[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 19, Volume 1]
[Revised as of April 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 19CFR115.2]

[Page 512-513]
 
                        TITLE 19--CUSTOMS DUTIES
 
  CHAPTER I--UNITED STATES CUSTOMS SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
 
PART 115--CARGO CONTAINER AND ROAD VEHICLE CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMS CONVENTIONS--Table of Contents
 
                           Subpart A--General
 
Sec. 115.2  Application.

    (a) Certification of containers and road vehicles for international 
transport under Customs seal is voluntary. This chapter does not require 
certification of containers and road vehicles.
    (b) The Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods 
Under Cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention), January 15, 1959 (20 UST 
184, TIAS 6633), requires that the approval of road vehicles be made by 
competent authorities of the country in which the owner or carrier is a 
resident or is established, and that containers should be either 
similarly approved, or approved by the competent authority of the 
country where it is first used for transport under Customs seal. The 
Customs Convention on Containers, May 18, 1956 (20 UST 301, TIAS 6634), 
requires that the approval of containers be made by competent 
authorities of the country in which the owner is a resident or is 
established or by those of the country where the container is used for 
the first time for transport under Customs seal. The TIR Convention, 
1975, generally provides that a road vehicle, for which approval at a 
stage after manufacture is desired, shall be approved by the competent 
authority where the vehicle owner or operator is established or located, 
or where the vehicle is registered. Such approval under the TIR 
Convention, 1975, or, for containers, the Customs Convention on 
Containers, 1972, may be accomplished by the competent authority of the 
country in which the owner

[[Page 513]]

or operator is able to produce the conveyance. The 1975 TIR Convention 
and the Customs Convention on Containers, 1972, also provide that the 
Certifying Authority of the country of manufacture, if that country is a 
contracting party to the Convention, may approve a series of road 
vehicles or containers presented for design type approval. The 
procedures for applying for certification are contained in Secs. 115.28, 
115.38, 115.49, and 115.63 of this part.