I had looked at importing a vehicle from the US to the EU. Here is what I found (the reverse may be very different for you).... If your car is spec'd for NL you will have to have front and rear lights and markers changed out to US specs. Since these parts tend to be sealed (all in one) type parts they can be very expensive plus labor. The cost to ship might be in the 3K range, but it depends on pick up and drop off locations. I found that there are "possible" tax issues, but if car is generally registered more than 6 months in home country it is not considered new and not subject to VAT. Who knows about US taxes for a car purchased and own in the EU. I found that it is much cheaper to send it, and retrofit the parts mentioned above than purchase a new vehicle but there is a huge hassle factor. Since you are English speaking it might not be so bad. In the end I had made a decision to sell and purchase slightly used as I was dealing with a stubborn customs control and a very difficult language (Portuguese). In the end Covid de-railed everything. But I did find an enormous amount of information on the internet. Good luck!

 

I don't believe that you can bring a Non US Spec car into the U.S..

 

After the cars MY is 25 years old cars can be imported into the US. Importers do it very often with desirable cars. The 2nd issue is state law, each state has different rules for how imported cars are handled. California for example requires cars registered in the state to have California emissions. Importers might "federalize" their cars by modifying them to include California OEM emissions systems so that those cars can be registered and plated in California.

 

Thanks all for the replies and this was pretty much what I was looking for.

I figured that EU emission laws (especially after diesel gate) would've been similar if not stricter than the US required these days, hence why I thought an EU specced car of 2 years old would pass that. Additionally, I checked CPO V60's from around the same year ours is, and I was surprised how expensive they still were at the Volvo dealers all around the US as there were only a few available (stationwagons are not really a thing anymore...), so looking at exporting/importing was financially viable in my eyes.

More and more I'm finding out that rdr854's suggestion of selling our current V60 and buying the same one in the US would be a smarter choice, not so much for the financial reasons, but moving back to the US is already challenging enough as it is so having to deal with export/import of a commodity (which importing a car is in the US looking at the EPA regulations).

Once again thanks!

 

Were you able to bring your Volvo to the US. We are in the same predicament now and are having a hardtime finding answers.

 

What market was your car built for? If it was not for the US market, my recommendation from 2021 still stands. It’s not worth the hassle, no matter how much you love the car or how unique it is. And, if your car uses a powertrain that is not available in the US, you will have even more problems - even if you can get it federalized.

 

As far as I know you can import Euro spec cars as a personal vehicle if you are in the US Military or a civilian employee of the Department of Defense. Otherwise no, unless the car is 25 years old.

 

US military may import a Euro spec car provided it is brought up to US emissions, safety and ant-theft requirements. There are other nuances for foreign military and diplomatic personnel assigned in the US, including a requirement that the vehicle be exported upon the end of their duty tour in the US. My parents went through something similar when they were stationed in Germany and Belgium.

 

I think I've read the cost to have Volvo certify for US emissions and safety is something like $1000, plus whatever light changes and things like that need to be made. Generally it's a no-go

 

I believe that is for cars coming from Canada.

 

I just had my pre-inspection to ship back my US market 2016 V60 Polestar for my end of tour here in the Netherlands. The first two things that the shipping agent checked was the EPA sticker under the hood and the VIN sticker in the driver's door jamb to make sure it was a US market car. If those weren't there he said we would have issues.....

 

@xmuchit was a few posts here on the forum a few years back.

 

For those who are looking to sell their non-USA spec Volvo at departure, and purchase a USA spec Volvo once in the States, I would check a website like Carvana, https://www.carvana.com/ , to get current USA prices. I saw some saying they were looking at dealerships. Of course, that will usually not be your best value.