The exemption for classic vehicles and petrol vehicles imported for personal use from noise and air emission regulations at their first registration will be terminated with effect from tomorrow, the Environmental Protection Department announced today.

Classic vehicles are those manufactured at least 20 years before the application date of the exemption.

For a vehicle imported for personal use, an applicant must have owned it outside Hong Kong for more than six months and should normally reside in that place prior to the application for exemption.

Petrol private cars, motorcycles and motor tricycles are included in such vehicles.

The department explained that there has been an upward trend in the number of classic vehicles and petrol vehicles imported for personal use which are exempted from the Noise Control (Motor Vehicles) Regulation and the Air Pollution Control (Vehicle Design Standards) (Emission) Regulations among the first-registered vehicles in Hong Kong, while people are increasingly concerned about the noise and exhaust emissions of motor vehicles.

To ensure all first-registered vehicles meet relevant noise and air emission standards, the department decided to terminate the discretionary exemption for those classic cars and imported petrol vehicles with a view to reducing the noise and improving air quality, thereby making Hong Kong a more liveable city.

Citizens may continue to import classic or petrol vehicles for personal use according to relevant regulations by submitting documents to the department to prove that their vehicle has been tested and complies with the noise and air emission regulations before its first registration.

An application can then be made for the vehicle's first registration in accordance with the normal registration procedures for motor vehicles and motorcycles.

People who have signed a contract to purchase or order a classic vehicle and made full or partial payment for it, or those who have arranged the shipment of an imported vehicle for personal use before midnight on June 1, Hong Kong time, may apply for the exemption from testing and obtain a certification of compliance with emission requirements for the vehicle by submitting the required supporting documents to the department before 5pm on June 14.