Noose tightens on car imports

TRACKING and identifying stolen vehicles has been made easier by new regulations on imported cars.

Since Friday, the multinational company TransUnion is responsible for managing Namibia’s new vehicle identification system, which will require a Vehicle Birthing Certification for all vehicles, new or used, imported into the country. This certification is required and must be presented to the Central Vehicle Registry before any vehicle can be registered.This initiative of certification and registration is being implemented by the Department of Customs and Excise, and came into effect on December 1.TransUnion Country Manager for Namibia, Marius van Breda, says before the new procedure was adopted, as much as 40 per cent of all vehicles entering the border could be classified as “grey” or unofficial imports.According to Van Breda, statistics from the Ministry of Trade and Industry show that only 1 400 import permits were issued in 2005 and even fewer this year.”For an average vehicle import rate of between 5 000 to 7 000 vehicles [a year], this leaves room for highly questionable practices in the industry.”With this new certification process, the history and legitimacy of each vehicle will be well documented, providing additional assurance to consumers that they are getting exactly what they are paying for,” he said.TransUnion is responsible for managing the vehicle identification database as well as issuing the birthing certifications on behalf of the retail motor industry.This should see only vehicles legitimately imported into the country being registered, effectively managing the movement of vehicles into Namibia and ensuring compliance with the payment of import duties.Said Van Breda: “For example, today various importers provide different hardcopy certificates of origin or de-registration information, allowing for easy manipulation of the documentation.In many cases, this results in fraudulently acquired vehicles with suspect pedigrees.”According to Van Breda, people can now enjoy peace of mind when buying a car, as all vehicles imported after December 1 would have been issued with a Vehicle Birthing Certificate indicating full compliance with all import regulations from the original port of entry.”We are confident this will make a significant contribution to effectively managing the motor industry by enforcing Customs & Import regulations compliance, and by tracking the movement of stolen and illegally imported vehicles to protect the public and the economy against fraud,” continued Van Breda.TransUnion is an international information solutions company offering a broad range of financial services and has a specialised division – TransUnion HPI created in 2005 – which offers a diverse range of solutions for vehicle valuations, verifications and management.Founded in 1968 in Chicago, TransUnion operates in more than 30 countries.If members of the public have any concerns about a vehicle, they can contact TransUnion in Windhoek at (061) 22 7142 or fax (061) 22 7154.This certification is required and must be presented to the Central Vehicle Registry before any vehicle can be registered.This initiative of certification and registration is being implemented by the Department of Customs and Excise, and came into effect on December 1. TransUnion Country Manager for Namibia, Marius van Breda, says before the new procedure was adopted, as much as 40 per cent of all vehicles entering the border could be classified as “grey” or unofficial imports.According to Van Breda, statistics from the Ministry of Trade and Industry show that only 1 400 import permits were issued in 2005 and even fewer this year. “For an average vehicle import rate of between 5 000 to 7 000 vehicles [a year], this leaves room for highly questionable practices in the industry.”With this new certification process, the history and legitimacy of each vehicle will be well documented, providing additional assurance to consumers that they are getting exactly what they are paying for,” he said.TransUnion is responsible for managing the vehicle identification database as well as issuing the birthing certifications on behalf of the retail motor industry.This should see only vehicles legitimately imported into the country being registered, effectively managing the movement of vehicles into Namibia and ensuring compliance with the payment of import duties.Said Van Breda: “For example, today various importers provide different hardcopy certificates of origin or de-registration information, allowing for easy manipulation of the documentation.In many cases, this results in fraudulently acquired vehicles with suspect pedigrees.”According to Van Breda, people can now enjoy peace of mind when buying a car, as all vehicles imported after December 1 would have been issued with a Vehicle Birthing Certificate indicating full compliance with all import regulations from the original port of entry.”We are confident this will make a significant contribution to effectively managing the motor industry by enforcing Customs & Import regulations compliance, and by tracking the movement of stolen and illegally imported vehicles to protect the public and the economy against fraud,” continued Van Breda.TransUnion is an international information solutions company offering a broad range of financial services and has a specialised division – TransUnion HPI created in 2005 – which offers a diverse range of solutions for vehicle valuations, verifications and management.Founded in 1968 in Chicago, TransUnion operates in more than 30 countries.If members of the public have any concerns about a vehicle, they can contact TransUnion in Windhoek at (061) 22 7142 or fax (061) 22 7154.