Deadline for Iranian Car Importers

The Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade has set a deadline for car importers to register as official dealers of foreign companies or face closure and prosecution.

The deadline is until the end of the current Iranian month (Nov. 20).

Yadollah Sadeqi, the ministry’s director for economic and trade affairs, stressed that the deadline will not be extended, the local automotive website Persian Khodro reported on Wednesday.

The official said that if indirect automotive importers fail to provide the needed documents from the foreign companies, their work permits will be cancelled.

Sadeqi noted that the measure, which ensures that the cars entering Iran comply with the latest international standards, has been adopted to regulate the market of imported vehicles.

Farhad Ehteshamzad, the head of Iran’s Auto Importers Association, said in a press conference recently that nearly 60% of auto dealers have the authorization for the direct import of cars.

The official criticized the recent measure taken by the government, noting that indirect imports are necessary for certain models, though he did not specify the models.