Memorandum D19-12-2

Ottawa, January 27, 2012

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In Brief

Importation of Tires

This memorandum has been revised to clarify and update Transport Canada’s tire import requirements, the requirements of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and includes instructions on how to import tires using the Accelerated Commercial Release Operation Support System (ACROSS).

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) assists Transport Canada with the administration of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the regulations established thereunder. In addition, the Agency assists the Canadian Food Inspection Agency with the administration of the Plant Protection Act. This memorandum outlines and explains the criteria that must be met in order to import new and used tires into Canada.

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Guidelines and General Information

1. The import requirements under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations are provided by tire type in Appendix A.

2. The requirements outlined in Appendix A apply only to businesses that import tires for resale. When importing tires for personal or corporate fleet use, the only requirement is that the tires must meet Canadian, United States or Japanese safety standards and are marked with one of the symbols outlined in Appendix B.

3. The release requirements provided in Appendix A apply to importations of new and used tires and not to tires mounted on a vehicle or a vehicle’s spare tire.

4. Transport Canada has waived the customs release requirements for the importation of tires provided in D19-12-2 for importers approved on the Customs Self Assessment (CSA) program. These importers will not be required to forward documents for the importation of tires to Transport Canada as they understand their obligations and make their records available to Transport Canada.

5. When submitting your release package to the CBSA electronically, using the Other Government Department (ODG) Single Window Interface, the service options to be used in the Accelerated Commercial Release Operation Support System (ACROSS) are 463 or 471. For information on the OGD Single Window Interface and to view the list of regulated HS codes for the importation of tires, please refer to CBSA Web site at www.cbsa.gc.ca.

6. The following data elements to be included in your electronic release package are:

• (a) manufacturers name
• (b) product brand name
• (c) product type/size
• (d) tire importer ID number (for used truck tires imported to be retreaded)
• (e) tire completion compliance indicator
• (f) import date compliance indicator
• (g) import reason code

7. These requirements apply to importations of the following tire types:

• (a) new on-road passenger vehicles, trucks, motorcycle, trailer or MPV (multi-purpose vehicle)
• (b) used truck tires imported for retreading from countries other than the United States.

Symbols

8. Symbols serve as the manufacturer’s certification that all applicable safety standards have been met at the time of manufacture. These symbols are located on the sidewall of the tire. Only tires with one of the following symbols can be imported into Canada:

• (a) National Safety Mark or NSM: symbol used by manufacturers as certification that all Canadian safety standards have been met.
• (b) DOT: symbol used by manufacturers as certification that all United States safety standards have been met.
• (c) DOT-R: symbol used by the U.S. industry as certification that all United States safety standards have been met prior to being retreaded, remolded, or recapped.
• (d) JIS: symbol used by manufacturers as certification that all applicable Japanese safety standards have been met.

9. Appendix B provides examples of these symbols.

Retreaded, Remolded, or Recapped Tires

10. Retreaded, remolded, or recapped tires that were built for sale in the United States must bear the symbol DOT-R on the sidewall.

11. A Tire Importer Identification Number (TIIN) is issued by Transport Canada to Canadian importers of used truck tires for retreading purposes from countries other than the United States. This number consists of two numeric characters or one alpha and one numeric such as “13” or “A1” and should appear in the description field of the customs paper release document or the TIIN field when filing electronically using ACROSS service options 463 or 471.

Non-complying Tires

12. In cases where tires do not comply with the release requirements outlined in Appendix A, CBSA will either deny entry or detain the shipment except for new on-road tires that may be released upon providing shipment details to Transport Canada.

13. Detained tires will be subject to Memorandum D4-1-5, Storage of Goods.

Penalty Information

14. Any corporation that imports tires that do not comply with the safety standards made pursuant to paragraph 17(1) of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act is guilty of an offense and is liable:

• (a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding $100,000; or
• (b) on indictment, to a fine not exceeding $1,000,000.

15. Any person who imports tires which do not comply with the safety standards made pursuant to paragraph 17(2) of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act is guilty of an offense and is liable:

• (a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both; or
• (b) on indictment, to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or to both.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Requirements

16. Imported used tires arriving in Canada are frequently found contaminated with soil, related matter and organic material (soil). Soil is a high-risk pathway for pests that can cause serious and irreparable harm to Canada’s agricultural and environmental resources. Any amount of soil from any country is considered extremely high risk.

17. All used vehicle tires (this includes retreaded tires) must be clean and free of soil .

18. Tire shipments found to be contaminated with soil will be refused entry at the first point of arrival and ordered removed from Canada under the authority of the Plant Protection Act and the Health of Animals Act. Any cost associated with the removal will be at the expense of the importer.

Additional Information

19. For additional information regarding the importation of new and used tires, the importer should contact Transport Canada:

Transport Canada
Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation Directorate
Ottawa, ON K1A 0N5

Telephone: 613-998-8616
1-800-333-0371
Fax: 613-998-4831
Web site: www.tc.gc.ca

Border Information Service (BIS) for the CBSA

20. The Border Information Service (BIS) is a computerized, 24 hour telephone service that automatically answers all incoming calls and provides general border services information.

