| Title: | NEW VISA ARRANGEMENT - FIJI |
|---|---|
| Date: | 1999-05-27 |
| To: | abi |
| Links: | previous, next |
TO : ALL ABI BROKERS.
FROM : CARLA ZZ-DONOFRIO
SUBJECT : NEW VISA ARRANGEMENT - FIJI
DATE : 05/27/1999
SPE-2 FO:TC:I:E CDD
CATEGORY: TEX
TO : ALL PORT DIRECTORS, ASSISTANT PORT DIRECTORS FOR
TRADE, DIRECTORS, FIELD OPERATIONS AND STRATEGIC TRADE
CENTER (STC) DIRECTORS
FROM : DIRECTOR, TRADE PROGRAMS
PASS TO : ALL IMPORT SPECIALISTS, NATIONAL IMPORT
SPECIALISTS, ENTRY OFFICERS,INSPECTORS AND
INTERNATIONAL TRADE SPECIALISTS, BROKERS AND OTHER
INTERESTED PARTIES
SUBJECT : TBT-99-021 - ESTABLISHMENT OF AN EXPORT VISA
ARRANGEMENT FOR CERTAIN COTTON AND MAN-MADE FIBER
TEXTILE PRODUCTS PRODUCED OR MANUFACTURED IN FIJI
COUNTRY : FIJI
BACKGROUND:
PURSUANT TO A CITA DIRECTIVE, DATED MAY 11, 1999, EFFECTIVE ON
JUNE 1, 1999, THE REPUBLIC OF THE FIJI ISLANDS WILL START ISSUING
VISAS 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. THERE WILL BE A GRACE PERIOD
FROM JUNE 1, 1999 THROUGH JUNE 30, 1999 DURING WHICH PRODUCTS
EXPORTED FROM FIJI WILL NOT BE DENIED ENTRY FOR LACK OF AN EXPORT
VISA. PRODUCTS EXPORTED ON OR AFTER JULY 1, 1999 MUST BE
ACCOMPANIED BY THE NEW EXPORT VISA STAMP.
ACTION:
EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 1999, PRODUCTS PRODUCED OR MANUFACTURED IN
FIJI AND EXPORTED FROM FIJI ON AND AFTER JUNE 1, 1999 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. 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 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 339O.'' 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 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.
INFORMATION:
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO CONTACT BOB
DORSETT AT (202) 927-7002, JUNE PERGOLA AT (202) 927-0705 OR
CARLA D'ONOFRIO AT (202) 927-0424.
ELIZABETH DURANT