[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 95 (Tuesday, May 18, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26945-26946]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-12509]



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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS


Establishment of an Export Visa Arrangement for Certain Cotton 
and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Fiji

May 11, 1999.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

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

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EFFECTIVE DATE: June 1, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ross Arnold, 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.

    Pursuant to exchange of notes dated March 3, 1999 and April 26, 
1999, the Governments of the United States and the Republic of the Fiji 
Islands agreed to establish an Export Visa Arrangement for cotton and 
man-made fiber textile products subject to import control. That is, 
products in merged-Categories 338/339/638/639 will be visaed as either 
part-Categories 338-S/339-S/638-S/639-S or part-Categories 338-O/339-O/
638-O/639-O, produced or manufactured in Fiji and exported from Fiji on 
and after June 1, 1999. Products exported during the period June 1, 
1999 through June 30, 1999 shall not be denied entry for lack of a 
visa. All products exported on and after July 1, 1999 must be 
accompanied by an appropriate export visa.
    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 63 FR 71096, published on December 23, 1998).
    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for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, will meet 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.
Troy H. Cribb,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
May 11, 1999.

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

    Dear Commissioner: Pursuant to section 204 of the Agricultural 
Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854) and Executive Order 11651 of 
March 3, 1972, as amended; the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles 
and Clothing (ATC) and the Export Visa Arrangement, effected by 
exchange of notes dated March 3, 1999 and April 26, 1999 between the 
Governments of the United States and the Republic of the Fiji 
Islands, you are directed to prohibit, effective on June 1, 1999, 
entry into the United States for consumption and withdrawal from 
warehouse for consumption of cotton and man-made fiber textile 
products in part-Categories 338-S/339-S/638-S/639-S and part-
Categories 338-O/339-O/638-O/639-O, produced or manufactured in Fiji 
and exported from Fiji on and after June 1, 1999 for which the 
Government of the Republic of the Fiji Islands has not issued an 
appropriate export visa fully described below. Should whole 
categories, merged categories or part categories become subject to 
import quota, the whole, merged or part category(s) automatically 
shall be included in the coverage of this arrangement. Merchandise 
in the whole, merged or part category(s) exported on or after the 
date the whole, merged or part category(s) is added to the agreement 
or becomes subject to import quotas shall require a visa. Products 
exported during the period June 1, 1999 through June 30, 1999 shall 
not be denied entry for lack of an export visa. All products 
exported on and after July 1, 1999 must be accompanied by an 
appropriate 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 or 
successor document. The original visa shall not be stamped on 
duplicate copies of the invoice. The original invoice with the 
original visa stamp will be required for the shipment to enter 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 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 the Fiji is ``FJ''), and a six 
digit numerical serial number identifying the shipment; e.g., 
9FJ123456.
    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 authorized by 
the Fiji Islands Customs Service for the Government of the Republic 
of the Fiji Islands.
    4. The correct category(s), merged category(s), part 
category(s), quantity(s) and unit(s) of quantity of the shipment as 
set forth in the U.S. Department of Commerce Correlation and in the 
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States shall be reported in 
the spaces provided within the visa stamp (e.g., ``Cat. 338-S/339-S/
638-S/639-S--510 DOZ'').
    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. For 
example, quota Category 338-O/339-O/638-O/639-O may be visaed as 
Category 338-O/339-O/638-O/639-O or if the shipment consists solely 
of Category 338-O merchandise, the shipment may be visaed as 
``Category 338-O'' but not as ``Category 339-O.'' If, however, a 
merged quota category such as Category 338/339/638/639 has a quota 
sublimit on Category 338-S/339-S/638-S/639-S, then there must be a 
``Category 338-S/339-S/638-S/639-S'' visa for the shipment if it 
includes Category 338-S/339-S/638-S/639-S 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 textile visa 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 
country office in Washington, DC, for the Government of the Republic 
of the Fiji Islands. 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.
    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 Fiji has been allowed entry into the 
commerce of the 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

[[Page 26946]]

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 commercial 
sample shipments valued at U.S. $800 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 Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has 
determined that these 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,
Troy H. Cribb,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN18MY99.029

Export Visa Stamp for the Republic of Fiji

[FR Doc. 99-12509 Filed 5-17-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-C