. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/CAN/250 
28 August 2008 
 (08-4012) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English/ 
 French 
 
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   CANADA  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   Department of Transport 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, 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: 
Canadian Enquiry Point 
200-270 Albert Street Ottawa, Ontario Canada, K1P 6N7  
Tel.: +(1 613) 238 3222 
Fax.: +(1 613) 569 7808 E-mail: enquirypoint@scc.ca
        
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [ X ], 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):   Vehicle Identification 
Number (VIN) (ICS: 43.020) 
5. Title, number of pages and langua ge(s) of the notified document:   Proposed Amendment 
to the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (V ehicle Identification Number) (6 pages, 
available in English and French) 
6. Description of content:   This proposal would amend the Canadian requirements for 
Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) in section 115 of Schedule IV of the Motor Vehicle 
Safety Regulations  (MVSR) . This amendment is needed to ensure that each vehicle sold in 
Canada will have a unique identification numbe r. The current identification system has a 
usable span of 30 years, within which each  vehicle produced has a unique 17-digit VIN. 
This proposal will allow the 17-digit VIN to  continue to be unique for each vehicle 
produced within a 60-year period of time. 
It is proposed that this amendment would a pply to vehicles built on or after October 27, 
2008, having a model year of 2010 or 2011, a nd to vehicles having a later model year. 
Those vehicles having a model year of 2009 or less and those vehicles having a model year 
of 2010 or 2011, if they are built before Oc tober 27, 2008, would be required to comply 
with the existing VIN system. G/TBT/N/CAN/250 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
This proposed amendment would align the Canadian requirements regarding the VIN 
system with recent requirements introduced in the United States. Due to the free movement 
of goods and the open transportation system be tween Canada and the United States, it is 
important that the VIN systems be aligned. 
8. Relevant documents:   Canada Gazette , Part I, 2 August 2008, Pages 2357-2362 (available 
in English and French) 
9. Proposed date of adoption:  Normally within 5 to 8 months of publication in the Canada 
Gazette , Part I.  
Proposed date of entry into force:  On the date the measure is adopted. 
10. Final date for comments:   11 September 2008 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:  
The electronic version of the regulator y text can be downloaded at:   
http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2008/20080802/pdf/g1-14231.pdf (Canada Gazette ) 
or  http://canadagazette.gc.ca/pa rtI/2008/20080802/htm l/regle4-e.html
 (English)   
http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2008/20080802/html/regle4-f.html ( French)