Tools › Guides › Auto components (HS 8708)

Exporting auto components (HS 8708) — IATF, homologation and origin

Last reviewed 2026-10 · 4 sections

Auto components are a high-volume Indian export with a compliance structure that looks like manufacturing quality rather than trade paperwork. The gate to OEM supply is a quality certification, not a customs form.

Classification: 8708 covers parts and accessories

  • Heading 8708 covers parts and accessories of the motor vehicles of the earlier headings — with subheadings for bumpers, brakes, gearboxes, axles, wheels, suspension and so on.
  • The common error is to classify a part by the vehicle it fits rather than by the part it is. Brake components go to the brake subheading regardless of which model they suit.
  • Some components are excluded to other chapters entirely (electrical parts, rubber components, textiles), so a bill of materials can span several chapters. That matters for rules of origin — see below.

IATF 16949 is the real gate to OEM supply

Tier-1 and OEM buyers require their suppliers to hold IATF 16949 quality certification, and to be able to show process capability, traceability and change control. It is a commercial requirement — it is not customs law and it does not replace product regulation — but in practice it decides access to the OEM channel long before any tariff question arises.

The aftermarket has a lower certification barrier and different economics. Deciding which channel you are actually serving should come before the compliance work, because the two need different evidence.

Homologation and product approval

  • Components fitted to road vehicles may need to satisfy the destination's vehicle type-approval regime — often built on UN vehicle regulations — or be covered by an approval held by the vehicle manufacturer.
  • Where the part is safety-related, the approval is not optional and cannot be substituted by a test report alone; the route is through a recognised approval authority.
  • Confirm whether the obligation sits with you or with your buyer: in OEM supply the vehicle maker frequently holds the approval, but the evidence trail runs back to the component supplier.

Rules of origin: the multi-country problem

Auto supply chains cross borders: raw material from one country, a sub-component from another, assembly in India. Every preference claim (Japan, ASEAN, Australia, Korea) applies a product-specific origin rule to the finished part. It is entirely normal for the same component to qualify under one agreement and not another. Model the origin rule per agreement before quoting a preferential price — and keep the material-level records that prove it.

Use the tools

Sources & further reading

ACMA — Automotive Component Manufacturers Association UNECE — vehicle regulations IATF — quality standard

These guides summarise public material from the bodies named above. They are general information, not advice on a specific shipment, and they are not a substitute for a ruling from your customs authority or a qualified customs broker / consultant.

More guides