. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/MEX/86
8 December 2003
(03-6473)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  Spanish
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   MEXICO
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of the Economy
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers and E-mail and Web site
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   General
Directorate of Standard s/Ministry of the Economy (DGN/SE) Enquiry Point.
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [    ], 2.10.1 [ X ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  New motor vehicles -
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Emergency Mexican
Official Standard NOM-EM-009-SCFI-2003. Determination, Allocation and Fixing of
Vehicle Identification Numbers - Specifications  (Suspension of Mexican Official Standard
NOM-131-SCFI-1998, published on 6 July 1998)  (11 pages, in Spanish).
6. Description of content:   This Emergency Mexican Official Standard (NOM) establishes
the specifications for the determination, allocation and fixing of motor vehicle identificationnumbers and is binding on all domestic manufacturers and assemblers of vehicles intended
for the domestic market.
With regard to imported vehicles intended for the domestic market, the importers
are responsible for fulfilling the obligations set out in this Standard.
This Standard is not applicable to vehicles considered as toys or other vehicles
determined by the Ministry within its remit.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
This Emergency Mexican Official Standard (NOM) was issued to strengthen
federal regulation of the import and marketing of new motor vehicles and thereby afford
greater security and certainty to individuals en gaging in commercial transactions involving
such vehicles with a view to the trade liberalization scheduled for 1 January 2004, as of
when new motor vehicles may be freely imported into Mexico by any natural or legal
person.
An effective mechanism and uniform language for identifying vehicles
manufactured, assembled and marketed in or imported into national territory is both
indispensable and urgently required in order to have a single identification number and be
able to tackle the problems caused by the current lack of such an identifier, such as illegal
entry and theft. G/TBT/N/MEX/86
Page 2
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable
(cont'd):
This Emergency Standard will prevent any loss of control in breach of Mexican
legislation and regulate the vehicle market.
The above circumstances called for the issue of this Emergency Standard, pursuant
to Article 48 of the Law on Metrology and Standardization.
8. Relevant documents:  Diario Oficial de la Federación  (Official Journal) of
26 November 2003 (available in Spanish).
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }The day after publication in the OfficialJournal (27 November 2003)
10. Final date for comments:   Not applicable
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax
numbers and E-mail and Web site addresses, if available, of other body:
Web site:  www.economia.gob.mx/?P=85 (Standards catalogue)
E-mail:  cidgn@economia.gob.mx
General Directorate of Standards:
Tel.:  (52-55) 5729-9300, Ext. 4156
Fax:   (52-55) 5520-9715