How to Fill Out the HS-7 Form for Importing a Vehicle

To fill out the HS-7 form for importing a vehicle, you declare — under penalty of law — the single legal basis on which your vehicle is entering the United States, attach the documents that basis requires, and present the signed form to U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the port of entry. The form is one page, but the box you check on it decides everything that follows: whether you need a bond, whether you need a Registered Importer, what you must attach, and what happens to your vehicle after it lands.

The HS-7 is administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and is required for every motor vehicle and piece of motor vehicle equipment offered for importation.¹ Its full title is “Declaration — Importation of Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Equipment Subject to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety, Bumper and Theft Prevention Standards.”²

Gather Your Documents First

Have the following ready before you start writing on the form. A mismatch between what you enter and what the vehicle actually is will hold up your entry.

The full 17-character Vehicle Identification Number, taken directly from the dashboard near the windshield or the sticker inside the driver’s door jamb. Transcribe it; don’t type it from memory.
Year, make, and model, matching the VIN decode and the vehicle’s paperwork.
The manufacturer’s certification label on the driver’s door jamb, if one exists. This is the permanent label stating the vehicle conforms to U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, formatted in block capital lettering with contrasting colors and identifying each applicable standard. Its presence or absence determines which box you can use.³
A manufacturer’s confirmation letter, if your box requires one. It has to come from the original manufacturer, not a dealership or affiliate.⁴
The port of entry where the vehicle will physically arrive. It must match your customs filings.

Pick the One Declaration Box That Fits

The form’s numbered boxes are the whole point of the exercise. You check exactly one, and each represents a different legal basis. Below are the boxes most individual importers use.

Box 1: Vehicles 25 Years or Older

If the vehicle was manufactured 25 or more years before its date of importation, it is exempt from federal safety standards. Check Box 1 and enter the date of manufacture.² No bond, no Registered Importer, no modifications. Be ready to prove the manufacture date with the title, registration history, or build sheet; the VIN itself often encodes the model year, and customs officials will check.⁵

Box 2A: Vehicle Already Conforms and Carries the Label

Use Box 2A when the vehicle was manufactured to meet all applicable federal safety, bumper, and theft prevention standards and carries the manufacturer’s permanent certification label saying so.² If the label is missing or damaged, you cannot use this box even if the vehicle is otherwise identical to a U.S.-market model. The label itself is part of the compliance.

Box 2B: Canadian-Certified Vehicle for Personal Use

Box 2B is a narrow pathway for Canadian-certified vehicles. The original manufacturer must confirm in writing that the vehicle meets all applicable U.S. standards, with narrow exceptions for labeling and daytime running lamp specifications. The vehicle cannot be salvage, repaired salvage, or reconstructed, and you must be importing it for personal use.² Attach the manufacturer’s confirmation letter to the form.

Reference the applicable NHTSA vehicle eligibility number: VSA-80 for passenger cars, VSA-81 for multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, and VSA-82 for heavier vehicles above that weight.⁶

Box 3: Non-Conforming Vehicle Through a Registered Importer

Box 3 is the expensive, complicated route. NHTSA must have previously determined that your vehicle’s specific make, model, and model year is eligible for importation, and you must work with an NHTSA Registered Importer to bring it into compliance after entry.¹ At importation you post a bond equal to 150 percent of the vehicle’s declared value. The Registered Importer then has 120 days from the date of entry to complete modifications and certify conformity.⁴

The vehicle cannot be salvage or reconstructed. Attach a copy of the bond and your contract with the Registered Importer to the HS-7. A list of active Registered Importers is on NHTSA’s website.⁷

Box 6: Temporary Importation by a Non-Resident

A non-U.S. resident can temporarily bring a non-conforming vehicle in for personal use for up to one year. The vehicle must be registered in another country, cannot be sold in the U.S., and must be exported before the year ends. Enter your passport number and country of issue on the declaration.¹

Box 7: Research, Demonstration, or Racing

Vehicles imported solely for research, testing, demonstration, or competitive racing — not for driving on public roads — go under Box 7. If you are not an original vehicle manufacturer, you need a permission letter from NHTSA before the vehicle arrives, and you must give NHTSA proof that the vehicle was exported or destroyed within 30 days after the authorized period ends.²

Box 8: Not Manufactured for Public Roads

Off-road vehicles, construction equipment, and other items not manufactured primarily for use on public roads go under Box 8, along with equipment items that aren’t systems, parts, or components of a motor vehicle.² This is about what the vehicle was manufactured for, not how you plan to use it. A street-legal car you intend to drive off-road doesn’t qualify.

