CSMS Message: 98-000365

TO : ALL ABI BROKERS.
FROM : CARLA ZZ-DONOFRIO

SUBJECT : NEW VISA ARRANGEMENT-MACEDONIA

DATE : 04/28/98

APRIL 17, 1998

SPE-2-FO:TC:I:E CDD

CATEGORY: TEX

TO : ALL PORT DIRECTORS, CUSTOMS MANAGEMENT CENTER (CMC)
DIRECTORS AND STRATEGIC TRADE CENTER (STC) DIRECTORS

FROM : DIRECTOR, TRADE COMPLIANCE

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

SUBJECT: TBT-98-031 ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW EXPORT VISA
ARRANGEMENT FOR CERTAIN COTTON, WOOL, MAN-MADE FIBER,
SILK BLEND AND OTHER VEGETABLE FIBER TEXTILES AND
TEXTILE PRODUCTS PRODUCED OR MANUFACTURED IN THE FORMER
YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

COUNTRY: MACEDONIA

BACKGROUND:

A CITA DIRECTIVE DATED APRIL 2, 1997 ESTABLISHED A VISA
REQUIREMENT FOR CERTAIN COTTON, WOOL, MAN-MADE FIBER, SILK BLEND
AND OTHER VEGETABLE FIBER TEXTILES AND TEXTILE PRODUCTS, PRODUCED
OR MANUFACTURED IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA AND
EXPORTED FROM THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA ON AND
AFTER MAY 1, 1998. PRODUCTS EXPORTED DURING THE PERIOD MAY 1,
1998 THROUGH MAY 31, 1998 SHALL NOT BE DENIED ENTRY FOR LACK OF A
VISA. ALL PRODUCTS EXPORTED AFTER MAY 31, 1998 MUST BE
ACCOMPANIED BY AN APPROPRIATE EXPORT VISA.

ACTION:

EFFECTIVE ON MAY 1, 1998, ENTRY WILL BE PROHIBITED 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, MAN-MADE FIBER, SILK BLEND AND OTHER VEGETABLE
FIBER TEXTILES AND TEXTILE PRODUCTS IN CATEGORIES 200-239, 300-
369, 400-469, 600-670 AND 800-899, PRODUCED OR MANUFACTURED IN
THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA AND EXPORTED ON AND
AFTER MAY 1, 1998 FOR WHICH THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAV
REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA HAS NOT ISSUED AN APPROPRIATE EXPORT VISA
FULLY DESCRIBED BELOW. SHOULD MERGED CATEGORIES OR PART
CATEGORIES BECOME SUBJECT TO IMPORT QUOTA, THE MERGED OR PART
CATEGORY(S) AUTOMATICALLY SHALL BE INCLUDED IN THE COVERAGE OF
THIS ARRANGEMENT. MERCHANDISE IN THE MERGED OR PART CATEGORY(S)
EXPORTED ON OR AFTER THE DATE THE 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 MAY 1, 1998
THROUGH MAY 31, 1998 SHALL NOT BE DENIED ENTRY FOR LACK OF AN
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 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 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 FORMER YUGOSLAV
REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA IS MK), AND A SIX DIGIT NUMERICAL SERIAL
NUMBER IDENTIFYING THE SHIPMENT; E.G., 8MK123456.

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 AND THE PRINTED
NAME OF THE ISSUING OFFICIAL OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FORMER
YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA.

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, 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. MERGED CATEGORY QUOTA MER-
CHANDISE MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY EITHER THE APPROPRIATE MERGED
CATEGORY VISA OR THE CORRECT CATEGORY VISA CORRESPONDING TO THE
ACTUAL SHIPMENT (E.G., CATEGORIES 347-348 MAY BE VISAED AS 347-
348 OR IF THE SHIPMENT CONSISTS SOLELY OF 347 MERCHANDISE, THE
SHIPMENT MAY BE VISAED AS CAT. 347, BUT NOT AS CAT. 348). IF,
HOWEVER, A MERGED QUOTA CATEGORY SUCH AS 340-640 HAS A QUOTA
SUBLIMIT ON CATEGORY 340, THEN THERE MUST BE A CATEGORY 340
VISA FOR THE SHIPMENT IF IT INCLUDES CATEGORY 340 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,
PRINTED NAME OF THE SIGNER, 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
EMBASSY OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA IN
WASHINGTON, DC, FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAV
REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA. THE WAIVER, IF USED, ONLY WAIVES THE
REQUIREMENT TO PRESENT A VISA WITH THE SHIPMENT. IT DOES NOT
WAIVE THE QUOTA REQUIREMENT.

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 THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF
MACEDONIA 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 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.$250 OR LESS DO NOT REQUIRE AN
EXPORT VISA FOR ENTRY AND SHALL NOT BE CHARGED TO EXISTING QUOTA
LEVELS.

INFORMATION:

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS TELEX, PLEASE DON'T
HESITATE TO CONTACT CARLA D'ONOFRIO AT (202) 927-0424, JUNE
PERGOLA AT (202) 927-0705 OR BOB DORSETT (202) 927-7002.

PHILIP METZGER