Folks Of Interest Missing title

I am looking at importing a vehicle from the U.S., but while checking them out, occasionally I come by something which I like, but the title is missing. I don't need one to import the car, but apparently a title is needed to export one from the U.S., or so I have been told. What if I was bringing in a pickup cab only? or a non-running "parts car"? Where does the title line stand with a car which is incomplete or missing an engine, etc.?

 

Whats the year of ? Different rules .
If pre WII. Title only deal with Frame , motor, Transmission . Basically Commonly the frame.
Body just considered a part no title for /required. Again P W II .

 

I might be wrong, but as a seller I’m not exporting it, you as a buyer are importing it. Meaning once I receive the money, it’s up to you to get it in your driveway.

 

Every state is different, there is no general answer to the question

 

Sure there is. If you or I sell a car overseas, we do te same thing, collect the money and wait for someone to get the car. Whether the car goes to Texas or Russia, it’s up to the person in Texas or Russia to figure out what they need to do to get it home.
Or am I missing something?

 

I thought the question was how to get a title?

 

Theres enough titled cars here that you shouldnt get involved with parts cars.Leave the untitled parts pile for the guy who has a brother working at DMV,or has some other trick up his sleeve.Your dealing with 2 countries about import/export rules,and your doing it long distance.I pass on neat stuff all the time because of paper work missing.It just makes your life easier.

 

The first phone call should be to your customs office. They will decide what you need to have in order for a clean import.
Here we have 50 states and 50 different rules about titles..... VIN numbers were not common across all manufacturers until 1968 and before that a title could be assigned to something like the number on the block, again, depending on the state.

 

You need to talk to a shipper that has shipped cars from US to Australia. You're not going to get definitive advice here, just the usual suppositions and anecdotes... uh, like these from me:

10 years ago I sold a '31 Model A to an Australian at the Portland Swap Meet, buyer asked for a bill-of-sale, said it was all he needed. Same meet, my brother sold a '51 Chev PU parts truck a guy from England; he also accepted a bill-of-sale, said he wouldn't need a title to get it into the UK.

However, I later had a deal fall apart for another Model A because the buyer in Scandinavia said his shipper wouldn't transport it without a title. Bill-of-sale not good enough.

 

I sold 2 1950 Lincolns to two different buyers, both ended up at the port of Helsinki, Finland. One was a complete car on it's wheels and the other was basically most of the sheetmetal but cut up into parts (doors, seats, quarter panels, etc). The complete one absolutely had to have a title, the other did not.

It might matter more which US state the car is leaving from (not purchased from). If the car is getting loaded in New Jersey the port inspector might not let it leave if it doesn't have a title (to prevent crime, I.E. stolen cars being exported) but some southern states don't even issue titles to cars older than a certain age and I suppose if the car was leaving from there, it wouldn't matter.

If I was a buyer outside the US, I don't think I'd bother with a car with no title, as it can be a hassle here and trying to deal with it half a world away will be much tougher. But a broken down body should be fine. Pretty sure a HAMB member from Australia once brought a Model T roadster body home with him in pieces, checked as a huge amount of luggage on his airline flight. I don't remember the name but I remember the thread, I thought that was clever, and amusing.

 

I've had a few cars brought in for me and know others that do it on a regular basis, complete cars, parts etc. My understanding that either a 'Title' or 'Bill of Sale' was required for export purposes and similarly for import here of complete vehicles however I'd check with a local or interstate shipper / Customs broker for the scoop on legislative requirements as there are some restrictions (Imported / modified cars etc).
Also bear in mind that an 'Asbestos' declaration is required (Brakes, clutches etc) for complete vehicles as it's a prohibited import. If a complete vehicle you require a Federal import approval.
Insofar as a PU cab (Body parts) and engines are concerned I understand that they're treated as components only (Used auto parts) and don't require an import approval. You do need to provide proof of costs for purposes of calculating GST etc.

 

In New York, titles were not issued until 1972, so the only definitive proof that you actually own a vehicle is what we call a "Registration". Back in the '60s a lot of underhanded stuff went on because of that fact. All you needed was a crooked notary public and an "in" at the DMV and you could register a pre 1972 vehicle. I know guy's that did some real shady stuff and got away with it because of the lax NYSDMV rules. The first people I would ask is the shipper as I doubt they would get involved in something without a title.

 

I read it as the OP wrote it, he doesn’t need a title to import it “but apparently a title is needed to export one”.
If OP doesn’t need a title to put it in his driveway, that’s easy on him.
Maybe OP will clarify, I can certainly see the confusion.

 

We don't need a title on our end, just that I heard it was impossible to export from the U.S. without a title. So if there is no title available, I can give those a wide berth. We need an import approval here, otherwise it will not be able to be registered. That is issued regardless if there is a title or bill of sale (receipt).
I have imported a couple of complete titled cars (no problems), but have heard of horror stories where it took many months , storage and loot to sort out "no title" messes.

The stuff I am looking at is '46-54.

 

I would have thought import / export would be under federal jurisdiction.

