To Japan by Car without Carnet - Leaving/Selling in Japan?
 

Hey there!

just registered after not finding any information on what i am planing in this years september :)

Two friends and I want to drive from Germany to Vladivostok, then take the DBS Ferry to Sakaiminato.
I am pretty sure, since the car is registered in Germany, that we will not be allowed to drive legally on the road in Japan. Therefore we will need some form of a trailer or tow truck to get our car to our final destination, Ebisu Circuit, a racetrack in Fukushima prefecture.

As we are planning to either sell the car at the racetrack or rent storage there, we dont want to export the car out of the country.


Has anybody any information on the import procedure? Like, how long did it take you until you were allowed to leave customs with your car, how much did it cost you?

I know it will be nasty!


I already contacted Tatiana from DBS Ferry (ChrisOfJapans website recommended her and also recommended this forum here :) ), she said there is a 20% import tax, which wouldnt be too bad on a 2,000€ car.

Thank you in advance!
Kind regards
Martin

Hi Martin,

We will be doing the same but with a Dutch car. And no race track :)

I don't really see why you couldn't drive it in Japan? You can get a temporary import paper/document when you bring your car along with yourself (so this is only possible using the DBS ferry)
And there is also the option to have short term insurance done.

This temporary import paper also means you don't pay import tax. But of course it is meant that you take your car with you again. So leaving it there would mean paying import tax. But I guess you would have to sell the car to somebody, and maybe nobody wants to have it? (because it is Left hand drive?)

While it will not be worth while for your car, it is possible to ship the car back to Hamburg for example, through a roll-on-roll-of ferry. It is not so expensive as container shipping. But still at least 1000 euro's and harbor costs.

This is the reason why we most likely be unable to drive our car on japans roads :(

I heard from a lot of times where japans authorities made a exception, BUT... the car wont be anywhere near being road legal in japan (steering lock kit, drifting modifications, hydraulic handbrake, bucket seats etc.)

If we wont be able to sell our car there, we will hopefully be able to rent storage at the track to just fly over there some time again. Ebisu Circuit is like the mecca of drift, so its always worth a visit :)


I dont like the idea of doing the temporary import thing without a carnet and then lying about the destination of the car.
as chris of japan stated in the other thread, every other traveller will suffer, if the authorities stop accepting the temporary import without the carnet :/

Yes a good idea not to lie about it, for other travelers. It could be road legal because in Japan they also do a lot of mods to there cars, but I guess it is not worth the effort in your case.
And now that you mention it, I have read it somewhere else about the countries not in the treaty.
Anyway it is clear to me why your situation is different. I will have a look if I can visit some race tracks.
Our campervan will only drift when it snows :P

So you are talking with Tatiana from DBS Ferry, is she a contact in Vladivostok? Or do you need a separate agent in Vladivostok for handling in the harbor?
I'm asking this because I'm trying to get an idea of what kind of costs there are.

Martin... Check out this:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...2-2#post482380

Get plates from a different country before you go? ;)

And that is the car you are driving to Vladivostok? :D

Hallo,
Gibt es denn irgendjemand, der ein gebrauchtes Fahrzeug in Japan hat über einen Japaner einführen lassen? Welche Umbauten mußte er vornehmen?
Unser Fahrzeug ist 30 Jahre alt- Unimog.
Danke