Algeria: “5 Main Conditions In New Car Import Specifications’ Book”

It is expected that the book of conditions for importing cars, which will be the subject of a study at the level of the Ministry of Industry, will review 5 main points, which are the imposition of mandatory experience on the candidates running for approval for importing vehicles for no less than 5 years, the abolition of the quota system and the compulsory provision of warranty and after-sales services at the level of all regions of the country, allowing foreigners to secure credits according to the partnership formula 51-49%, and thus allowing the import of more than two vehicle brands.

According to what “Echorouk” learned from sources familiar with the vehicle import file, among the most important points that will be included in the new book of conditions, which is supposed to be the subject of study and preparation before next January, to be issued in the Official Gazette at the beginning of next year, is the compulsory availability of a car dealership having the experience of at least five years in the field of selling and marketing cars and vehicles.

The possibility of allowing foreign companies to deposit files, but according to the partnership formula 51-49 percent, which was not available in the current book of conditions, and the abolition of the quota system, contrary to what was included in the previous book of conditions, and the possibility of importing several brands of vehicles instead of one brand, and compelling the agent to guarantee after-sales services across all regions of the country, i.e. in the four corners of the country.

This comes at a time when the government has not officially frozen the work of the current book of conditions, as the technical committee at the level of the Ministry of Industry is still receiving the agents’ files and their appeals, as the technical committee received nearly seventy files, until Sunday, while 25 appeals were filed at the level of the appeals committee.

Last week, Industry Minister Ahmed Zeghdar told “Echorouk” that a review of the car import conditions’ book would take place in the near future, while the new version would be ready in January 2022, so that files will be filed immediately afterwards and licenses will be granted immediately to those who comply with the conditions, without recording any delay in the file, and then start importing cars to be available in the Algerian market during the next year.

This comes at a time when the vehicles have been missing for Algerians for more than 4 years after the import was stopped in 2017, while the assembling factories stopped production in 2019, following the corruption scandals in which most of the brands marketed for locally produced vehicles were involved, so that the book of conditions for importing cars was revamped.

Since it was issued in August 2020, twice before it was decided a week ago to review the specifications’ book for the third time in a row, while the brand new book is expected to ease conditions for car dealerships wishing to secure an import license, according to sources from the Ministry of Industry.