Importing a used car from the US to Romania

The buyer’s risk: a rebuilt car with a short local history

A US insurer that writes a car off sells it through an auction such as IAAI or Copart, and the state brands its title salvage, flood or similar. That brand stays on the US title database for good. The Romanian vehicle identity card (CIV) and registration certificate don’t carry it, so a second buyer in Romania sees a car with a short, clean-looking local history.

Before you buy a US car that’s already in Romania, ask for the VIN and look it up. If it went through a salvage auction, the lot photos show what was damaged, and the sale record shows the title type and odometer reading on that day.

Some US titles can’t be registered at all

RAR has warned buyers that a vehicle listed as taken out of use, non-repairable or for parts only cannot be registered in Romania. In the US those words appear on titles and certificates such as non-repairable, parts only or junk. Read the exact title wording on the lot page before you bid. A salvage title is different from a parts-only one, and the difference decides whether the car can ever get Romanian plates.

Arriving at Constanța

Constanța is Romania’s Black Sea port. Its authority, CN Administrația Porturilor Maritime, lists ro-ro berths on both the north and south sides, the northern one with room for up to 4,800 vehicles. A US car shipped to Romania by sea is cleared there or at an inland customs office. US export comes first: the title and the car must be presented to US customs at least 72 hours before the ship sails.

Duty and VAT

• Built in the US: 0% customs duty under Regulation (EU) 2026/1455, from 1 July 2026 to 31 December 2029, with proof of US origin and of direct transport.
• Built elsewhere, bought in the US: 10% duty for a used passenger car under heading 8703 of the EU tariff.
• VAT: 21%, Romania’s standard rate since 1 August 2025, on the customs value plus the duty.

The duty question turns on the plant, not the badge: a European brand built in a US factory can qualify for 0%, while the same brand’s car built in Europe or Asia and sold in the US pays 10%. Ask a customs broker in Constanța to confirm the origin papers before shipping.

RAR: individual approval and the CIV

A car built for the US market has no EU type approval. To get a CIV from the Registrul Auto Român, it goes through individual approval (omologare individuală). RAR describes the steps for non-EU cars as:

1. A dynamic emissions test to set the car’s pollution standard. If it doesn’t reach at least Euro 3, it can’t get a CIV.
2. A check of the approval markings on components and assemblies.
3. A technical inspection of the car’s compliance with EU rules.

Parts without the markings RAR looks for may have to be replaced. RAR advises buyers to ask it about the procedure and the cost before buying a car from outside the EU, and that is cheaper than learning it after the car has landed.

Registration with the DRPCIV

Registration is handled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ vehicle registration service (DGPCI and its county offices). For a car registered before outside Romania, DGPCI wants a valid CIV, a RAR certificate of authenticity that is still in date and a valid ITP before you apply. Then you bring the proof of ownership, registered with your local tax office, your ID, the original CIV, RCA insurance in your name, the fee receipts and the original foreign registration documents. Under MAI Order 181/2024, a car from a non-EU country whose foreign documents are missing is registered only once its legal status is clear. For a US car the key document is the title, so keep the original.

Checklist

1. Decode the VIN with the VIN decoder for the plant country and model year.
2. Read the title type on the lot: non-repairable or parts-only means no Romanian plates.
3. Pull the auction record and study the photos for flood lines, airbags and frame damage.
4. Run a CARFAX or AutoCheck report for brands from earlier states and the US mileage trail.
5. Ask RAR about individual approval for that model, and a broker for the landed cost.

What our reports cover

CARFAX and AutoCheck cover vehicles sold in the US and Canada, with title brands, total-loss and auction events and recorded mileage. The auction report shows the Copart or IAAI lot at the time of sale: photos, recorded damage, title and odometer. Reports are in English. We don’t handle RAR approval, customs or registration.