21. You can access BIS free of charge throughout Canada by calling 1-800-461-9999. If you are calling from outside Canada, you can access BIS by calling 204-983-3500 or 506-636-5064 (long distance charges will apply). To speak directly to an agent, please call during regular business hours from Monday to Friday (except holidays), 8:00 to 16:00 local time. The BIS Web site can be found on the CBSA Web site at www.cbsa.gc.ca.

Appendix A

Import Requirements Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations

Type of Tires	Country of Export	Release Requirements for Commercial Importers
NEW ON-ROAD Passenger, truck, motorcycle, trailer, bus, or MPV,	USA	NEW ON-ROAD Passenger, truckWhen submitting a paper release package, the package should contain the importer’s written or stamped declaration that the tire was manufactured for sale in USA and meets all the requirements established under the United States National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966. When submitting a release package electronically using ACROSS service option 463 or 471, completion of all required data fields will be accepted as the declaration that the tires being imported meet all the requirements established under the United States National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966. If no written or stamped declaration of compliance is provided at the time of entry (or time of release for CADEX participants), do not detain but advise Transport Canada, Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulations Directorate by phone or fax of the importer’s name, address, and telephone number (if available), description, and quantity of goods. motorcycle, trailer, bus, or MPV,
	Other countries	Entry documentation in your paper release package should contain the manufacturer’s written or stamped declaration that the tire was manufactured to comply with the applicable Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. When submitting a release package electronically using ACROSS service option 463 or 471, completion of all required data fields will be accepted as the declaration that the tires being imported meet all the requirements established under the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. If no written or stamped declaration of compliance is provided at the time of entry (or time of release for CADEX participants), do not detain but advise Transport Canada, Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulations Directorate, by phone or fax of the importer’s name, address, telephone number (if available), description, and quantity of goods.
NEW AND USED OFF-ROAD All types (For example: earth mover tires, racing slicks, farm tractor tires)	All countries	Designation for off-road use must be clearly and permanently marked on the sidewalls; i.e., off-road use only, not for highway service (NHS), for racing only, farm equipment; or Tire is of an obvious off-road design. If tires are not permanently marked as being an off-road tire or are not an obvious off-road design, contact Transport Canada for assistance.
USED ON-ROAD All types except truck tires	USA	Tires must bear the U.S. DOT symbol on the sidewall of the tire (see Appendix B). If the U.S. DOT symbol is not present, deny entry.
	Other countries	Not admissible. Deny entry.
USED ON-ROAD Truck Tires	USA	Tires must bear the U.S. DOT symbol on sidewall of the tire. If the U.S. DOT symbol is not present, deny entry.
	Other countries	Tires must fit on a rim with a diameter of greater than 16 inches; and Bear the Canadian National Safety Mark (NSM), the U.S. DOT symbol or the Japanese JIS symbol on the sidewall (see Appendix B); and The Tire Importer Identification Number (TIIN), issued by Transport Canada, must appear on the paper customs release document when truck tires are being imported for retreading. If submitting an electronic release package using ACROSS service option 463 or 471 the TIIN must be included in the field provided. If the above criteria is not met, deny entry.
RETREADED, REMOLDED, OR RECAPPED ON-ROAD Truck Tires	USA	Must bear the symbol DOT-R on sidewall of the tire (see Appendix B). If the DOT-R symbol is not present, deny entry.
	Other countries	Not admissible. Deny entry.
RETREADED, REMOLDED, OR RECAPPED ON-ROAD Passenger Vehicle Tires	USA	Contact Transport Canada for additional information.
	Other countries	Not admissible. Deny entry.
RETREADED, REMOLDED, OR RECAPPED OFF-ROAD	All countries	Designation for off-road use; i.e., off-road use only, not for highway service (NHS), for racing only, or farm equipment, must be clearly and permanently marked on sidewall of each tire; or The tire is of an obvious off-road design; e.g., earth mover tires, racing slicks, or farm tractor tires. If tire is not permanently marked as being an off-road tire or is not an obvious off-road design, contact Transport Canada for assistance.
SCRAP	All countries	Admissible for scrap rubber if at the time of entry the tires are rendered permanently unserviceable and irreparable either through slashing or puncturing the sidewall, or by otherwise permanently damaging the tires so that they cannot contain air. If the tires are not rendered permanently irreparable, deny entry.
EXEMPTIONS	All countries	Under Section 7(1)(a) of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, tires entered for exhibition, demonstration, evaluation or testing are admissible if a letter from Transport Canada authorizing temporary import is provided by the importer at the time of entry.

Appendix B

Symbols

Tire symbols NSM, DOT, and JIS will appear on the outside of the sidewall between the widest portion of the tire (see profile below) and the bead. Tire symbol DOT-R will appear on the outside of the sidewall between the bead and the tread.

The sidewall is the portion of the tire between the tread and the bead. The tread is the portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road. The bead is the part of a tire that is shaped to fit the rim.

1) National Safety Mark

2) DOT

3) DOT-R

4) JIS

References

Issuing office	Commercial Border Programs Division Border Programs Directorate Programs Branch
Headquarters file
Legislative references	Motor Vehicle Safety Act Plant Protection Act Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations
Other references	D4-1-5
Superseded memoranda D	D19-12-2, December 31, 1997 Interim D19-12-2, July 14, 2004