WORLD TRADE G/LIC/N/3/FJI/1
16April 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-1644)
Original: English Committee onImport Licensing
REPLIES TOQUESTIONNAIRE ONIMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES
Notification under Article 7.3ofthe
Agreement onImport Licensing Procedures
FIJI
Thefollowing notification, dated 1April 1997, hasbeenreceived fromthedelegation ofFiji.
_______________
I. CHICKEN PRODUCTS
Outline ofSystem
1. Individuals ofindigenous Fijian, Rotuman andpartEuropean descent write totheMinistry
ofCommerce, Industry, Trade andPublic Enterprises (MCIT andPE)foranimport licence. This
Ministry assists applicants applying tomainland USA fortheimporting ofchicken products.
Purpose andCoverage ofLicensing
2. Toencourage indigenous Fijians inbusiness.
3. Thelicensing system applies onlytoproducts frommainland USAwhich havebeenapproved
bytheUSDA.
4. Only 1,600 tonnes havebeendecided byCabinet should beimported peryear. Thiswould
giveabout 100tonnes perprovince.
No.
Thisimport licensing system onlyapplies tochicken products. There isnoimportation of
turkey products eventhough interest indiversifying hasbeenexpressed.
5. Animals Importation Act(Chapter 159)[Amended] Legal Notice No.41-Animals Importation
(Amendment) Regulation, 1996 (Section II);andtheCustoms Ordinances (Cap. 170).
Yes.
Yes.
MCIT andPEcandelay thesystem ifanurgent needarises.G/LIC/N/3/FJI/1
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Procedures
6. I. Information ispublished intheFijiTimes andthe"NaiLalakal" -thesearetheEnglish
andFijian newspapers.
Overall amount ispublished onrequest.
Notapplicable.
Themaximum amount allocated isapproximately 100tonnes perapplicant.
Noexceptions aremade.
II. Yearly.
No.
No.
III. Import licences areonlyforchicken products.
Copy ofapproved application ismade available toCustoms andtheQuarantine Department
ofAgriculture; theoriginal isgiven totheapplicant andacopyiskeptbyMCIT andPE.
Unused allocations arenotadded toquotas forasucceeding period.
Names ofimporters towhom licences havebeenallocated aremade known onlytoCustoms
andAgriculture.
Confidentiality ofbusiness endeavours.
IV. From thebeginning oftheyear-early January.
V. Oneday.
VI. Depends ontheapplicant 'sefficiency inobtaining theapproved licence fromMCIT andPE,
andthenapplying tomainland USA forimports ofchicken products.
VII. OnlyMCIT andPEistheadministrative bodywhich administers import licensing forchicken
products.
No.
Required tobecitedforformality purposes.
VIII. Firstcome, firstserved.
Maximum amount -100tonnes/province; however forallocations bythethirdquota ofthe
year, ifitisnotusedthenitisgiven toanyother interested applicant.
Same allocation ismade fornewapplicants.G/LIC/N/3/FJI/1
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Yes.
IX. Only inthecaseofre-exports.
Yes.
X. ThisisacaseoftheCustoms Department ofbothcountries working together onthismatter.
XI. Forchicken products thathaveexceeded theannual quota, these products cannot besoldbut
areheldatthewharf fortransit.
7.(a) Applications must bemade prior toimportation.
(b) Yes.
(c) Yes-ifquotas areavailable.
Beginning oftheyear.
Yes-MCIT andPE.
No,justacopyfortherecords.
8. Anapplication foralicence mayberefused: ifthere isnoevidence ofavailability offunds
tofinance -unable toraisecapital.
Thereasons foranyrefusal aregiven totheapplicant.
Applicants can,provided theygetfinancing.
Eligibility ofImporters toApply foraLicence
9. Individuals thatbelong totheFijian, Rotuman andGeneral Voters ethnic constituency canapply
forimport licences forchicken products.
Notapplicable.
Fijians/Rotumans/General Voters.
There isnoregistration fee.
There isapublished listofauthorized importers.
Documentational andOther Requirements forApplication forLicence
10. Applications aremade bytheindividual letters written totheMCIT andPEbyindividual
applicants. Other procedures/requirements forobtaining animport licence weresetbyMCIT andPE:
- provision of"Vola niKawa Bula" (registration ofmembership intoindigenous Fijian family
units) forindigenous applicants todetermine allocation ofquotas;
- other identification forother races (birth certificates, passports, etc.);G/LIC/N/3/FJI/1
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- redistribution ofquota atthecut-off dateetc.
