Import from the USA
Since 1 July 2026 a car built in the United States enters the EU at 0% customs duty instead of 10%. Cars that did not make sense on paper often do now.
What qualifies, and what does not
Origin follows the plant, not the badge and not the forecourt you bought it from. A lot of German SUVs are not built in Germany.
- BMW X3, X4, X5, X6, X7 — Spartanburg, South Carolina
- Mercedes GLE, GLE Coupé, GLS — Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- Toyota Tundra — San Antonio; Sequoia and Highlander — Indiana
- VW Atlas, Volvo S60 and EX90, Tesla
- All US domestic brands — Ford, Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, RAM, Chevrolet
- Audi Q5 — built in Mexico
- Essentially all other Audi, and all Porsche
- Mercedes C-Class, E-Class, S-Class
- European-built BMW saloons
- Anything built in Germany, Mexico, Japan or Korea, whatever the badge
The VIN is an indicator, not the legal test. That is the EU’s non-preferential rules of origin, and the burden of proving it sits with you at customs. We check the plant before recommending a car, not after. The rule runs to 31 December 2029 and the Commission can end it earlier.
What it costs
The car, US auction buyer fees, title and inland transport to port, ocean freight to Klaipėda, customs duty where it applies, Lithuanian VAT at 21% on CIF plus duty, customs agency and unloading, homologation, technical inspection and registration.
Our fee on this route is 5% of the vehicle price, minimum $1,500, invoiced in US dollars. On USA auctions we act as your agent: the car is bought in your name and title passes directly to you.
Import VAT on passenger cars is generally not reclaimable in Lithuania, even by VAT-registered businesses. The exceptions are fully electric and plug-in hybrids up to €50,000 including VAT, N1 commercial vehicles such as most American pickups, and cars bought for resale.
How you pay
A €2,000 security deposit before the first auction. It is refundable, is not credited against the price, carries over between auctions, and is returned within five business days of final settlement — retained only if you refuse a car already won. Within one business day of winning: the vehicle invoice, transport and our fee, in US dollars. Customs duty and VAT you pay directly, and clearing and unloading are invoiced separately by the customs broker.
Moving to Europe rather than buying from it? Transfer of Residence relief can remove the duty and the VAT entirely.
Common questions
Nine to sixteen weeks from winning the auction to holding plates. Ocean freight is the longest single stage at four to eight weeks, customs clearance three to seven days, homologation one day once any modifications are done.
Yes, with proper repair documentation, a passed technical inspection and a conformity assessment. Salvage means an insurer declared a total loss, not that a car is unroadworthy. We evaluate repairability and final cost before recommending any lot.
Usually not. Freight, clearing, homologation and registration barely move with the price of the car, so on a cheap purchase they eat the saving. Above roughly €10,000 importing is genuinely worth considering.