Ban on import of vehicles without safety standards from July 1

19 January 2018 11:05 am

The government’s decision to ban the import of vehicles which are not equipped with air bags and seat belts and below the emission levels or its equivalent as prescribed by Euro IV, has been postponed to July 1, the Finance Ministry said today.

It was to have come into effect from January 1 as mentioned in the 2017 Budget.

“This decision has been taken after considering a request made by motor vehicle importers and manufacturers for more time to make the required adjustments and comply with the proposed emission standards and safety measures,” the ministry said in a statement.

It said the import of vehicles, which did not carry airbags and seat belts for the driver and the front passenger, Anti-Locking Breaking System (ABS) standards and three-point seat belts at the rear would not be allowed from July 1.

“As this rescheduling of the implementation is made based on the industry representations, the dealers, importers and manufacturers are strictly advised to refrain from establishing any Letter of Credit (LC) for the import of motors vehicles, which do not comply with the specified standards with an estimated arrival date after July 1, 2018.

Further details on the implementation of the new standards for vehicles, including the types of vehicles will be notified by the respective implementation agencies shortly,” the statement said. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)