Most write-ups get the 25-year rule wrong in the same way. They treat it as a calendar event, as though a new model year unlocks every January.
It does not. It rolls forward month by month.
The criterion is that the vehicle was originally manufactured at least 25 years before you apply. Build dates are recorded as a month and a year, so a car built in January 2001 became eligible in January 2026, and a car built in December 2001 will not be eligible until December 2026.
As at August 2026, that means build dates up to roughly August 2001 are in. The rest of 2001 arrives over the coming months.
Why this year matters
Because of what was built in 2001.
The Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 ran from 1999 to 2002. Cars built in 1999 and 2000 have been eligible for a while. The 2001 build cars are becoming eligible right now, month by month, as you read this.
The V-Spec II Nür, built in 2002, is not eligible yet. That one arrives during 2027.
The R34 was never sold new in Australia, which is exactly why it falls under this route rather than being an ordinary used car purchase.
What else is already through the gate
The 25-year rule has been quietly opening up the JDM back catalogue for years. Anything built in 2000 or earlier is eligible now, which covers a lot of ground:
- Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 and R33. Long eligible. The R32 was actually sold new here in small numbers, which makes locally delivered cars a different proposition to imports.
- Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, 1999 and 2000 builds. Eligible. 2001 builds arriving through this year.
- Toyota Supra RZ twin-turbo. Never sold new in Australia in that specification.
- Honda NSX, the original. Sold here, so check whether you actually need to import one.
- Honda Civic Type R EK9. Never sold new in Australia.
- Toyota Chaser JZX100 Tourer V. Never sold new here.
- Nissan 300ZX Z32 twin-turbo. The naturally aspirated version was sold here. The twin-turbo was not.
- Toyota AE86. Eligible for many years now.
- Subaru WRX STI Type R Coupe. The two-door JDM version never came here.
One thing worth checking before you import anything: whether the car was sold new in Australia at all. Several JDM heroes were, including the S15 as the 200SX, the Evo VI Tommi Makinen Edition, and the original NSX. A locally delivered example avoids the entire import process, usually comes with a more traceable history, and is often the better buy.
The trap that catches people
A significant modification less than 25 years old disqualifies the vehicle from the older vehicle criterion entirely, no matter when the car itself was built.
For cars, significant means body, chassis, drivetrain, braking or steering conversion. So a genuinely original 2001 R34 is eligible, and a 2001 R34 that had an engine conversion in 2015 is not.
This matters enormously in the JDM world, where modification is closer to the norm than the exception. A heavily modified car may be worth less to you than a standard one purely because of what the paperwork will and will not allow.
The criterion is also not intended for cars needing major restoration to become roadworthy, or for modern replicas of older vehicles.
What the process costs
The government fees on this route are genuinely small. A concessional RAV entry approval for an older passenger vehicle was last published at $42.20, which includes the RAV entry charge.
That is the cheapest of all the import approval types, and much simpler than the SEVS route, which involves a registered workshop, a model report and considerably more money.
Note that the Department’s published fee schedules are dated 2021 and 2023 and we could not locate a 2026 version, so check current amounts in the ROVER portal before budgeting.
What we are deliberately not giving you is a landed cost per model. Shipping, duty, GST, Luxury Car Tax where it applies, compliance and state registration vary enough that any single figure would be misleading, and we could not verify current per-model numbers from a source we would stand behind. Get quotes from two import agents in writing.
The steps, briefly
- Confirm the build month and year, and that it is at least 25 years before your application date. Evidence can be an original sales document, a deregistration certificate, or a photograph of the VIN or original compliance plate.
- Confirm the car has no significant modification newer than 25 years.
- Set up a ROVER account. It needs 100 points of identification and verification can take a couple of weeks.
- Apply for the concessional RAV entry approval under the older vehicles criterion. That approval is also your import approval.
- Allow 30 business days for a decision, and understand the clock stops if they come back with questions.
- Sort state registration separately. Federal approval does not guarantee it.
Next year, and the year after
The rolling nature of this rule is the best thing about it if you are patient. Every month another slice of the JDM golden era becomes reachable.
Through the rest of 2026, the remaining 2001 build cars come online. Through 2027, 2002 builds, which brings the last of the R34 line including the V-Spec II Nür.
If you are waiting on a specific car, work out its build month, add 25 years, and put it in the calendar.
For the full process including the SEVS alternative for newer cars, see our SEVS eligibility guide and how to import an exotic car to Australia.
Eligibility rules in this article were checked against the Department of Infrastructure in August 2026.
Where this came from
Every changeable figure above, what it was checked against, and when.
Figures are correct as at the dates shown. We re-check cars on sale every three months and tax thresholds every July. How we check our facts.
Side-by-side specs, Australian pricing and performance figures for every exotic and luxury car we cover.