Submission of Agent Designations During COVID-19 Social Distancing

To facilitate social distancing due to COVID-19, NHTSA is treating electronic submission as an acceptable method for agent designation submissions made pursuant to 49 CFR Part 551.

Submitters may continue to send a hardcopy of their signed agent designation to DOT headquarters; however, this will significantly delay processing of the application.  We strongly encourage submitters to use the online vPIC manufacturer portal to file an agent designation.  The vPIC manufacturer portal can be found at https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/.

For agent designations filed through the online vPIC manufacturer portal, submitters will receive an email upon our preliminary review of the initial submission directing them to send the signed copy of the designation form via email.  For agent designations filed using the Suggested Designation of Agent For Service of Process form in Part 551, Appendix A, submitters should send the signed, completed copy of the form to the following email address, NHTSAAgentDesignations@dot.gov.

Please note that these modified submission procedures are only to facilitate continued operations while maintaining appropriate social distancing due to COVID-19 and will expire on December 31, 2020, unless NHTSA takes further action to modify that date.  The agency anticipates that regular procedures for Part 551 submissions will resume when NHTSA and regulated entities discontinue operating primarily in telework status.

For questions about agent designation issues, including these modified submission procedures, please contact us at NHTSAAgentDesignations@dot.gov.

Please note that this information is intended to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements; it does not have the force and effect of law and is not meant to bind the public in any way.