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• Vehicle Tax Related Notes and Notices

Vehicle Tax Exemption

The Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) enforces the exemption of eligible foreign missions and their members from payment of any taxes when purchasing, leasing, registering or titling a vehicle. The following procedures detail how vehicles acquired by diplomatic personnel can be authorized for tax exemption.

All Official and Personal Vehicle Acquisitions Must Be Authorized for Tax-Exemption by OFM

The purchaser must: request that the seller/lessor contact either the Tax and Customs Programs Office of the Department’s Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) or the appropriate OFM Regional Office for a determination on the tax-exempt status of the purchaser. Such requests will only be accepted during normal business hours. The seller will have two options for contacting OFM – (a) by electronic mail or (b) by telephone.

a) For the electronic mail option, the seller in DC, MD, or VA should send an email OFM to ofmtaxcustoms@state.gov. ’The seller outside of the Washington DC region should send an email to the appropriate OFM Regional Office

• OFM Chicago: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin - OFMCGCustomerService@state.gov
• OFM Houston: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas – OFMHOCustomerService@state.gov
• OFM Los Angeles: Arizona, Southern California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah – OFMLACustomerService@state.gov
• OFM Miami: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia – OFMMICustomerService@state.gov
• OFM New York: Delaware, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont – OFMNYCustomerService@state.gov
• OFM San Francisco: Alaska, Northern California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming – OFMSFCustomerService@state.gov

Such emails must include the following information:

a. Buyer’s name.

b. Type of purchase - official or personal.

c. Buyer’s Driver License Number, Personal Identification Number (PID), or date of birth.

d. The mission or organization to which the buyer is assigned.

e. The dealership’s name, mailing address, and phone and fax numbers.

f. The “Vehicle Identification Number” (VIN) assigned to the vehicle the mission or individual is planning to purchase or lease.

b) If vendors wish to contact OFM by telephone, the telephone number that the seller should use for personnel assigned within the Washington, DC metropolitan area is (202) 895-3500, extension 2. If the purchase is being made outside of the Washington D.C. area, the purchaser may also contact an OFM Regional Office. The OFM Regional Offices are located in Chicago (312) 353-5762, Houston (713) 272-2865, Los Angeles (310) 235-6292, Miami (305) 442-4943, New York (212) 826-4500, and San Francisco (415) 744-2910.

OFM will: determine the tax-exempt status of the purchaser and provide a letter to the seller/lessor stating whether the purchaser is eligible for exemption from taxes imposed at the point of purchase/lease. If the inquiry is made by email, OFM will respond to the vendor’s email with a letter, confirming the purchaser/lessee’s tax-exemption eligibility. If the request is made by phone, OFM will fax the seller a similar letter concerning the foreign mission or member’s tax-exempt status. The only legal means of obtaining a diplomatic tax exemption on the purchase or lease of a vehicle is through the issuance of this letter by OFM.

The tax-exemption procedures described above apply to the lease or purchase of any motorized vehicle purchased or leased by foreign missions or their members. Therefore, the acquisition of any of the following motor vehicles or others that are not listed must be directly authorized for tax-exemption by OFM’s Tax and Customs Program or an OFM Regional Office: automobiles, vans, trucks, recreational vehicles, trailers, motorcycles, mopeds, buses, sailboats, motor boats, yachts, “jet skis,” personal water crafts, airplanes, or helicopters.

Existing vehicle registration procedures will not change as a result of this new policy. Diplomatic missions and their members, including dependents, are required to register all vehicles that they own or lease with the OFM Diplomatic Vehicle Office. At the time of purchase, all original ownership documents must be submitted to the Diplomatic Motor Vehicle Office for proper vehicle registration. Auto dealerships and state motor vehicle administrations should treat this transaction as an out of state registration. OFM will issue a registration card and federal license plates once proper documentation is received. Also, a title will be sent to the indicated lien holder to protect the interest of the lender.