Classic Car Lovers Rejoice : The Indian government has eased the import policy for vintage and classic cars, an announcement likely togladden the hearts of vintageand classic car enthusiasts. Earlier the eligibility was restricted to only vehicles built before 1950, but the new norms expand this to any vehicle that is 50 years or older. That means auto manufacturers can import cars up to 1975, meaning the import period now stretches from pre-1950 to 1975 and covering an additional 25 years of the history of the automobile.

Their real users can import these vintage cars

Reselling these vehicles is forbidden On top of that, the 50-year limit is rolling, which means any cars built up to 1976 would be eligible next year, and so on. Time counts from the day of first registration, which follows the first sale, to establish the age of the vehicle. Some of the greats include iconic classics like Mercedes, Jaguar, Porsche and American muscle cars.

No import of vintage and classic cars is not at all free.

However, fees need to be paid for this. The import being licence-free means the end users do not require a valid import licence, hence, they can bring in these cars after paying the prescribed duties and charges. Customs duty, GST and registration all add up to about 250 per cent of the car’s invoice (traded) value.

What limitations are there on using these cars?

As per the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, the resale of imported vintage cars in the Indian domestic market is strictly prohibited, and the cars must be for personal use, and cannot be traded, in any form whatsoever. It added that if someone resales these vehicles there are rules, like a five year no-sale term, that could be turned stricter in future. Furthermore, any vehicles which can be driven legally on public highways also need to abide by the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.This is an ambitious policy initiative for the vintage car lobby in India and creating more jobs for restorers.