. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/LIC/N/2/HKG/3 
20 October 2008 
 
 (08-5027) 
Committee on Import Licensing Original:   English 
  
 
AGREEMENT ON IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES 
 
Notification u nder Article 5 
 
 
HONG KONG, CHINA 
 
  The following communication, dated 17 Octobe r 2008, has been received from the delegation 
of Hong Kong, China.  
_______________ 
 
  Pursuant to Article 5 of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures, Hong Kong, China 
hereby notifies that a new licensing control for th e import of non-pesticide hazardous chemicals into 
the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has b een introduced with the following details:  
 
(a) List of products subject to import licensing procedures
 
 
 Non-pesticides hazardous chemicals that have potentially harmful or adverse effects on 
human health or the environment listed under the Hazardous Chemicals Control Ordinance, 
Chapter 595 of the Laws of Hong Kong are subject  to import licensing procedures. At present, 
the control only covers non-pesticide chemi cals regulated by the Stockholm Convention and 
the Rotterdam Convention as follows: 
Type 1 Chemicals  
 
• Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)  
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)  
 Type 2 Chemicals
 
 
• Asbestos (actinolite, anthophyllite, amosite, crocidolite and tremolite) 
• Polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) (hexabromobiphenyl, octabromobiphenyl & 
decabromobiphenyl) 
• Polychlorinated terphenyls (PCT) 
• Tetraethyl lead 
• Tetramethyl lead 
• Tris(2, 3-dibromopropyl) phosphate   
 G/LIC/N/2/HKG/3 
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  (b) Contact point for information on eligibility
 
 
Territorial Control Office, Environmental Prot ection Department, 25/F., Southorn Centre, 130 
Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. 
 
(c) Administrative body for submission of application  
  See Item (b).  (d) Date and name of publication where licensing procedures are published
 
 
Hazardous Chemicals Control Ordinance (Chapt er 595) and the amended Import and Export 
Ordinance (Chapter 60), both gazetted on 20 July 2007 and fully implemented on 1 July 2008. 
 
(e) Indication of whether the licensing procedur e is automatic or non-automatic according to 
definitions contained in Articles 2 and 3  
  The licensing procedure is non-automatic.  (f) In the case of automatic import licensing procedures, their administrative purpose
 
 
 Not applicable.  (g) In the case of non-automatic import licensing procedures, indication of the measure being 
implemented through the licensing procedures  
 
The import licensing procedure aims to establis h a mechanism to regulate, inter alia, the 
import of non-pesticide hazardous chemicals in  accordance with the principles of Stockholm 
Convention and Rotterdam Convention. An ac tivity-based import permit covering the import 
activities for 12 months and a consignment-based import licence for each shipment need to be 
applied. 
 
(h) Expected duration of the licensing procedure if  this can be estimated with some probability, 
and if not, reason why this information cannot be provided  
  The expected duration of the licensing procedure is estimated below: 
 
- Around 15 working days for the activity-b ased import permits issued under the 
Hazardous Chemicals Control Ordinance, subject to the availability of sufficient information. 
 - Around 2 clear working days for the consignment-based import licences issued under 
the Import and Export Ordinance, subject to the availability of suffi cient information.  
 
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