A recall clearance letter is a document issued by the vehicle manufacturer that identifies if there are any outstanding recalls on the vehicle. Generally, the letter must come from the manufacturer’s office and be written on company letterhead. The manufacturer’s logo must be on the letterhead or it will not be accepted as official. General Motors and Mercedes-Benz imports will require the recall clearance letter to come directly from the company head office.

In some cases[1], the RIV will also accept an internal system report printout from an authorized American car dealer. They must be an authorized dealer and not a re-seller, you can confirm this by calling the head office of the car manufacturer and providing them with the name and location of the dealership you are dealing with. If the dealership is an authorized dealer you can then use a printout from that location provided that it has the 17 digit VIN included on the letter and that the letter is stamped by the company stamp. If your vehicle does not have any outstanding recalls then the letter should say "this vehicle has no outstanding recalls.

If your vehicle does have a recall you will need to complete all repairs required.   Once completed, the dealer will provide you with an invoice that contains the same work order number as your recall letter. You will then take the recall letter with the invoice from the dealer with you to your federal inspection as proof that the outstanding recall has been completed.

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