October 21, 2026 Farhad Musazada

From Japan to Houston: How Our Kei Trucks Get Here and How Long It Takes

By Farhad Musazada, owner of Skyline Kei Trucks. Last updated: October 21, 2026. Based on our shipment records for five recent sailings, CBP, NHTSA and EPA import rules, and Port Houston and Panama Canal Authority pages; government and port pages verified October 2026; sailing dates come from our shipment records and carrier tracking (sources at the end). General information, not legal advice; arrival dates are estimates.

Key facts

Port to port: 6 to 9 weeks, then about a week more: Our last five shipments took 45 to 60 days from leaving Japan to the Port of Houston, then about 7 days for customs release, trucking and unloading (our shipment records, August to November 2026). See how buying works.
The route: Feeder ship to Busan, South Korea, then across the Pacific, through the Panama Canal and up the Gulf to Houston's Bayport or Barbours Cut terminal.
The paperwork that travels with it: Japanese export certificate with English translation, U.S. Customs entry (CBP Form 7501), DOT Form HS-7 (Box 1), EPA Form 3520-1 (code E) and our bill of sale.
A tracker on every In Transit listing: Waiting in Japan, Left Japan, On the ocean, At Port of Houston, At our lot, updated twice a week. See what is arriving soon.
Reserve it on the water: A $1,000 deposit holds a vehicle that is still shipping and counts toward the price; the balance is due within 14 days after we say it has arrived. Dates are estimates.

What happens in Japan before a truck ships?

We buy our kei trucks, vans and SUVs in Japan, and the first step is export deregistration, because a registered vehicle cannot leave the country. For a kei vehicle, Japan's kei registration agency (軽自動車検査協会) takes back the registration document (車検証) and the number plates and issues the 輸出予定届出証明書, an export notification certificate. For a regular registered car such as a Pajero, the transport bureau issues the 輸出抹消仮登録証明書, an export deregistration certificate (MLIT). Importers call both "the export certificate." It identifies the vehicle by chassis number and model code and shows when it was first registered in Japan, and NHTSA's import FAQ says a registration document showing the vehicle's age can be used for the 25-year rule when the date of manufacture is not on a label on the vehicle. Every vehicle we sell comes with it and an English translation.

Before loading, the truck is cleaned underneath: CBP notes that the Department of Agriculture requires the undercarriage to be free of foreign soil. It is then trucked to the port and loaded into a 40-foot (12.2 m) container with other vehicles; ours usually carry three to five kei-size vehicles. At least 24 hours before the container goes aboard, the Importer Security Filing has to reach CBP (19 CFR 149.2). On our site this stage shows as Waiting in Japan.

How does a container get from Japan to Houston?

There is no direct ship from Japan to Houston. In our records the container first rides a feeder ship to Busan, South Korea, and waits there for a larger ship on a service to the U.S. Gulf. That wait is the least predictable part of the trip: our ONE HUMEN container left Japan on August 21, 2026 and did not sail from Busan until September 22.

From Busan the ship crosses the Pacific, passes through the Panama Canal, about 80 km (50 miles) long with locks that lift ships 26 m (85 ft) up to Gatun Lake (Panama Canal Authority), and comes up through the Gulf of Mexico to Houston. That leg has taken about four weeks (28 to 32 days) on our recent shipments. Our shipments have moved with HMM and Maersk, and both lines publish public tracking pages, which is where our tracker's dates come from.

How long does it take? Our recent shipments

Our last five shipments, counted from the day each left Japan to the day its ship reached, or is due to reach, the Port of Houston. The first three are actual unloading dates; the other two are the shipping lines' ETAs as of October 21, 2026.

Ship	Left Japan	Sailed from Busan	Port of Houston	Days, port to port
MOL CREATION	August 15, 2026	—	October 7 (unloaded at Bayport)	53
MAERSK OHIO	August 14, 2026	—	October 10 (unloaded at Barbours Cut)	57
ONE HUMEN	August 21, 2026	September 22	October 20 (unloaded)	60
CONTI CORTESIA	September 10, 2026	September 27	October 25 (ETA)	45
EVER LUCKY	September 29, 2026	October 17 (planned)	November 18 (ETA)	50

So the ocean part has run 6 to 9 weeks, and most of the spread comes from the wait in Busan, not the crossing. Add about a week in Houston: the MOL CREATION container was unloaded on October 7 and its vehicles were at our lot about October 14. Count on roughly 7 to 10 weeks from sailing to a truck you can come and see.

What happens at the Port of Houston?

Ships unload at one of Port Houston's two container terminals, both off Texas Highway 146: Barbours Cut in La Porte (opened 1977, six berths) and Bayport in Pasadena (opened 2007, five berths). Our MOL CREATION container came through Bayport, the MAERSK OHIO container through Barbours Cut. The terminals' listed hours are Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed on weekends (Port Houston), so a container that lands on a Friday sits until Monday.

Customs is handled by a licensed customs broker; CBP says its officers cannot act as an importer's agent, and a shipment is cleared at its first port of entry. The broker usually files before the ship docks: in our records the MOL CREATION entry was worked between October 2 and October 7, 2026, and the container was released by the time it was unloaded. Three federal forms cover each vehicle:

CBP Form 7501, the entry summary. Tariff classification, declared value and duty; your copy is the proof the vehicle was legally entered.
DOT Form HS-7, Box 1. Box 1 is for a vehicle 25 or more years old and carries its date of manufacture.
EPA Form 3520-1, code E. Code E covers a vehicle at least 21 years old (year of import minus calendar year of manufacture) in its original unmodified configuration; a swapped engine disqualifies it unless the replacement is the same model as the original.

