(Seychelles News Agency) - New regulations for the importation of vehicles are expected to be in force before January 2025 and they will lay out the minimum requirements needed for motor vehicle dealers to import any transport to Seychelles, said a top official on Wednesday.

The regulation will primarily be geared towards safety and one of the aspects is that any vehicles being imported will have to pass a minimum safety requirement before being allowed into the country.

"We have worked very hard to have this minimum safety standard, which will guarantee that all cars remain roadworthy and protect all passengers and drivers," the principal secretary for Trade, Francis Lebon, told reporters.  

He added that another aspect of the policy, which will later turn into regulation is ensuring competition within the market and that consumers get the best deal possible when purchasing their vehicles.

The regulations will have the most effect on motor vehicle dealers as they will have to meet certain standards to be allowed to trade in Seychelles. Firstly all dealers will need a physical place of trade, although a showroom will remain optional.

It will be mandatory for all dealers to provide after sales service and will have to issue a warranty of no less than three years or 50,000 km on each vehicle sold.

"If importing hybrid or electric vehicles, you will need to ensure that the garage has the certified technicians to repair these types of vehicles. They will also have to ensure the availability of spare parts for the vehicles that they sell," said Lebon.

Under the new regulation, all vehicles must come with a physical or digital copy of their instruction manual. For hybrid and electric vehicles, dealers will need to provide proper storage and disposal of the lithium batteries found in these vehicles.

Lebon also explained that it will be the responsibility of the dealers to contact their clients and make the necessary repairs in case of a vehicle recall.

Meanwhile, the director for Policy and Strategy in the Ministry of Transport, Bertrand Loze, went over some changes made in policy for returning graduates and residents who have a car with a left-hand drive.  

"If a person is coming back from a country where they bought a car with a left-hand drive, they will now be allowed to buy a new car with a right-hand drive, or one no less than three years old, which they can then bring over to Seychelles, upon their return," explained Loze.

He also revealed that the new regulations will allow spare parts retailers to have an unlimited number of engines in stock, compared to currently, where they can only have five engines at a time.

Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, currently has over 30 motor vehicle dealerships, and according to Lebon, they all had an input in the contents of the policy.