CSMS Message: 00-000114

TO: ALL ABI BROKERS.
FROM: HQ,QUOTA

SUBJECT: TBT-99-060

DATE: 02/11/2000

DATE: 01/05/2000

SPE-2 FO:TP:TA:TT AK

CATEGORY: TEX

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,
INTERESTED PARTIES

SUBJECT: TBT-99-060 - ROMANIA OUTWARD PROCESSING PROGRAM

COUNTRY : ROMANIA

BACKGROUND:

ON OCTOBER 10, 1999, THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES AND
ROMANIA AGREED TO ESTABLISH A NEW EXPORT VISA ARRANGEMENT FOR
CERTAIN TEXTILE PRODUCTS AND FOR PRODUCTS EXPORTED UNDER THE
OUTWARD PROCESSING PROGRAM (SEE RELATED NOTICE CONCERNING
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OUTWARD PROCESSING TBT-99-058), PRODUCED OR
MANUFACTURED IN ROMANIA, ENTERED OR WITHDRAWN FROM WAREHOUSE FOR
CONSUMPTION AND EXPORTED FROM ROMANIA ON OR 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 ROMANIA IS PRESENTED WITH THE
ENTRY. PRODUCTS THAT DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THE OUTWARD PROCESSING
PROGRAM MAY BE ADMITTED, WITH 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,
442, 443, 444, 447 AND 448 WHICH HAS BEEN EITHER ASSEMBLED IN
ROMANIA FROM COMPONENTS CUT IN THE UNITED STATES FROM U.S. FORMED
FABRIC OR CUT AND ASSEMBLED IN ROMANIA FROM U.S. FORMED FABRIC AND
IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE OUTWARD PROCESSING PROGRAM, SHALL BE SO CERTIFIED
BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA 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QUALIFYING GOODS MAY ENTER OR BE WITHDRAWN FROM WAREHOUSE FOR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
USE 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 STANDARDIZATION (ISO)(THE CODE FOR ROMANIA IS
"RO").
THESE TWO CODES SHALL BE FOLLOWED BY THE NUMBER "2" AND A
FIVE-DIGIT SERIAL NUMBER IDENTIFYING THE SHIPMENT, (E.G., 0RO212345).

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 ROMANIA 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 ROMANIA OR A VISA WAIVER ISSUED
BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AT THE REQUEST OF THE ROMANIAN
EMBASSY 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 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.

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 ROMANIA 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.

/S/
ELIZABETH G. DURANT