Commercial Vehicles account for approximately 30% of automobile imports into Pakistan.
If you are thinking about importing a commercial vehicles for your business, here is what to factor in:
● Three categories of commercial vehicles can be imported: pick-up trucks, buses/vans and industrial machines (including bulldozer, cement trucks and tractors). According to the current automobile import policy, commercial vehicles that have been used for at least five years or were manufactured five years ago may be imported.
● The easiest way to import commercial vehicles is to contact export dealership abroad directly. They will provide you with in a list of vehicles currently in stock a their prices.
● Ninety percent of the commercial vehicles are imported from Japan and United States.
● Unlike personal vehicles, commercial vehicles cannot be ordered individually; the minimum order ranges between 20 and 25 vehicles.
● Once you have determined the number and type of vehicles, you will have to make the payment via electronic wire transfer to the export dealership , after which the vehicles will be shipped. This process can take between six to 12 months.
● Duties and traffic have to be paid on the entire consignment before it is cleared by the port authorities. The Custom Duty (CD) is usually the highest and depends on the number of vehicles in the consignment. However, the CD on commercial vehicles significantly lower compared to personal vehicles. The rationale for this is to encourage their import because their use results in increased business activity in Pakistan, leading to economic growth.
● All vehicles have to be registered with the Excise Department of the province in which the business/organization is registered. Using unregistered vehicles is illegal.
By Mohommad Ali Khwaja