International Movers to and from Hawaii

For a car of the previous, current or following model year it adds Form G-27, the use tax certification, and for models of 2016 and newer a weight slip. It also says that every vehicle “must be in compliance with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) as of the date of manufacture”. The same list says that non-compliant vehicles, imported vehicles among them, may not be registered at that county office. Whether another county reads the rule the same way is not stated on the pages we read.

The state drivers’ manual covers proof of ownership for a car bought abroad: “When you purchase a vehicle in a foreign country, you must obtain a bill of sale from the foreign dealer issued in your name”. For a used car it asks for “certificate of registration and bill of sale as proof of ownership”. Passing the state vehicle inspection also needs paper from Hawaii: “A Hawaii state automobile insurance identification card is required to pass the inspection”.

The form gives a way out for a car you owned before the move: no tax is due if you were a bona fide resident of another place when you acquired the car, acquired it for use outside Hawaii and made actual and substantial use of it there. One presumption works against a recent purchase. “If the vehicle was acquired less than three (3) months prior to the time it was imported, then it is presumed to have been acquired for use within Hawaii”.

A second exemption fits a short posting: the form lists a vehicle that “will be in Hawaii for less than one (1) year before being re-exported out of Hawaii”. Tax paid to another state also counts against the Hawaii amount. We did not read the rate or the depreciation schedule, so ask the Department of Taxation or your county office what you would owe.