The Less Common Boxes

The remaining boxes cover vehicles imported solely for export (Box 4), items needing further manufacturing before they function (Box 5), show or display vehicles with NHTSA approval (Box 9), and diplomatic or military imports. If none of those clearly fits, use one of the boxes above or contact NHTSA before filing.

Fill In the Rest of the Form

Once you’ve chosen your box, the remaining fields must be exact. Enter your full legal name and current address as the importer of record. Transcribe the year, make, model, and VIN from your documentation, not from memory; transposing two VIN digits will delay your entry.

Attach every document your box requires. For Box 2B, that’s the manufacturer’s confirmation letter. For Box 3, it’s the bond and the Registered Importer contract. For Box 7, it’s the NHTSA permission letter where required. Missing attachments are one of the most common reasons declarations get kicked back.

Sign and date the form. Your signature is a legal certification that everything on the declaration is accurate and that you accept the obligations tied to the box you checked. It’s what creates your liability if anything on the form turns out to be false.

The HS-7 Doesn’t Cover Emissions

Safety standards live on the HS-7. Emissions live on EPA Form 3520-1, which nearly every vehicle import also requires. Both forms need to be completed before you file your customs entry.⁸

The age exemptions on the two forms are different, and this trips people up. NHTSA’s safety exemption starts at 25 years. EPA’s emissions exemption starts at 21 years, meaning vehicles with an original production year at least 21 years before the year of importation qualify.⁹ A 2003 vehicle imported in 2026 clears the EPA age exemption but not the NHTSA one, so Box 1 on the HS-7 would be wrong. Even when both age exemptions apply, you still file both forms and check the applicable code on each.

Submitting the Form and Keeping Your Copy

You present the completed HS-7 to CBP when the vehicle physically arrives. Individual importers usually submit the paper form in person.

Expect a possible inspection. Officials may verify that the VIN on the vehicle matches the form and that any certification label described on the form is actually present. If you claimed Box 2A and the inspector cannot find a conforming certification label, your entry gets flagged.

Get a stamped copy of the accepted HS-7 and keep it with your vehicle records. Many state DMVs require proof that the vehicle cleared federal safety standards before they’ll issue a title, and the stamped HS-7 is that proof.

What Getting It Wrong Costs

A false or fraudulent HS-7 declaration carries civil penalties of up to $21,000 per violation, with the maximum for a related series of violations capped at $105 million.¹⁰ Each vehicle or equipment item counts as a separate violation. Knowingly submitting false information to NHTSA can also trigger penalties of up to $5,000 per day. A fraudulent declaration additionally exposes you to customs fraud liability under the Tariff Act.¹¹

For a Box 3 import, if the Registered Importer does not complete modifications within the 120-day window, the vehicle must be exported or surrendered to the U.S. government. No extension.⁴ You either meet the deadline or lose the vehicle and your bond.

1
eCFR. 49 CFR 591.5 – Declarations Required for Importation
2
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Form HS-7 Declaration
3
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 567 – Certification
4
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Importation and Certification FAQs
5
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Importing a Motor Vehicle
6
Federal Register. Final Decision That Certain Canadian-Certified Vehicles Are Eligible for Importation
7
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Importing a Vehicle
8
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Requirements for Importing a Personal Vehicle / Vehicle Parts
9
eCFR. 19 CFR 12.73 – Importation of Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Engines
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 30165 – Civil Penalty
11
eCFR. 19 CFR 12.80 – Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards