CSMS Message: 00-000100

TO: ALL ABI BROKERS.
FROM: HQ, QUOTA

SUBJECT: TEX - OPP MACEDONIA

DATE: 02/09/2000
DATE: 01/01/2000

TO: ALL DIRECTORS, FIELD OPERATIONS, PORT DIRECTORS,
ASSISTANT PORT DIRECTORS, TRADE PROGRAMS AND
STRATEGIC TRADE CENTER (STC) DIRECTORS

FROM: DIRECTOR, TRADE PROGRAMS

PASS TO: IMPORT SPECIALISTS, NATIONAL IMPORT SPECIALISTS,
ENTRY OFFICERS, INSPECTORS, INTERNATIONAL TRADE
SPECIALISTS, AND INTERESTED PARTIES

SUBJECT: TBT-99-059 - MACEDONIA OUTWARD PROCESSING PROGRAM

COUNTRY: FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

BACKGROUND:

ON SEPTEMBER 17, 1999, THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES
AND THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA (MACEDONIA) AGREED
TO AMEND THE EXPORT VISA ARRANGEMENT FOR CERTAIN WOOL TEXTILE
PRODUCTS IN CATEGORIES 433, 434, 435, 443 AND 448 (SEE RELATED NOTICE
CONCERNING IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OUTWARD PROCESSING PROGRAM
TBT-99-058), PRODUCED OR MANUFACTURED IN MACEDONIA, ENTERED
OR WITHDRAWN FROM WAREHOUSE FOR CONSUMPTION AND EXPORTED FROM
MACEDONIA ON AND AFTER JANUARY 1, 2000.

UNDER THE NEW OUTWARD PROCESSING PROGRAM, QUALIFIED TEXTILE
PRODUCTS ARE EXEMPT FROM QUOTA CONSTRAINTS WHEN AN APPROPRIATE
CERTIFICATION FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF MACEDONIA IS PRESENTED WITH
THE ENTRY. PRODUCTS THAT DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THE OUTWARD PROCESSING
PROGRAM MAY BE ADMITTED, WTIH VISA, UNDER THE CURRENT PROGRAM. ALL
PRODUCTS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN APPROPRIATE EXPORT
VISA (CURRENT PROCEDURE) OR CERTIFICATION (OUTWARD PROCESSING
PROGRAM).

ACTION:

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR OUTWARD PROCESSING PROGRAM

EACH SHIPMENT OF WOOL APPAREL PRODUCTS IN CATEGORIES 433,
434, 435, 443 AND 448 WHICH HAS BEEN EITHER ASSEMBLED IN
MACEDONIA FROM COMPONENTS CUT IN THE UNITED STATES FROM
U.S. FORMED FABRIC OR CUT AND ASSEMBLED IN MACEDONIA FROM
U.S. FORMED FABRIC AND IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE OUTWARD PROCESSING
PROGRAM, WILL BE CERTIFIED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF MACEDONIA IN ORDER
TO QUALIFY UNDER THIS PROGRAM. THIS CERTIFICATION SHALL BE PRESENTED
TO THE U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE BEFORE QUALIFYING GOODS MAY ENTER OR BE
WITHDRAWN FROM WAREHOUSE FOR CONSUMPTION, INTO THE CUSTOMS
TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES.

A CERTIFICATION MUST ACCOMPANY EACH COMMERCIAL SHIPMENT OF
QUALIFYING GOODS. A SQUARE STAMPED MARKING IN BLUE INK WILL
APPEAR ON THE FRONT OF THE ORIGINAL COMMERCIAL INVOICE. THE
ORIGINAL CERTIFICATION SHALL NOT BE STAMPED ON DUPLICATE COPIES
OF THE INVOICE. THE ORIGINAL INVOICE WITH THE ORIGINAL
CERTIFICATION STAMP WILL BE REQUIRED TO ENTER THE SHIPMENT INTO
THE UNITED STATES AS QUALIFYING GOODS. DUPLICATES OF THE INVOICE
AND/OR CERTIFICATION MAY NOT BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.

EACH CERTIFICATION SHALL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING
INFORMATION:

1. THE CERTIFICATION NUMBER. THE CERTIFICATION 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 STANDARIZATION
(ISO) (THE CODE FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
IS "MK"). THESE TWO CODES SHALL BE FOLLOWED BY THE NUMBER "2"
AND A FIVE-DIGIT SERIAL NUMBER IDENTIFYING THE SHIPMENT,
(E.G., 0MK212345).

2. THE DATE OF ISSUANCE. THE DATE OF ISSUANCE SHALL BE THE DAY,
MONTH AND YEAR ON WHICH THE CERTIFICATION WAS ISSUED.

3. THE ORIGINAL SIGNATURE OF THE ISSUING OFFICIAL.

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 THE HARMONIZED TARIFF SCHEDULE OF THE
UNITED STATES ANNOTATED (HTSUSA), AS AMENDED.

U.S. CUSTOMS SHALL NOT PERMIT ENTRY UNDER THIS PROGRAM WITHOUT
A VALID CERTIFICATION. THIS INCLUDES CERTIFICATION NUMBER, DATE
OF ISSUANCE, SIGNATURE, CATEGORY, QUANTITY AND UNITS OF MEASURE.
IF REQUIRED DATA ARE MISSING, INCORRECT OR ILLEGIBLE, OR HAVE BEEN
CROSSED OUT OR ALTERED IN ANY WAY, THE CERTIFICATION IS NOT
ACCEPTABLE. IF THE QUANTITY INDICATED ON THE CERTIFICATION
IS LESS THAN THAT OF THE SHIPMENT, ENTRY SHALL NOT BE PERMITTED.
IF THE QUANTITY INDICATED ON THE CERTIFICATION IS MORE THAN
THAT OF THE SHIPMENT, ENTRY SHALL BE PERMITTED. THE CATEGORIES
AND QUANTITIES SHALL BE THOSE DETERMINED BY THE U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE.

IF THE CERTIFICATION IS NOT ACCEPTABLE, THEN A NEW CERTIFICATION
MUST BE OBTAINED AND PRESENTED TO THE U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE BEFORE ANY
PORTION OF THE SHIPMENT WILL BE RELEASED.

ANY SHIPMENT WHICH IS NOT ACCOMPANIED BY A VALID AND CORRECT
CERTIFICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOREGOING PROVISIONS
SHALL BE DENIED ENTRY BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES
UNDER THIS PROGRAM UNLESS THE GOVERNMENT OF MACEDONIA AUTHORIZES,
BY THE ISSUANCE OF A VISA, THE ENTRY AND ANY CHANGES TO THE
APPROPRIATE AGREEMENT LEVELS. IF U.S. CUSTOMS DETERMINES THAT THE
CERTIFICATION IS INVALID BECAUSE OF AN ERROR, AND THE REMAINING
DOCUMENTATION FULFILLS REQUIREMENT FOR ENTRY UNDER THE OUTWARD
PROCESSING PROGRAM, THEN A NEW CERTIFICATION FROM THE GOVERNMENT
OF MACEDONIA OR A VISA WAIVER ISSUED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
COMMERCE AT THE REQUEST OF THE EMBASSY OF MACEDONIA IN WASHINGTON,

DC MUST BE OBTAINED AND PRESENTED TO THE U.S. CUSTOMS
SERVICE BEFORE ANY PORTION OF THE SHIPMENT WILL BE RELEASED.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

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.

MERCHANDISE IMPORTED FOR THE PERSONAL USE OF THE IMPORTER AND
NOT FOR RESALE, REGARDLESS OF VALUE, AND PROPERLYMARKED
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.

THE VISA STAMP, FOR PRODUCTS THAT DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THE
OUTWARD PROCESSING PROGRAM, HAS NOT BEEN CHANGED.

DATA COMPILATION:

THE TEXTILE CLEARING HOUSE, OFFICE OF STRATEGIC TRADE,
WILL PREPARE A COMPILATION OF ALL ENTRIES OF GOODS FROM
MACEDONIA ENTERED UNDER THIS PROGRAM. A SPREADSHEET WILL
BE SUBMITTED TO TRADE PROGRAMS, OFFICE OF FIELD OPERATIONS,
ON A WEEKLY BASIS.

INFORMATION:

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS MATTER, PLEASE
CONTACT BOB DORSETT, (202) 927-7002, OR ALLEN KENT (202)
927-0057 IN TRADE PROGRAMS.

ELIZABETH G. DURANT
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