. /.    WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  TN/TF/W/138/Rev.2 
10 March 2008 
 (08-1025) 
Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation Original:   English 
 
 
 
COMMUNICATION FROM KOREA, SINGAPORE AND THAILAND 
 
Revision  
 
 
 The following communication, dated 7 March 2008, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegations of Korea, Singapore and Thailand. 
 
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PROPOSAL ON SINGLE WINDOW 
 
 
1. In a joint communication (TN/TF/W/100), Chile, the European Communities, Japan, Korea, 
Mongolia, and Singapore submitted a proposal on "introduction of single window/one-time 
submission", which comprised the summary of co mmon elements of the prior proposals and the 
elements that needed further discussions. 
2. The following draft text is submitted by Korea, Singapore, Thailand, for consideration by the 
Negotiating Group, without prejudice to further disc ussions and submissions regarding this or any 
other proposals.  
Textual proposal  
  
• Members shall maintain or establish the "single window1", where documentation and/or data 
requirements for exportation, importation and tr ansit are submitted one time only.  The single 
window shall undertake onward distribution of th e aforementioned documentation and/or data 
requirements to all the relevant authorities or agencies which require them. The authorities or 
agencies that receive the documentation and/or  data requirements through the single window 
shall notify the results of their examinations to  the applicants through the single window in a 
timely manner. 
 
• In cases where documentation and/or data requirements have already been received by the 
single window, the same documentation and/or da ta requirements shall not be requested by 
other authorities or agencies except in urgent circumstances and other limited exceptions 
which are made public. 
 
• Members shall notify other Members through the WTO Secretariat of the details of operation 
of the single window, which may include the participating authorities and agencies, the 
                                                      
1 A single window is defined as a facility that allows  parties involved in trade and transport to lodge 
standardized documentation and /or data with a single entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit-related 
regulatory requirements (UN/CEFACT Recommendation No.33). TN/TF/W/138/Rev.2 
Page 2 
 
 
  functions of the single window, the contact point for the single window as well as the 
procedure of its usage.2 
 
• Members are encouraged to use, to the extent possible, information technology to support the 
single window. 
 
• Members shall, where practicable, use relevant international standards and practices such as 
UN/CEFACT Recommendation No. 33 as a basis for the single window schemes. 
 
• With regard to the scope of participating au thorities or agencies and documentation and/or 
data requirements, Members are allowed to implement the single window in a progressive 
manner taking into account each Member’s implementation capacity.  
 
Special and Differential Treatment, Tec hnical Assistance and Capacity Building  
 
• With regard to the proposal on S&D and TA&CB,  horizontal provisions need to be set out; 
such provisions will include temporary exem ptions, extended implem entation period and 
technical assistance and capacity building for de veloping and the least developed countries in 
accordance with the provisions on special and different treatment. 
 
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2 Note to the reader:  This article may be dropped from the proposed text should it be adequately 
covered by the Article on publication and availability of information.