With effect from 1 June 2000, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will revise the rules on the import and registration of new vehicles. The revised rules will facilitate the import of vehicles in situations where importers face difficulties in submitting documents to certify that their vehicles meet the required vehicle standards. This move will encourage importers to bring in a wider range of vehicles into Singapore. The public, especially individuals who have been successful in obtaining their own Certificate of Entitlement (COE), will benefit as they will have a broader range of vehicle models to choose from when making their buying decision. The revised rules are timely as they will encourage more individuals to bid for their own COEs under the new COE Open Bidding trial that will begin in Oct 2000.

Current Rules

At present, vehicle importers are required to submit a Completion Inspection Certificate (CIC) (for Japanese vehicles) or an EEC Certificate of Conformity (COC) (for vehicles manufactured in the European Community) to prove that their vehicles meet the required safety and emission standards before the vehicles can be registered for use in Singapore.

Some vehicle importers have found it difficult to obtain the required CIC and COC. This is notwithstanding the fact that the vehicles meet the required safety and emission standards and are bought as new vehicles from the overseas manufacturers or dealers.

New Rules

Under the new rules, the CIC and COC requirement for registration will be waived subject to the following conditions:

1. The vehicle is registered as a new vehicle in a foreign country, which adopts the same or equivalent safety and emission standards as Singapore. Such countries include the EC countries and Japan.
   
2. The vehicle is de-registered within three days of the registration in the foreign country for export to Singapore.
   
3. The vehicle must arrive in Singapore within three months of its de-registration in the foreign country.

Besides waiver of the CIC and COC requirement, such imported vehicles will not be subjected to the $10,000 registration surcharge. In addition, the vehicles will be eligible for the Preferential Additional Registration Fee (PARF) benefits if they are de-registered within ten years from the date of registration in Singapore.

Importers are required to produce relevant documents to substantiate their compliance of the above requirements prior to the registration of the vehicle in Singapore. These documents include the original foreign registration and de-registration certificates issued by the country of export, shipping bills and export/import permits or their equivalents. In addition, the vehicles will have to undergo a pre-registration inspection at LTA’s authorised inspection centres.

Others

The current scheme for the import of used vehicles remains unchanged. Imported used cars must be under three years old and are subjected to the $10,000 registration surcharge. They are also not eligible for PARF benefits.