Last updated: July 15th, 2017 7:04 PM

Import of Foreign Cars into India - Procedure and Guidelines

A new imported vehicle according to Government regulations mean a vehicle that:-

• Has not been manufactured/assembled in India; and
• Has not been sold, leased or loaned prior to importation into India; or
• Has not been registered for use in any country according to the laws of that country, prior to importation into India.

In this article we look at the procedure and conditions for import of foreign cars in to India.

Conditions for Import of Foreign Cars in to India

The import of new vehicles shall be subject to the following conditions. The new vehicle should:

• Have a speedometer indicating the speed in Kilometers per hour;
• Have right hand steering, and controls (applicable on vehicles other than two and three wheelers);
• Have photometry of the headlamps to suit “keep-left” traffic’; and
• Be imported from the country of manufacture. The country of manufacture will also mean a Single Market like the European Union (EU).”

In addition to the conditions, the foreign car should also conform to the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and the rules made thereunder, as applicable, on the date of import.

Procedure for Import of Foreign Car

Whoever being an importer or dealer in motor vehicles who imports or offers to import a new vehicle into India should at the time of importation, have valid certificate of compliance as per the provisions of rule 126 of Central Motor Vehicle Rules(CMVR), 1989, for the vehicle model being imported, issued by any of the testing agencies. Also, the importer or dealer would be responsible for all the provisions assigned to the manufacturer as per Rules 122 & 138 of CMVR, 1989 and for issuing Form 22, as per provisions of CMVR, 1989; Finally, the importer or dealer must give an undertaking in writing that the proof of compliance to conformity of production as per rule 126A of CMVR shall be submitted within six months of the imports. In case of failure to do so, no further import of new vehicle of that model shall be allowed thereafter.

Ports Allowed to Import Foreign Cars

Import of new vehicles is permitted only through the following Customs port at Nhava Sheva, Kolkata, Chennai and Chennai Airport, Cochin, ICD-Tughlakabad and Delhi Air Cargo, Mumbai Port and Mumbai Air Cargo Complex, ICD Talegaon Pune, ICD Faridabad, Ennore port, Kattupalli Port and APM Terminals, Pipavav Port. In addition, import of new motorcycles is also permitted through LCS Benapole / Petrapole and LCS Agartala.

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