[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 241 (Friday, December 13, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65548-65550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-31701]


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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS


Consolidation and Amendment of Export Visa Requirements to 
Include the Electronic Visa Information System for Certain Cotton, Wool 
and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in 
Singapore

December 9, 1996.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs 
consolidating and amending visa requirements.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Heinzen, 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); Uruguay Round Agreements Act.

    In an exchange of notes dated November 8, 1996 and November 26, 
1996, the Governments of the United States and Singapore agreed to 
amend the existing visa arrangement for textile products, produced or 
manufactured in Singapore and exported on and after January 1, 1997. 
The amended arrangement consolidates existing and new provisions of the 
export visa arrangement, including provisions for the Electronic Visa 
Information System (ELVIS). In addition to the ELVIS requirements, 
shipments will continue to be accompanied by an original visa stamped 
on the front of the original commercial invoice issued by the 
Government of the Republic of Singapore.
    In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the 
Commissioner of Customs to amend the existing visa requirements for 
textile products produced or manufactured in Singapore and exported on 
and after January 1, 1997.
    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 60 FR 65299, published on December 19, 1995). Also see 
47 FR 6683, published on February 16, 1982; and 60 FR 56576, published 
on November 9, 1995. Information

[[Page 65549]]

regarding the 1997 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 requirements set forth in the letter published below to the 
Commissioner of Customs.
D. Michael Hutchinson,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
December 9, 1996.

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

    Dear Commissioner: This directive amends, but does not cancel, 
the directive issued to you on February 10, 1982, as amended, by the 
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, 
that directed you to prohibit entry of certain cotton, wool and man-
made fiber textile products, produced or manufactured in Singapore 
for which the Government of the Republic of Singapore has not issued 
an appropriate export visa.
    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, 
effected by exchange of notes dated November 8 and November 26, 1996 
between the Governments of the United States and the Republic of 
Singapore; and in accordance with the provisions of Executive Order 
11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended, you are directed to prohibit, 
effective on January 1, 1997, 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 and man-made fiber textile 
products in Categories 200-239, 300-369, 400-469 and 600-670, 
including part categories, produced or manufactured in Singapore and 
exported on and after January 1, 1997 for which the Government of 
the Republic of Singapore has not issued an appropriate export visa 
and ELVIS (Electronic Visa Information System) transmission fully 
described below. Should additional 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.
    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 Singapore is ``SG''), and a six 
digit numerical serial number identifying the shipment; e.g., 
7SG123456.
    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 of the 
Government of the Republic of Singapore.
    4. The correct 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. 340-510 DOZ'').
    Quantities must be stated in whole numbers. Decimals or 
fractions will not be accepted.
    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.
    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 
Embassy in Washington for the Government of the Republic of 
Singapore. The waiver, if used, only waives the requirement to 
present a visa with the shipment. It does not waive the quota 
requirements. Visa waivers will only be issued for classification 
purposes or for one time special purpose shipments that are not part 
of an ongoing commercial enterprise.
    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.
    ELVIS Requirements:
    A. Each ELVIS message will include the following information:
    i. 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 Singapore is ``SG''), and a six 
digit numerical serial number identifying the shipment; e.g., 
7SG123456.
    ii. The date of issuance. The date of issuance shall be the day, 
month and year on which the visa was issued.
    iii. The correct 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.
    iv. The manufacturer ID number (MID). The MID shall begin with 
`SG,' followed by the first three characters from each of the first 
two words of the name of the manufacturer, followed by the largest 
number on the address line up to the first four digits, followed by 
three letters from the city name.
    B. Entry of a shipment shall not be permitted:
    i. if an ELVIS transmission has not been received for the 
shipment from Singapore;
    ii. if the ELVIS transmission for that shipment is missing any 
of the following:
    a. visa number
    b. category or part category
    c. quantity
    d. unit of measure
    e. date of issuance
    f. manufacturer ID number
    iii. if the ELVIS transmission for the shipment does not match 
the information supplied by the importer with regard to any of the 
following:
    a. visa number
    b. category or part category
    c. unit of measure
    iv. if the quantity being entered is greater than the quantity 
transmitted.
    v. if the visa number has previously been used, except in the 
case of a split shipment, or canceled, except when an entry has 
already been made using the visa number.
    C. A new, correct ELVIS transmission from Singapore is required 
before a shipment that has been denied entry for one of the 
circumstances mentioned in paragraph 3.B.i-v will be released.
    D. Visa waivers will only be considered for paragraph 3.B.i., if 
the shipment qualifies as a one-time special purpose shipment that 
is not part of an ongoing commercial enterprise.
    E. Shipments will not be released for forty-eight hours or 2 
calendar days in the event of a system failure. If system failure 
exceeds forty-eight hours or 2 calendar days, for the remaining 
period of the system failure the U.S. Customs Service will release 
shipments on the basis of the paper visaed document.
    F. 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 Singapore has been allowed entry 
into the commerce of the United States with either an incorrect 
visa, no visa, an incorrect ELVIS transmission, or no ELVIS 
transmission, and redelivery is requested but cannot be made, and 
after the Government of the Republic of Singapore does not issue a 
visa or ELVIS transmission or request a visa waiver (if applicable), 
the shipment will be charged to the correct category limit whether 
or not a replacement visa or waiver is provided or a new ELVIS 
message is transmitted.
    Other Provisions.
    Merchandise imported for the personal use of the importer and 
not for resale, regardless of value, and properly marked commercial 
sample shipments valued at U.S.$250 or less, do not require an 
export visa or ELVIS

[[Page 65550]]

transmission for entry and shall not be charged to agreement levels, 
if applicable.
    The visa stamp remains unchanged.
    The actions taken concerning the Government of the Republic of 
Singapore 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,
D. Michael Hutchinson,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.
[FR Doc. 96-31701 Filed 12-12-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F