Duty is paid at this point. Under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, trucks (heading 8704) carry 25 percent and passenger vehicles such as a Jimny (heading 8703) 2.5 percent, the same rates CBP's own page gives. The Section 232 vehicle tariff that began in 2025 does not apply to vehicles manufactured at least 25 years before the year of entry, which covers everything we import (CBP Section 232 FAQ). The broker works out the exact figure on each entry; we pay it before a vehicle is listed, and you never deal with CBP. CBP can also pick any container for an X-ray scan or a physical exam, and nothing leaves customs custody until that is done (19 U.S.C. 1499).

From the port to our lot

Once CBP releases the container, a local trucking company collects it at the terminal and brings it to our lot at 6100 Harvey Wilson Dr, Houston, TX 77020. We unload the vehicles there, match each to its paperwork and switch the listing from In Transit to In Houston, where Reserve becomes Buy Now. If you reserved it, this is when we contact you and the 14-day clock for the balance starts. The step takes about a week after the ship's arrival date, which is why the tracker's "Ready at our Houston lot" date is the port date plus seven days.

How do you track a truck you reserved?

Every In Transit listing has a shipment tracker in the buy box: five steps (Bought in Japan, Left Japan, On the ocean, Port of Houston, Ready at our lot) with the dates we have, the ship's name, a "Ready at our Houston lot: about ..." line with a countdown, and a one-sentence "Now" line in plain words. While the ship is at sea there is a link to watch it on a live ship map.

We check every active container on the shipping line's tracking on Mondays and Thursdays, and the box shows when it was last updated. One record covers a whole container, so when an ETA moves, every vehicle in that container updates at once, along with the "Arriving: about ..." line on the Arriving Soon cards. When the vehicle lands we also contact you directly.

What can change the dates?

Arrival dates are estimates, and our Vehicle Sales Terms say so. These are the things that move them:

Waiting for a ship in Busan. In our records the biggest source of variation, from 17 days to a month.
Weather. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 and peaks around September 10 (National Hurricane Center), right in our busiest shipping months.
Customs exams and holds. CBP has five business days after a container is presented for examination to decide whether to release or hold it, and a hold can run longer (19 U.S.C. 1499).
The last mile. A holiday weekend or a shortage of drivers adds days.

We update the tracker twice a week, we do not promise a date, and the terms protect your deposit. If we cannot deliver a reserved vehicle, the deposit is refunded in full. If a vehicle is materially damaged before you collect it, we tell you, and you can complete the purchase or cancel for a full refund.

What can you do while your truck is on the water?

Reserve it. The $1,000 deposit counts toward the price and takes the vehicle off the market. The balance is due within 14 days after we tell you it is at the lot, online or in person with cash or a cashier's check (how reserving works).
Get an insurance quote. The chassis number is on the listing, so an agent can quote now. Some insurers will not write a 25-year-old import, so find out now (license and insurance).
Read the title steps. In Texas you title and register the truck yourself at the county tax office within 30 days; our Texas title and registration guide lists the forms, offices and fees.
Plan how it leaves the lot. A kei truck cannot be driven on public roads until it is titled and registered, so it leaves on your trailer or with a carrier. Pickup is free; we can help arrange an independent carrier, and you pay the carrier directly (shipping and pickup policy).
Line up financing. With a personal loan, apply once we say the vehicle is at the lot, so the funds land inside the 14-day window (financing).

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to import a kei truck from Japan to Texas?

Our last five shipments took 45 to 60 days from leaving Japan to the Port of Houston, plus about a week to reach our lot. Figure 7 to 10 weeks from sailing to a truck you can see in person. A vehicle marked In Houston skips all of it.

Can I buy a kei truck that is still on the ship?

Yes. An In Transit vehicle can be reserved with a $1,000 deposit that counts toward the price. The balance is due within 14 days after we tell you it has arrived; if we cannot deliver it, the deposit is refunded in full.

Do I have to deal with customs myself?

No. By the time a vehicle is listed In Houston it has been entered and the duty paid. You receive the entry summary (CBP Form 7501), the HS-7 and 3520-1 declarations, the export certificate with its translation and a bill of sale, which the county tax office will want when you title it.

Can I pick my truck up at the port?

No. Containers are unloaded at our lot, and a vehicle is released only after it is matched to its paperwork and paid for in full. The tracker's "Ready at our Houston lot" date is the day to plan around.

Sources

Written by Farhad Musazada, owner of Skyline Kei Trucks

Farhad imports more than 300 kei trucks a year to Houston and meets buyers at the lot at 6100 Harvey Wilson Dr. He writes these guides from the paperwork our buyers take to the county tax office and the official sources listed on each page. Spotted something out of date? Email us and we will check it.

Ready to look? Browse kei trucks for sale in Houston, see what is in Houston now or arriving soon, or call or text (713) 385-9798.

All vehicles are sold by Wideway Motors LLC as is, with no warranty.