 

you are probably correct, but titles are issued by state

 

Pickup cab only means that you are buying parts and not a vehicle.
The seller could write you a bill of sale breaking it down a but further if you feel the need.

= It could go something like

1 each 1936 Ford truck cab, No doors, gauges or seats. ----------- XX $
1.each 1936 Ford truck drivers side door,-----------------------------yy $
1 each 1936 ford Truck passenger side door -------------------------zz
Crating fee---------------------------------------------------------WW
_____
Total ----------------------------------------------------------------------XYZW

Then anyone who read the packing slip would figure that you bought parts and not a vehicle.
Plus when you go to your DMV you have a bill of sale for parts and not a vehicle. You also have the bills of sale and reciepts for the rest of it you purchased locally to prove legal ownership.

We have a few states where titles for old vehicles are seriously hard to get unless you do have a title. Hence the value placed on a vehicle having a title. The state I live in works more on Proof of ownership on vehicles that you take in to get inspected to get a title. The I have a receipt, I have a bill of sale from the seller, thing.

 

I had a customer when I worked at Jaguar that would buy any new jag that went through the auction that was smashed and written off.
Then he would buy all the parts required to repair / rebuild it .
Stuff it all into a shipping container and send it back to his home country ( forget but island in the Caribbean)

Asked him one day what he was doing and told me shipping a car back home was a ton of paper work , duties taxes etc.
But shipping “ Parts “ was easy and cheap.

just a thought , you would have to check with a broker or customs agent . But maybe your buying “ parts “ and not a complete car .

 

Checked recently with Indiana DMV about a 1940 Ford roller and was given special paperwork to complete. Basically, you need to provide a folder with photos and receipts for all parts you acquired to assemble the vehicle. When the vehicle is complete, you have the Indiana Highway Patrol come and they give it their stamp of approval which you then take to DMV and they issue you a new ID number which you affix, another inspection by HWP and then the DMV will issue a title. Seems rather convoluted but does avoid going to court, applying and paying for a "bonded" title and so on. A good way to "salvage" a vehicle for which no title is available. Of course this applies to Indiana only and your state may be different but it is well worth looking into. Although a bit complicated, it may provide a guaranteed way out of a "sticky wicket" as the Brits like to say.

 

I have heard Australia has some pretty cut & dry rules about importing cars & projects, I would suggest you check with your local DMV and ask the questions you need answers for, we could guess but that might end up costing you a lot of money.

I am here in the United States but live in South Carolina and I can't license a car or a project without a title, a bill of sale won't get it with the SCDMV. HRP

 

I have done it three times in the last 20 years, no notary is needed or an "in" at DMV. A brief form, sign you name that you are the rightful owner...The DMV manager needs to approve it...

 

To put a fine point on it, for those on this thread who don't already know:

Using a title from one vehicle, to identify another vehicle is called title fraud.

Applying a VIN (or equivalent) to a vehicle to which it does not belong is VIN tampering.

Both are Federal felonies. Please do not engage in this behavior, and do not discuss this on this board. It is a tacit endorsement of illegal activity.

 

I sold my 38 to a Aussie and he said he didn't care for the title because it wasn't needed. He said throw it away or keep it. He didn't care. He's purchased several cars from the states and said he never ask for titles. I went ahead and hid it in the truck when shipper picked it up.

 

Once a vehicle leaves the US, US law presumably does not apply to it.
Although I can't imagine why someone would not take a title with a car he was importing, what harm could it do? Maybe it's not required now, but what if a guy waits a year or two to register it in his country, and discovers the rules have tightened up a bit and a reggie is needed? Oops.

 

Put the thread back on track

OPs concern was if he bought a vehicle in the US, would it need a title to send it? Meaning if I had a car the OP wanted, do I have to title it to get it it sent. I say no, because of the following:

OP said he does not need a title, etc to bring in to him.

 

Complete cars (and trucks) are different then parts of a car (or truck). I can see where a complete car being shipped internationally could cause a problem if there wasn't a title for it. Buying just car (or truck) parts only requires a bill of sale for the parts you are buying.
The simple solution is if you only need certain parts of a car (or truck), be sure you are buying just the parts you need, with a bill of sale for those parts.

 

Without a title or other legal proof of ownership, how are any of the people involved in exporting and shipping the vehicle supposed to know you're the legal owner as opposed to some clown who just stole the car last week?

FWIW, all US ports are under the control of the federal government as established by the US Constitution placing all navigable waters under federal jurisdiction. Some are operated by the states or cities where they are located and some (most) are operated by private contractors, all via leases, but all are operated by the same set of rules as set down by the federal government.

 

By that thinking, it would be a good idea only to sell a car with a clear title in case there were questions about the shipper having the legal right to sell the car. Lots of potential pitfalls with this deal.

 

I have not read each response. My experience in hauling goods in an out of Canada had shown me that the authorities don't care about what is leaving. They keep their attention focused on what is coming in.
If a title is not required, a bill of sale should suffice. There may be other fees to be paid.

 

The one consistantancy I have found about car titles and bills of sales is that the laws are inconsistant depending on where you are and who you are dealing with. Go to different license bureaus in the same state and get different answers.................