Section 3-23 CANADIAN OR OTHER IMPORTED VEHICLES
3.23.1 Authority. Federal law requires all vehicles entering the United States from another country for resale to be imported through a registered importer. A registered importer is a business authorized by the federal Department of Transportation to handle the legalities of importing vehicles into the United States. On behalf of the vehicle owner, the registered importer ensures the vehicle has proper ownership documents and meets all EPA and DOT standards. The importer also inspects the VIN, converts the odometer from kilometers to miles, and ensures custom duties are paid, if applicable.
3.23.2 Requirement. When vehicles are imported into the U.S. from other countries, including Canada, additional documents must be presented to the Secretary of State branch office with the application for title. Failure to provide proper documentation may result in the branch office rejecting the application.
a) Foreign ownership document. The foreign ownership document must be properly assigned to the buyer, and must include the following information: 1) The date of purchase;
2) The odometer reading in kilometers when sold to the Michigan dealer;
3) The names and addresses of both the seller and the buyer. Revised
b) U.S. Customs Form 7501. This form is required by U.S. Customs for all vehicles entering the United States. The form verifies the vehicle entered the U.S. properly, identifies the port of entry, and declares whether duty is due. It must be stamped by the U.S. Customs office at the port of entry, which verifies they processed the form. Forms submitted to the Secretary of State without this stamp will be denied.
c) Vehicle Number and On-Road Equipment Inspection Form (TR-54). The Department will only title vehicles that are imported for resale by a Michigan dealer, or for private use by Michigan citizens. Customs Form 7501 indicates the port through which the vehicle entered the United States. Michigan port codes begin with the number 38 (e.g., 3801 is Detroit and 3802 is Port Huron). If the port code does not begin with 38, form TR-54 must be completed by a Michigan law enforcement officer to verify the vehicle is physically located in Michigan. It must be submitted to the Secretary of State branch office with the application for resale title.
d) U.S. Department of Transportation Forms. To certify compliance with Federal motor vehicle standards, the following forms are submitted to the Secretary of State branch office:
1) HS Form 7, completed by the registered importer;
2) A statement of compliance or a waiver from the US DOT.
e) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Forms. To certify compliance with Federal environmental standards, the following forms are submitted to the Secretary of State branch office:
1) Form 3520-1, completed by the registered importer;
2) A statement of compliance or a waiver from the EPA. NOTE: DOT and EPA forms are required only when importing “grey market” vehicles that were not manufactured to meet U.S. import standards.
f) Odometer Conversion Paperwork: The registered importer converts the vehicle’s odometer from kilometers to miles, and provides the buyer with an affidavit to describe the odometer conversion. This affidavit will be necessary when titling the vehicle. See Chapter 4, Section 4-9 for more information.
