ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce has clarified that foreign pre-shipment inspection certificates issued through two firms remain valid for used vehicle imports, while separately granting importers a one-time exemption from a stricter inspection requirement for vehicles already shipped before a key safety order took effect.
In an office memorandum issued Tuesday, the ministry said Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) certificates issued by M/s EAA Company (Pvt.) Ltd. and M/s Auto Terminal Pak (Pvt.) Ltd., through their respective GLOBAC-accredited foreign principals in Japan, will continue to be accepted for vehicles imported under the Gift Scheme and Transfer of Residence Scheme.
The clarification follows a Federal Board of Revenue request for guidance after SRO 61(I)/2026, issued Jan. 15, mandated that the Engineering Development Board (EDB) certify minimum safety, environmental and regulatory standards for commercially imported used vehicles under the same import schemes.
The ministry said the foreign principals’ inspections will be treated as acceptable under the new safety standards, with both companies’ local entities registered with the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority for “automobiles” effective March 9. Customs authorities must independently verify the genuineness of certificates directly with the companies’ local entities, the memo said, and those entities must vouch for the inspection work performed abroad.
The memo also clarified that Engineering Development Board (EDB’s) separate September 2025 notification on vehicles imported under the Gift and Transfer of Residence schemes does not extend to commercial imports of used vehicles.
Meanwhile, in another notification, the Commerce Division In-Charge Minister approved a one-time exemption allowing vehicles imported under the same schemes and shipped between Jan. 16 and March 9, before SRO 61(I)/2026 took hold, to clear customs without an EDB-mandated PSI certificate. The exemption comes with conditions that importers must still meet all other requirements under the Import Policy Order 2022, and no vehicle graded “Below Average,” “Poor,” “Repaired Accident” or “Minor Accident Repair” on auction sheets will be cleared, the notification said.
