Buying a car in Dubai does not set its US duty. The factory does: a Japan-built classic pays 12.5% in 2026, an EU-built one 10%, and a US-built car coming home can enter duty free.
Our view: Dubai is one of the easiest places to find a clean, low-mileage SUV or a car someone exported from the US years ago. The paperwork rewards you for knowing where it was built. Since July 24 2026, CBP applies Section 301 duties by country of origin, and a car bought in Dubai keeps the origin of the plant that built it.
| Car | US duty | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Japan-built, 25 years or older | 12.5% combined | HTS 9903.05.49 |
| EU-built, 25 years or older | 10% combined | HTS 9903.05.39 |
| UK-built, 25 years or older | 12.5% (2.5% base plus 10%) | HTS 9903.05.81 |
| Built in the US and returned | Free, if the claim holds | HTS 9801.00.10 |
| Pickup trucks | 25% base | HTS 8704.31 (the chicken tax) |
| Every formal entry | MPF 0.3464% ($34.58 minimum, $670.86 maximum) | FY2027 user fees, from Oct 1 2026 |
| Every ocean import | HMF 0.125% | 19 CFR 24.24 |
Sources: CBP CSMS #69326983 (July 23 2026), USITC HTS 9801.00.10, Federal Register, Jul 31 2026.
One open question: the same CBP notice lists a general exemption for passenger vehicles under U.S. note 52(f) of chapter 99. Whether a 25-year-old classic falls under it, and pays only the 2.5% base, is the point to settle with your licensed customs broker before you pay the seller. We budget the higher rate and treat 2.5% as the upside.
This is where Dubai gets interesting. Plenty of American cars and trucks were shipped to the Gulf new or as collector buys, and some of them are now worth bringing back. HTS 9801.00.10 lists products of the United States returned "without having been advanced in value or improved in condition" at a Free rate, and CBP says certain vehicles "may be eligible for duty-free treatment as U.S. Goods Returned."
We would treat that as a claim to prove, not a discount to assume. CBP puts the burden of proof on the importer and verifies claims. A car you owned in the US yourself is the simple case: CBP returns it duty free with proof it was "previously owned and registered in the United States", such as the state registration card or a bill of sale from a US dealer. Keep those papers in the glovebox file before the car leaves Dubai.
CBP is direct: "motor vehicles less than 25 years old must comply with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) in order to be imported permanently." A car built for the Gulf market usually lacks the manufacturer's US certification label by the driver's door, and CBP says a car without it must be imported as nonconforming, through a DOT-registered importer and with a DOT bond for one and a half times its dutiable value.
Our advice is to skip it. A three-year-old GCC-spec SUV that looks cheap in Dubai rarely stays cheap once it needs a Registered Importer, and many models are not eligible at all. Buy a US-spec car, or wait for the 25-year line. EPA adds its own line at 21 years, with an engine identical to the original. Our 25-year rule guide covers the details.
That list comes from CBP's importing a car page. One more line from the same page matters for desert cars: the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires the undercarriage "be free of foreign soil." A car that lived near the dunes needs a proper steam clean before it sails, not a rinse. A licensed customs broker files the US entry, and a power of attorney lets them act for you.
We ship door to door, by ocean or air. Cars arrive through our own warehouses in California, Florida and New Jersey, covering all of the US for imports and exports. For a car with an auction or show date, air is the fast option, but the paperwork sets the date more than the flight does, so documents ready before pickup matter most. Tell us the car and where it sits through our car import calculator and we will price the lane.
It depends on where the car was built, not where you bought it. In 2026, a Japan-built car 25 years or older pays 12.5%, an EU-built one 10% and a UK-built one 12.5%. Add MPF (0.3464%) and HMF (0.125%) on ocean imports.
Possibly. HTS 9801.00.10 lists US products returned without improvement as Free, and CBP returns a car previously owned and registered in the US duty free with proof such as the state registration card. The importer must prove the claim.
Only if it meets all FMVSS or goes through a DOT-registered importer as a nonconforming vehicle, with a DOT bond of one and a half times its dutiable value. EPA rules also apply until the car is 21 years old.
The original bill of lading, the bill of sale, the UAE registration, EPA form 3520-1 and DOT form HS-7.
Yes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires the undercarriage of an imported car to be free of foreign soil, so have it steam-cleaned before it ships.
Ready to import your car from Dubai to the USA? We ship door to door by ocean or air, and our own warehouses in California, Florida and New Jersey cover all of the US for imports and exports. Our view: a car bought in Dubai that is already 25 years old is the simplest import on this page, and a newer one is worth checking for EPA and DOT eligibility before you pay for it. It's your dream car. Let's bring her home.