FIA Heritage Certificates - Questions & Answers
 
What is the FIA Heritage Certificate?
 
The FIA Heritage Certificate is a document which confirms that, in the opinion of the FIA, the vehicle it refers to is genuine and is indeed the original and authentic vehicle it purports to be.

The FIA Heritage Certificate offers an assurance to the holder and third parties that the FIA has examined in depth and with due diligence the claim of a particular vehicle’s uniqueness in respect of its manufacturer’s identifying mark or number, and having undertaken that research, the FIA’s authorized body is of the opinion that the qualified vehicle alone is entitled to use that mark in respect of this fact. In the event that the car has been significantly modified from its original configuration, whilst retaining without doubt its original identity, the HC may contain notes to this effect. Only one Heritage Certificate will be issued to any given manufacturer’s chassis/VIN number.

The FIA will issue a numbered certificate and a numbered vignette for attachment to the windscreen of the qualifying vehicle; this vignette shall be valid for five years after which a refresher may be issued.

To be awarded a HC, a vehicle must be shown:

(i) to have existed continuously as a complete car since it was first built by the manufacturer whose name it carries; and

(ii) to have been first built in the appropriate year; and

(iii) either (a) to have a chassis/VIN number which was allocated to it when new by the manufacturer; or

(b) to have a history entirely consistent with the absence of a chassis/VIN number giving rise to no reasonable doubt as to its authenticity.

The essence of qualification is that the vehicle can be demonstrated to have a continuous history and existence, as one car, since its point of original creation. It is accepted that, during the course of a vehicle’s existence, components may have been replaced. However, it must be clearly demonstrated that the vehicle has at all times existed as a recognizable entity of a car. For instance, cars built up from scrap or new around a chassis plate or previously discarded components would not meet the criteria.


How do I apply for an FIA Heritage Certificate?

Applications for Heritage Certificates must be sent directly to the FIA Headquarters at the following address:

FIA
Heritage Certificate Department
8, place de la Concorde
75008 Paris,
France

Applicants do not need to hold a competition licence. Details of the criteria for application will be posted on the FIA website, and shall be available directly from the FIA, or in some cases from the ASN, upon request.


What are the criteria for obtaining a Heritage Certificate?

Each application shall consist of a dossier which proves the continuous existence of the car. The following information is essential to each application.

1. Data concerning the vehicle: make, type, year, chassis/frame number, VIN number, registration number (if applicable), country of registration (if applicable), body type and year made, engine make, engine number, number of cylinders, capacity, bore/stroke.

2. Data concerning the owner/applicant: full name and address of all owners as contained in new and transfer documents.

3. Registration and import/export data: in the case of a road car, details of road registration and supporting evidence should be provided. In the case of a car moving permanently from one country to another, import/export documents should be provided, and in the case of temporary importation, copies of the relevant carnets de passage en douane should be provided.

4. Any known alterations or modifications to the vehicle. Whilst it is understood that, particularly on competition cars, certain components may have been changed during the life of the vehicle, known replacements may well assist the panel in their considerations. Applicants should be aware that components which have been discarded at any time during the life of the vehicle cannot become an applicant vehicle in its own right. Similarly there must have been at all times a complete entity. Changes of engine, both in size or make, will not necessarily exclude a car. Cars that have been re-bodied in a different style from original are not disqualified from obtaining an HC but applicants should be aware that the HC itself and any outward badge showing that the car has an HC may well be noted accordingly.

5. Further history of the car: for example, a competition car’s results dating from its period as a contemporary car will always be useful; competing as a ‘historic’ car, however, will not be considered relevant. Photographs of the car will be especially helpful, particularly if they pre-date the application - the longer the pre-date the better.

The applicant must submit the application to the FIA Heritage Certificate Department in Paris. The applicant is obliged to provide any evidence to support the claim to satisfy the criteria. Cars which are unable to show the hand-to-hand transfer since their manufacture will not be likely to succeed. Whilst there may be various ways of satisfying the requirements, applicants must provide the above as basic information.

