[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 232 (Monday, December 4, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62076-62077]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-29468]



=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS


Establishment of a New Export Visa Arrangement for Certain 
Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber, Silk-Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber 
Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Mauritius

November 28, 1995.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing 
export visa requirements.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 1, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Aldrich, International Trade 
Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, (202) 482-4212.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Authority: Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended; 
section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 
1854).

    The Governments of the United States and Mauritius agreed to 
establish a new Export Visa Arrangement for certain cotton, wool, man-
made fiber, silk-blend and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile 
products, produced or manufactured in Mauritius and exported from 
Mauritius on and after December 1, 1995. Goods exported during the 
period December 1, 1995 through December 31, 1995 shall not be denied 
entry for lack of a visa. All goods exported after January 1, 1996 must 
be accompanied by an appropriate export visa.
    In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the 
Commissioner of Customs to prohibit entry of certain textile products, 
produced or manufactured in Mauritius and exported from Mauritius on 
and after December 1, 1995 for which the Government of the Mauritius 
has not issued an appropriate export visa.
    A facsimile of export visa stamp is on file at the U.S. Department 
of Commerce in Room 3100.
    A description of the textile and apparel categories in terms of HTS 
numbers is available in the CORRELATION: Textile and Apparel Categories 
with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (see Federal 
Register notice 59 FR 65531, published on December 20, 1994). 
Information regarding the 1996 CORRELATION will be published in the 
Federal Register at a later date.
    Interested persons are advised to take all necessary steps to 
ensure that textile products that are entered into the United States 
for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, will meet 
the visa and certification requirements set forth in the letter 
published below to the Commissioner of Customs.
Philip J. Martello,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
November 28, 1995.

Commissioner of Customs,
Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

    Dear Commissioner: Under the terms of section 204 of the 
Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); pursuant to 
the Export Visa Arrangement of September 12, 1995 between the 
Governments of the United States and Mauritius; and in accordance 
with the provisions of Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as 
amended, you are directed to prohibit, effective on December 1, 
1995, entry into the Customs territory of the United States (i.e., 
the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico) for consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for 
consumption of cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk-blend, and other 
vegetable fiber textiles and textile products in Categories 200-239, 
300-369, 400-469, 600-670, and 800-899, including merged and part 
categories, produced or manufactured in Mauritius and exported from 
Mauritius on and after December 1, 1995 for which the Government of 
the Mauritius has not issued an appropriate export visa fully 
described below. Should additional categories, merged categories or 
part categories become subject to import quota the entire 
category(s) or part category(s) shall be included in the coverage of 
this arrangement. Goods exported during the period December 1, 1995 
through December 31, 1995 shall not be denied entry for lack of an 
export visa.
    A visa must accompany each commercial shipment of the 
aforementioned textile products. A circular stamped marking in blue 
ink will appear on the front of the original commercial invoice. The 
original visa shall not be stamped on duplicate copies of the 
invoice. The original invoice with the original visa stamp will be 
required to enter the shipment into the United States. Duplicates of 
the invoice and/or visa may not be used for this purpose.
    Each visa stamp shall include the following information:
    1. The visa number. The visa number shall be in the standard 
nine digit letter format, beginning with one numerical digit for the 
last digit of the year of export, followed by the two character 
alpha country code specified by the International Organization for 
Standardization (ISO) (the code for Mauritius is ``MU''), and a six 
digit numerical serial number identifying the shipment; e.g., 
5MU123456.
    2. The date of issuance. The date of issuance shall be the day, 
month and year on which the visa was issued.
    3. The original signature of the issuing official and the 
printed name of the issuing official of the Government of Mauritius.
    4. The correct category(s), merged category(s), part 
category(s), quantity(s) and unit(s) of quantity in the shipment as 
set forth in the U.S. Department of Commerce Correlation and in the 
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, annotated or 
successor documents shall be reported in the spaces provided within 
the visa stamp (e.g., ``Cat. 434-210 DZ'').
    Quantities must be stated in whole numbers. Decimals or 
fractions will not be accepted. Merged category quota merchandise 
may be accompanied by either the appropriate merged category visa or 
the correct category visa corresponding to the actual shipment 
(e.g., Categories 347/348 may be visaed as 347/348 or if the 
shipment consists solely of 347 merchandise, the shipment may be 
visaed as ``Cat. 347,'' but not as ``Cat. 348''). If, however, a 
merged quota category such as 340/640 has a quota sublimit on 
Category 340, then there must be a ``Category 340'' visa for the 
shipment if it includes Category 340 merchandise.
    U.S. Customs shall not permit entry if the shipment does not 
have a visa, or if the visa number, date of issuance, signature, 
category, quantity or units of quantity are missing, incorrect or 
illegible, or have been crossed out or altered in any way. If the 
quantity indicated on the visa is less than that of the shipment, 
entry shall not be permitted. If the quantity indicated on the visa 
is more than that of the shipment, entry shall be permitted and only 
the amount entered shall be charged to any applicable quota.
    The complete name and address of a company actually involved in 
the manufacturing process of the textile product covered by the visa 
shall be provided on the front of the textile document.
    If the visa is not acceptable then a new correct visa or a visa 
waiver must be presented to the U.S. Customs Service before any 
portion of the shipment will be released. A visa waiver may be 
issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce at the request of the 
Government of Mauritius. The waiver, if used, only waives the 
requirement to present a visa with the shipment. It does not waive 
the quota requirement.
    If the visaed invoice is deficient, the U.S. Customs Service 
will not return the original document after entry, but will provide 
a certified copy of that visaed invoice for use in obtaining a new 
correct original visaed invoice, or a visa waiver.
    If import quotas are in force, U.S. Customs Service shall charge 
only the actual quantity in the shipment to the correct category 
limit. If a shipment from Mauritius has been allowed entry into the 
commerce of the 

[[Page 62077]]
United States with either an incorrect visa or no visa, and redelivery 
is requested but cannot be made, the shipment will be charged to the 
correct category limit whether or not a replacement visa or waiver 
is provided.
    Merchandise imported for the personal use of the importer and 
not for resale, regardless of value, and properly marked or 
commercial sample shipments valued at U.S.$250 or less, do not 
require an export visa for entry and shall not be charged to 
existing quota levels.
    A facsimile of the visa stamp is enclosed.
    The actions taken concerning the Government of Mauritius with 
respect to imports of textiles and textile products in the foregoing 
categories have been determined by the Committee for the 
Implementation of Textile Agreements to involve foreign affairs 
functions of the United States. Therefore, these directions to the 
Commissioner of Customs, which are necessary for the implementation 
of such actions, fall within the foreign affairs exception to the 
rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1). This letter will be 
published in the Federal Register.
    Sincerely,
Philip J. Martello,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.
[FR Doc. 95-29468 Filed 12-1-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F