pockets for a good attorney to get it done.

I also think it would be cheaper to just purchase one here... The End Use Status status is going to be the same regardless of whether purchased here or imported. They have a use restriction on them... PERIOD!

http://olive-drab.com/od_mvg_register.php Half way down this link is a link to the letter that CT DMV produced when I questioned them about registering a hmmwv in state. They stated that as a response to this letter, they pulled all the titles and registrations on hmmwvs in the state and they will not register any in the future. I asked if I produced one that had a title issued in another state would they honor that title and they said "No". I have read on other forums of people running into the same problem with them in other states. Bottom line is that it doesn't matter where you buy it... if the intent is to register it in the USA it is likely that you will have an issue.

 

[98G]

I wonder if I could import an M1A1 after I steal it from ISIS?

fill out your form 6.....

 

[NDT]

What on earth is an "end use status"? The OP asked about importation, I have done 3 ex-US military vehicles from Europe to US, costs about 2 grand. Sorry about ya"lls situation in CT, but he asked about TX and titling and registering HMMWVs is not a problem here, as long as they did not come from Gov Planet.

 

[greenjeepster]

Sorry about ya"lls situation in CT, but he asked about TX and titling and registering HMMWVs is not a problem here, as long as they did not come from Gov Planet.

Gov Planet isn't who put the restrictions on them. The ones that recently sold on GL from BSA also had the same restrictions as did the USMC trucks from 1999. Yes some got titled and registered, but states are cracking down now and pulling titles when these trucks transfer ownership.

There was a thread on here last year about somebody having problems getting hmmwv titled/registered in TX... and as I recall it was a USMC truck from the 1999 sale....

I don't care what anybody does.... just saying that importation isn't likely to alleviate the off-road status if that is the goal. State DMVs are aware of HMMWVs and their status.

 

[sigo]

I don't see why a 25+ year old HMMWV is any different than any other vehicle over 25 years old that doesn't meet FMVSS, EPA, DOT standards. They're exempt after 25 years for the purposes of importation and generally exempt around 25 years +/- in most states as long as they're tagged accordingly. The HMMWV itself was never the problem. The problems were the restrictions caused by the demil code assigned by DOD and the restrictions resulting from the paperwork or lack thereof issued with HMMWV sales. Why does a state care as long as the documents are legal? Unless the ridiculous restrictions imposed with the HMMWV sales through govplanet are causing states to change their policies. Do they think because the HMMWVs sold in the past few months have the off-road only restriction that ALL HMMWVs must also be good for off-road use only? Idiots. Recent sales have zero bearing on previous legal sales. They're unrelated. Oh well, good luck seriesone. I still say give it a shot.

 

[Tornadogt]

I have Several Texas Title MVs Nowhere on the title would it say Hmmwv or in any way distinguish it from any other MV on the title.

All that is on the title is

Manufacture (Some of mine just have MILTRY, other have the actual manufacture example BMY, AM General.

Model (Which is the "M designation) and only has space for 3 digits.. Example my M931a2 shows M93. Example My M936a2 also shows M93 and A HMMWV would show M99 for a M998, or M10 for a M1031.

The local DMV has no Idea what kind of MV you have when you are transferring a title. As long as you have your paperwork in order it no problem. Having a title to begin with is the key. Like it has been said buying one with a title, building a parts truck and getting a Bonded title, or importing one from overseas with proper paperwork is doable. Buying one on Iron Planet and taking that paperwork to the DMV and expecting to get a title IS NOT.

 

[greenjeepster]

The problems were the restrictions caused by the demil code assigned by DOD and the restrictions resulting from the paperwork or lack thereof issued with HMMWV sales. Why does a state care as long as the documents are legal? Unless the ridiculous restrictions imposed with the HMMWV sales through govplanet are causing states to change their policies. Do they think because the HMMWVs sold in the past few months have the off-road only restriction that ALL HMMWVs must also be good for off-road use only?.

I don't think the States do care, except that they are getting pressure from the fed and the Manufacturer is the driving force behind the restrictions. No state is going knowingly register something that the builder says in unsafe.

The letter to the state of CT from AM General which I linked above was dated a few months after the 1999 sale. The "recent" restrictions are not recent. My research has also revealed that AM General is contacting the major insurance cos and asking them not to insure them as well. I am not sure why they care, but they are putting much effort to keep these off road and remove the ones that are on road to off road status. Note that the letter gives both the letter designation and the military designations as a reference. If I were to buy a titled one I would only buy it if the title stated nothing more than "1.25 ton truck".

 

[Tornadogt]

I do not like doing this back and forward thing.. But the letter from "Hummer" (look at the top of the letter) /AM General Corporation was sent to the CT DMV on March 14 of 2000. If you read it and understand when it was sent out (March 2000). AM General has no power to TELL the DMV what to do ,just was suggesting for them to not title them. Again look at the time it was written and understand AM General was upset about the USMC release of trucks that was in Direct Competition with there civilian line of HUMMERS. So upset in fact that they cried enough to get DOD to change the Demil status.. I am not surprised at all by the letter and am sure plenty of them were sent out around that time. There letter is by no means a Law or a DOD restriction just a suggestion by a corporation looking out for there bottom line ($$$$$$$$)

This is all off topic and I fear any productive conversation about HMMWVs being closed. Every State is Different, Also if you talk to one person at your DMV and don't like what you hear, ask someone else any you will get a different answer just about every time. I know around here it is all about getting to the correct person who will know how to help you get done what you need to get done. Not every DMV employ hates MV's or is out to get you, Some can be very helpful and knowledgeable about the less common ways to file paperwork and accomplice your goals.

 

[ClarkeF]

I don't think the States do care, except that they are getting pressure from the fed and the Manufacturer is the driving force behind the restrictions. No state is going knowingly register something that the builder says in unsafe.

I don't think AMG cares anymore. Yes they sent that letter out 15 years ago - back when they were selling Hummers and "cheap" HMMWV sales might have cut into their civilian sales. I was at AMG in the fall - to them, the Hummer is dead, the HMMWV-C Series was pretty much dead (lifesupport?) and even the Military HMMWV was pretty dead (aside from the contract to produce some for Mexico). AMG is focused on the MV1 as their way forward.

Today I believe they just don't care about HMMWV's. They have no liability inherent in the trucks and no skin in the game financially (other than they might sell some more parts).