Supporting documents should be certified copies of originals. They should be in either English or in French or else accompanied by certified translations into one of these two languages. Original documentation or photographs must never be included with the application. The FIA cannot accept responsibility for any originals. In addition, proof of dispatch of an application does not constitute proof of receipt. Applicants should be aware that the FIA inspectors will ask to see originals of all supporting documents at the time of the car’s inspection.

An application fee shall be payable to the FIA and must accompany each application. For 2007 the application fee is 1500 Euros. In addition to the application fee, the applicant shall undertake to cover all travel and/or subsistence expenses for the FIA inspector, if incurred.
 
Finally, two high-quality (digital if possible to heritagecertificate@fia.com) photographs should be sent along with the application, for use on the Heritage Certificate itself if and when issued: one of the vehicle (3/4 front or side view) and one of the chassis stamped number.


What happens after I submit my application?

After the application has been received by the FIA in Paris, the dossier is examined by the secretariat. If complete, details of the application shall be posted on the FIA website, and the due diligence process put in place. This includes cross-checking references, verification of sources, and in-depth examination of the data provided. The FIA will undertake appropriate and due diligence with regard to all applications for HC’s. Information may be gathered from those who are deemed authorities on the mark or model concerned and from all or any sources which the FIA considers appropriate.

While due diligence proceeds, arrangements will also be made by the FIA for the vehicle’s inspection. All FIA inspectors appointed to inspect HC candidate cars will be nominated from a list published annually by the FIA and approved by the FIA Senate. Each inspector appointed shall normally be the nearest, most convenient for the applicant. The inspector’s travel expenses - which, in addition to the HC fee, must be paid by the applicant - must be agreed in writing before the inspection takes place; any applicant will have the option of taking the vehicle to the inspector to avoid paying those travel costs. For the avoidance of any confusion, the inspector will contact the applicant directly to fix a time for the inspection and agree the travel costs, and then notify the FIA.

The inspector will physically check the car and the originals of all supporting paperwork.


Who considers my application?

All the information received and recorded with the application by the Heritage Certificate Department is compiled into a dossier which is submitted to the FIA Heritage Committee.

The FIA Heritage Committee, which is approved by the FIA Senate, shall include authoritative persons from different countries. Names of all Heritage Committee members shall be published on the FIA Heritage website.

The FIA Heritage Committee members, after considering each dossier, shall decide whether or not the car meets the criteria in order to grant a Heritage Certificate.


What happens if my application is rejected?

In the event an application is turned down, the applicant may appeal the decision before the Heritage Review Panel, the members of which are also approved by the FIA Senate. Further evidence may be submitted at this time.

The amount of the additional fee for such appeals will be published on the FIA Heritage website. For 2007, this appeal fee has been set at 10,000 Euros. The applicant will also bear all expenses associated with the review except the expense of convening the panel.


What happens if my car is rejected again and I wish to appeal further?

Should an applicant not be satisfied with the FIA HC Review Panel’s decision, a further appeal to the FIA International Court of Appeal will be possible on the grounds of due process only.

Fees for appeals brought before the FIA International Court of Appeal will be decided by the Court and notified to the appellant upon request.


What else might I need to know?

Whilst the FIA shall undertake appropriate and due diligence with regard to all applications for HCs, applicants, any successive owners and third parties are all reminded that the original Heritage Certificate applicant is wholly and solely responsible for all information submitted as part of the application process and carries full liability for its accuracy and veracity. The HC will carry a caveat to this effect. The FIA cannot accept any liability, either for the veracity of the information submitted or any extrapolation drawn from the information acknowledged by the FIA on the HC.

All application outlines will be published on the FIA website, as well as the list of HCs awarded.

Any vehicle may be proposed for an HC regardless of age.

The Heritage Certificate is issued in cooperation with the FIVA.

With regard to the requirement for a car to have been built in the appropriate year, potential applicants are advised that later replicas or run–ons even if built by the original manufacturer or its legal successor, are unlikely to be deemed to meet the criteria of being built in the appropriate period.

Generally, the FIA will not enter into any correspondence or telephone calls prior to an application being made. ACNs and participating ASNs may well be able to advise applicants, but may charge a handling fee for such advice. Brief, very specific questions may be dealt with by e-mail at this address:
heritagecertificate@fia.com