Import cars from Japan

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If you love cars from Japan, you can try importing one of these into Germany. Depending on the model, however, you will face different hurdles.

Left-hand traffic makes importing exotic models from Japan expensive.
Left-hand traffic makes importing exotic models from Japan expensive. © Bernd_Lamprecht / Pixelio

Buy a Japanese car

  • One of the first problems with the import of cars is finding a suitable car. You can only rely on the information provided by the seller. If you know someone in Japan, have them inspect the car before you buy it. Once the car is here, you've already spent a lot of money.
  • After purchasing, you need to organize transportation. The car is packed in a container and sent on the voyage. The transport takes up to two months.
  • If you do not live in a port city, you must also organize transport from the port to your home town, because you are not allowed to drive the car in Germany immediately.
  • When importing a purchased car, customs require a sum that is calculated from the sales price.

Allow the cars in Germany

  • Since there is left-hand traffic in Japan, you must first adapt your car to the German road traffic regulations. You can drive it as a right-hand drive, but you must at least adapt the lighting to right-hand traffic. If the car model has not yet been sold outside of Japan, you will need to purchase high costs For this modification calculate. If there are already left-hand drive models, you can take the spare parts from one of these models.
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  • It is best to discuss the approval of the car with an employee of the TÜV. Then you can get all the documents you need for admission. Especially for vehicle models that do not yet exist in Germany, registration can cost up to 2000 euros.
  • Registration is easier if you do not have the car come directly from Japan, but from Great Britain. You will find many Japanese models here, because the conversion is not a problem for the British Road traffic represents. The approval of an EU import is much more straightforward than an import from Japan.
  • Importers who look for a specific car in Japan on behalf of their customers and take care of all the formalities are also of great help. You would then be able to buy the car almost like a German car.

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