In a move aimed at improving road safety, three government departments have joined hands to regulate the import and sale of automobile tyres in the country. The Laboratories and Standardisation Affairs (QS) division in the Ministry of Environment, the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of the Business and Trade and the Traffic Department at the Ministry of Interior have issued strict rules regulating the import and sale of tyres in Qatar.With effect from September 15, no importation of tyres will be allowed unless they are accompanied by a Gulf conformity certificate and specifically to have a speed limit of 180km/h.Import of balloon tyres has been banned for passenger vehicles unless accompanied by a certificate of conformity with technical requirements specified in technical regulations namely GSO 51/2007, GSO 52/2007 and GSO 53/2007. The tyres should also have the technical requirements mandatory for balloon tyres. The tyre type must be engraved in red colour.The sale and handling of used tyres will be restricted to exclusively within the country. It effectively means the import of used tyres from outside will not be allowed.Continuous use and handling of used tyres that are in a good condition will be allowed but the sale of used tyres will be prohibited 24 months after the date of manufacture. This is applicable to tyres of passenger cars, buses and light trucks. For heavy trucks, up to 30 months would be allowed.While selling used tyres, the dealer should issue a warranty certificate with a minimum validity of six months to the customer in compliance with GSO 581/2007. The dealer should also display a notice at shop indicating the requirements for consumer awareness.As per the latest order, display or storage of tyres not fit for use is banned.