[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 250 (Wednesday, December 31, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68262-68264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-34062]
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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS
Announcement of the Paperless ELVIS (Electronic Visa Information
System) Requirement for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile
Products Produced or Manufactured in Singapore
December 23, 1997.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).
ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs eliminating
the paper visa requirement.
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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1998.
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: Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as
amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as
amended.
[[Page 68263]]
On December 17, 1997 the Governments of the United States and
Singapore signed the Electronic Visa Information System (ELVIS)
Arrangement. This arrangement provides for electronic transmission of
visa information to the U.S. Customs Service by the Government of
Singapore for textile products exported to the United States which
describes the shipment and includes the visa number assigned to the
shipment. The transmission certifies the country of origin and
authorizes the shipment to be charged against any applicable quota.
Effective on January 1, 1998, for entry into the United States the
paper visa requirement is eliminated for textile products, produced or
manufactured in Singapore and exported on or after January 1, 1998. The
Government of Singapore must issue an ELVIS transmission for each
shipment of textile products, as defined in the Arrangement, for
textile products exported on or after January 1, 1998.
In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the
Commissioner of Customs to eliminate the paper visa requirement and to
require the Government of Singapore to issue an ELVIS transmission for
shipments of certain textile products, produced or manufactured in
Singapore and exported to the United States on or after January 1,
1998.
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 62 FR 66057, published on December 17, 1997). Also see
47 FR 6683, published on February 16, 1982; 60 FR 56576, published on
November 9, 1995; 61 FR 65548, published on December 13, 1996; 61 FR
69082, published on December 31, 1996; and 61 FR 46952, published on
September 5, 1997.
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.
J. Hayden Boyd,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile
Agreements.
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
December 23, 1997.
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 Singapore has not issued an appropriate
export visa.
Effective on January 1, 1998, the paper visa will no longer be
required for the entry of shipments of textile products, produced or
manufactured in Singapore and exported to the United States on or
after January 1, 1998.
Under the terms of section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956,
as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854), Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972,
as amended, the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing
(ATC); and pursuant to the Electronic Visa Information System
(ELVIS) Arrangement dated December 17, 1997 between the Governments
of the United States and the Republic of Singapore, you are directed
to prohibit, effective on January 1, 1998, 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 or after January 1, 1998 for which the
Government of Singapore has not transmitted an appropriate 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.
An ELVIS message must accompany each commercial shipment of the
aforementioned textile products.
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 numeric 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.,
8SG123456.
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.
Quantities must be stated in whole numbers. Decimals or fractions
will not be accepted.
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 or the Customs broker
acting as an agent on behalf of 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 B.i-v will be released.
D. Visa waivers will only be considered for paragraph B.i., if
the shipment qualifies as a one-time special purpose shipment that
is not part of an ongoing commercial enterprise. A visa waiver may
be issued by the Department of Commerce at the request of the
Embassy in Washington for the Government of Singapore. A visa waiver
only waives the requirement to present a transmission at entry, it
does not waive any quota requirements.
E. Shipments will not be released for twenty-four hours or 1
calendar day in the event of a system failure. If system failure
exceeds twenty-four hours or 1 calendar day, for the remaining
period of the system failure the U.S. Customs Service will only
release shipments that have been authorized by the Government of
Singapore through the use of the visa waiver procedures.
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 an incorrect ELVIS
transmission, or no ELVIS transmission, or system failure, and
redelivery is requested but cannot be made, and after the Government
of Singapore does not issue a new ELVIS transmission or request a
visa waiver (if applicable), the shipment will be charged to the
correct category limit whether a waiver is provided or a new ELVIS
message is transmitted.
Other Provisions.
A. The date of export is the actual date the merchandise finally
leaves the country of origin. For merchandise exported by carrier,
this is the day on which the carrier last departs the country of
origin.
[[Page 68264]]
B. 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 ELVIS
transmission for entry and shall not be charged to agreement levels,
if applicable.
The actions taken concerning the Government 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,
J. Hayden Boyd,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile
Agreements.
[FR Doc. 97-34062 Filed 12-30-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F