Indiana: titling an imported car

Indiana BMV publishes a mini-truck title checklist that requires imports to follow NHTSA guidelines; no general import page was found.

Sources checked 2026-10-17. Not legal advice; rules change.

At a glance

• Import ease (where verified): Not enough official information retrieved. Only mini-truck and out-of-state checklists were found; no import-specific official page was read.
• Kei / mini-truck: Official source describes a kei / mini-truck title or registration path. Indiana BMV has a mini-truck title checklist (first-time titles issued by the BMV Central Office); whether a given kei meets Indiana's mini-truck definition was not verified.

What the official sources say

1. Indiana BMV Mini-Truck Title Application Checklist: mini-trucks being titled in Indiana for the first time must be issued by the BMV Central Office, including mini-trucks currently titled as another vehicle type. All vehicles with ownership documents from another country must follow NHTSA's imported-vehicle guidelines.
   Source: Indiana BMV: Mini-Truck Title Application Checklist
2. Same checklist, proof of ownership for mini-trucks purchased 1/1/2016 or later: a certificate of title, manufacturer's certificate of origin, certificate of registration or export certificate; if none can be provided a court order is required, and a court-order title cannot replace the imported-vehicle guidelines. For purchases before 1/1/2016 a seller's bill of sale or the General Affidavit (State Form 37964) is accepted when no ownership document exists.
   Source: Indiana BMV: Mini-Truck Title Application Checklist
3. Same checklist also requires State Form 205, a Physical Inspection (State Form 39530) for vehicles purchased outside Indiana or lacking a title or certificate of origin, an odometer disclosure (State Form 43230), one side-view photo, proof of address, a $15 title application fee and 7% sales tax (or proof of tax paid or an exemption form), mailed to BMV Central Office Title Processing.
   Source: Indiana BMV: Mini-Truck Title Application Checklist
4. The general 'Transfer of Out-of-State Title to Indiana' checklist for dealer-purchased vehicles lists Form 205, proof of ownership, odometer disclosure, a physical inspection and sales-tax documents; it contains no import-specific provisions.
   Source: Indiana BMV: Out-of-State Title Transfer checklist

Not verified (do not rely on ImportClock for these)

• No Indiana BMV page on titling a vehicle imported from abroad (CBP forms, HS-7, 25-year treatment) was found; the mini-truck checklist only says NHTSA guidelines apply.
• The statutory definition of 'mini-truck' was not read, so it is not verified that a particular kei vehicle qualifies.
• Emissions testing and fees beyond those listed were not verified.

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