11. Bank guarantee/local market distribution.
Import licences/Customs clearance.
12. No.
ForCustoms, application forimport stillistobemade toComptroller ofCustoms byletter,
withtechnical details forthestill. Afeeof$F11 ischargeable foreachlicence. Import ofstillis
subject toimport licence atItem5toSchedule 5oftheCustoms (Prohibited Import/Export) Regulations
1986. Astandard feeof$F5perentry ischargeable onallimport orexport entries.
13. No.
Notapplicable.
Conditions ofLicensing
14. Oneyearuntil31December ofthatyear.
No,applicants havetoreapply.
15. No.
16. No.
17. Chicken imports aresubject tothorough inspection bytheQuarantine Department.
Other Procedural Requirements
18. No,butforCustoms, application byletter istobemade totheComptroller ofCustoms.
19. Bank credit isgiven bythebanks.
Yes.
II. OILLUBRICANTS
Outline ofSystem
1. Government licensing control wasintroduced in1987, andadministered bytheMCIT andPE.
Thepower tobring goods under licence control restswiththeMinister ofFinance.
Purpose andCoverage ofLicensing
2. Toprotect alocalcompany which wasapproved tooperate alubricating oilrefining operation.
Thiscompany didnotestablish itsoperation andthereason whyitisstillunder licensing control is
because ofanexisting dispute between theGovernment andthecompany.G/LIC/N/3/FJI/1
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3. Nodiscrimination oncountry oforigin.
4. No.Licences areissued toanyone whowants toimport lubricating oil,andforthequantity
requested.
No.
Theremoval oflicence control isawaiting theCourt decision.
5. Government ofFijiGazette orLegal Notice.
Yes.
No.
Yes,subject tothelegalproceeding oftheCourt decision. Removal oflicence control will
beeffected through alegalnotice approved byCabinet.
Procedures
6. I. Information ispublished inLegal Notice -Government ofFijiGazette.
Notapplicable.
Notrestricted.
Amount applied for.
Reapply toMCIT andPE.
II. Noquotas. Licences areautomatically granted, irrespective ofthevolume orsource.
III. Lubricating oil-anykindoflubricating oil.
AcopyissenttoCustoms asaform ofCustoms Control.
Quotas -notapplicable.
No,because itisnotrestricted toanyparticular source.
IV. Asandwhen applications arereceived, licences aregranted.
V. Oneday.
VI. Licences areeffective from thedateofissue.
VII. Yes-MCIT andPE.
No.
No.G/LIC/N/3/FJI/1
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VIII. Firstcome, firstserved.
IX. No.
Yes.
X. Notavailable.
XI. No.
7.(a)Yes,generally twoweeks before goods arrive.
(b) Yes,importerscanapplyforlicencesaftergoodshavearrived.However,thisisnotencouraged.
(c) No.
(d) Yes-MCIT andPE.
(e) No.
8. Certain circumstances -forexample, thebusiness mustberegistered locally andlegitimate.
Thereasons forrefusal arenotgiven totheapplicant.
They canreapply toMCIT andPE.Current procedures allow themtoreapply totheMinistry.
Eligibility ofImporters toApply foraLicence
9. Individual persons cannot apply.
Notapplicable.
Yes.
No-butfirms register withtheRegistrar ofCompanies.
Norestriction.
Nolicence fee.
There isnopublished listofauthorized importers.
Documentational andOther Requirements forApplication forLicence
10. Particulars ofapplicant -name ofcompany, amount, value andcountry ofimportation.
None -justasimple letter.
Import licence, Customs clearance -BillofSale.
12. Notforimport licence butforCustoms, application forimport ofstillistobemade to
Comptroller ofCustoms byletter, withtechnical details forthestill. Afeeof$F11 ischargeable forG/LIC/N/3/FJI/1
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eachlicence. Import ofstillissubject toimport licence atItem5toSchedule 5oftheCustoms
(Prohibited Import/Export) Regulations 1986. Astandard feeof$F5perentry ischargeable onall
import orexport entries.
13. No.
Notapplicable.
Conditions ofLicensing
14. Three months.
Yes-byreapplying toMCIT andPE.
15. No.
16. No.
17. Notapplicable.
No.
Other Procedural Requirements
18. Asstated inReply 12,forCustoms, application forimport istobemade totheComptroller
ofCustoms byletter, withtechnical details forthestill.
19. Yes.
No.
Depends onwhether thecompany hasfunds.
Commercial banks havecertain forms thatneedtobefilled inandproof offunds needs to
beprovided.