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Becoming an Independent Commercial Importer
The Independent Commercial Importer (ICI) protocol primarily enables small numbers of "Non-Conforming" vehicles to be imported into the United States of America. Your responsibilities as an "ICI" are: 1) to obtain a certificate of conformity for each engine family/evaporative system/original manufacturer/original production year combination for the specific model year during which the vehicles are imported. 2) to obtain, or contract for, laboratory facilities where modification and testing of the vehicles will be done. 3) to pay the fee for every engine family certified for a given model year. 4) to provide fuel economy labels for those vehicles. 5) to calculate the average fuel economy model year report (CAFE) for all the vehicles processed in that model year by your company. Since becoming an ICI requires a significant expenditure of time and monetary resources, it is more practical for most "Non-Conforming" vehicles, which are imported, to be processed through an existing ICI.
You should consider using the small-volume manufacturer certification procedure, instead of the ICI protocol, under any of the following two circumstances:
1) If you are a U.S. or foreign based original manufacturer, which produces and certifies complying vehicles and/or engines, and introduces them into U.S. commerce, or
2) If you are an authorized U.S. agent of a foreign based manufacturer which produces and introduces into U.S. commerce (through you) complying vehicles and/or engines which do not require any modification.
The first step in the process is to notify EPA via a letter of intent sent to:
Certification & Compliance Division
2565 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105Please include:
Your Phone Number &
Your FAX Number
This will start the process of obtaining manufacturer, or ICI, status from EPA. EPA will then mail each applicant a document containing a letter with enclosures that outline the program along with questions designed to provide EPA with information to aid in assigning manufacturer/ICI status.
To obtain a copy of the regulations for certification and fuel economy programs (i.e., Title 40, Part 85, Part 86, and Part 600 respectively) you may write to:
Superintendent of Documents
Attention: New Orders
P.O.Box 371954
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954
or charge orders may be telephoned to the Government Printing Office order desk at (202) 512-1800.