To whom it may concern - all details are still valid!

If the vehicle in question was originally sold in Canada (in other words, if it complies with Canadian emission standards), then it is exempt from this US EPA requirement.

On the EPA form (the 3520-1 form), there are boxes to check at the bottom of the form if it is a Canadian vehicle that complies with Canadian safety and emission standards.

Michael

EPA approval obligations- departing USA overland
 

We are about to fly our bikes from Bogota to Miami. From there, we will ride around the US/Alaska and Canada, until it gets too cold, before going south to Mexico and Central America.

We applied for our EPA clearance letter 2 weeks ago - not yet received. One of the EPA conditions on entry to the US is that "the Vehicle must be exported after one year, or upon the nonresident departing the U.S., whichever comes first." Sanction for non-compliance is a fine of up to $45k and/or confiscation. We may need to fly briefly to Europe for family reasons are keen to remove this sanction possibility for obvious reasons.

Does anyone know whether by riding across the Canadian border, we are treated as "departing the US" for EPA purposes? The reason I ask is that, if you enter the US under an ESTA giving you 90 days, US Immigration doesn't stop the 90 day clock if you cross into Canada/Mexico. Prevents visa runs I guess.

Sorry - convoluted question.
Thanks for reading.

No, they don't count that. They like you to leave the continent.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

Not the continent, just North America. A run to Belize would reset the clock for example.

For the visa, yes, but not the EPA. They like to see proof of exit. In 2011 I sent them the ferry receipt from France to England. That seemed to satisfy them :-)

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

Fair enough.

EPA approval obligations - departing USA overland
 

Thanks for the replies - much appreciated.

I am aware of the immigration rules around ESTA's and contiguous countries. We have B1-B2 visas so not concerned about either my wife or I from an immigration perspective.

My question is about the bikes not the riders. What do we need to do with them to satisfy the EPA requirement for them "to leave the USA"? Will Canada/Mexico suffice or do we need to go to Belize/Guatemala? If it's the latter, we would not fly to the US. We would ride from Panama and enter the US overland from Mexico (when illogically the same EPA rules are not applied).

Our plan is to go to Canada/Alaska from Miami. At worst interpretation, the EPA rules could effectively "imprison" us in North America until we reach Guatamala/Belize. Not an attractive proposition if you need to fly home unexpectedly!

Changes
 

Hi!

This is Rossi from Germany.

Are there any changes depending on this EPA forms.

We will cross the border from Mexiko to USA on our own bikes next year and I`m not shure if we have to apply this forms before we start our journey...

Best, Rossi

It's EXTREMELY UNLIKELY you will be asked for the EPA permit coming from Mexico - BUT I would go ahead and get it anyway as it's FREE and COULD save a lot of hassle if you get a border control guy on a bad day.
Better safe and well documented than sorry.

Thanks
 

Thanks a lot for this information Grant Johnson - So I will try to fill in the form ;-)

Best, Rossi

Today I heard from the EPA Exemption, are there any forms online? I haven't found any on the EPA Site or should I just write a brief letter with my project to imports@epa.gov. They probably have a lot to do now after the Shutdown. Have 5 months to have everything together. I've also read something about the 7500 miles on the ODOmeter, you do not need this EPA exemption, or is it just for US citizens?

On the following page you can find some informations in german language and how to get in contact with EPA

https://www.aroundpanamericana.de/motorrad/dokumente/

Best & Grüße,

Rossi

Outstanding!!!

Thx a lot Rossi, already wrote a mail to the EPA yesterday, perfect.

I just entered the USA from Mexico, didn’t need the EPA (although I had it).

the EPA exemption is basically just for the TIP (temporary import paper).
But you only need the TIP when shipping/flying the bike to the USA, but not when coming in on the landborder.

I just learned this, as they didn’t give me a TIP at the border. so I went to the customs office in San Diego and they confirmed, it’s only needed when shipping.