JDM Importers in Florida
23 hand-vetted JDM import specialists import Japanese-domestic vehicles into Florida. Multiple importers operate in Miami, Clearwater, Jacksonville, Orlando.
Titling a JDM import in Florida
Florida titles an imported vehicle through the county tax collector, and the paperwork is centered on proving ownership and identity rather than clearing any inspection lane. You bring the out-of-country title or foreign ownership document, the U.S. Customs and DOT import paperwork (including Form HS-7), and a completed VIN and odometer verification on FLHSMV Form 82042. That form has to be filled out before you reach the counter and signed by an authorized verifier — a Florida notary, a licensed dealer, a law-enforcement officer, or an FLHSMV compliance examiner who has physically inspected the car and confirmed the VIN matches the documents.
What Florida does not add is a state inspection hurdle. The state repealed its emissions-testing program in 2000 and dropped annual safety inspections years before that, so there is no statewide smog check or periodic safety inspection to pass for a private passenger vehicle. For a JDM car old enough to clear the federal 25-year rule, the VIN verification is effectively the only physical check between the shipping container and a Florida plate, which is a large part of why the state is a popular landing point for imports.