WORLD TRADE G/LIC/N/3/ROM/1
22October 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-4416)
Original: English Committee onImport Licensing
REPLIES TOQUESTIONNAIRE ONIMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 7.3OFTHE AGREEMENT ON
IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES
ROMANIA
Thefollowing communication, dated 4September 1996, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission ofRomania.
_______________
Outline ofSystem
1. Theimport licensing system isestablished by:
- Government Decision No.215/19921onRomania 'sExport andImport Licensing System
(published intheOfficial Gazette ofRomania: "Monitorul Oficial alRomaniei" No.91/1992);
- Order No.6/19961oftheMinister ofCommerce ontheExport andImport Licensing System
(published intheOfficial Gazette ofRomania: "Monitorul Oficial alRomaniei" No.25/1996).
According totheseregulations, imports intoRomania 'scustoms territory areliberalized. They
arenotsubject toimport licences.
Thelegaldocuments mentioned above foresee thepossibility ofexceptions for:
(a) quantitative restrictions;
(b) goods subject totheimport orexport control system;
(c) goods sentfrom abroad aseconomic governmental aid(including services);
(d) goods subject totariff quotas, established through Romania 'sGovernment Decisions; and
(e) goods subject totheautomatic import orexport licensing system.
Purposes andCoverage ofLicensing
2. Theimport licensing system isbased onthefollowing:
(a) Licences forgoods subject toquantitative restrictions:
Noquantitative restrictions onimports havebeenestablished sofar.
1Available forconsultation inSecretariat (Market Access Division) (English andRomanian only).G/LIC/N/3/ROM/1
Page2
(b) Licences forgoods subject toimport control:
Thefollowing goods aresubject toimport control:
- weapons andammunition authorized bylaw(Government Decision No.547/19922);
- military equipment andotherspecial products authorized bylaw(Government Decision
No.547/1992);
- drugsandnarcoticsauthorizedbylaw(GovernmentDecisionNo.340/19922asamended
byGovernment Decision No.437/19922);
- renewable wastes theimport ofwhich shallbeinconformity withtheprovisions of
Annex No.1ofGovernment Decision No.340/1992, asamended byGovernment
Decision No.437/1992, aswellasgoods dangerous forhuman health andforthe
environment (paragraphs 15,17,21,22and26ofAnnex 2ofGovernment Decision
No.340/19922asamended byGovernment Decision No.437/1992 andGovernment
Decision No.145/19952);and
- goods under control offinaldestination, forreasons related tonon-proliferation of
massdestruction weapons andofcarrying missiles, aswellasofradioactive materials,
nuclearinstallationsandnuclear-relatedproducts(GovernmentDecisionNo.594/1992).
(c) Licences forgoods sentfrom abroad aseconomic governmental aid:
These imports areduty-free andthelicences areissued bytheMinistry ofCommerce.
Thesystem isestablished byGovernment Decision No.470/19922published in"Monitorul
Oficial alRomaniei" No.227/1992. Various goods maybesubject totherespective economic
governmental aidaccording totherespective agreements.
(d) Licences forgoods subject totariff quotas:
Tariff quotas existing under temporary exemptions orreductions ofcustoms duties,
established bytheGovernment ofRomania, according toArticle 35ofGovernment Ordinance
No.26/1993 adopted byLawNo.102/1994, areadministered through import licences issued
bytheMinistry ofCommerce.
(e) Licences forgoods subject totheautomatic import licensing system:
Thissystem isestablished byOrder No.6/1995 oftheMinister ofCommerce, for
statistical purposes.
Alistofproducts subject totheautomatic import licensing system isestablished by
Order No.47/1995 oftheMinister ofCommerce.3
3. Thesystem oflicences provided inparagraph 2(a)-(e) isapplied onanon-discriminatory basis,
irrespective ofthecountry oforigin.
4. There isnointention torestrict thequantity orthevalue ofimports bymeans ofthelicensing
system, orprocedures. Thepurposes ofthesystem are:
2Available forconsultation intheSecretariat (Market Access Division) (Romanian only).
3Seedocument G/LIC/N/2/ROM/1.G/LIC/N/3/ROM/1
Page3
(a) Licences forgoods subject toquantitative restrictions:
Inconformity withtheprovisions ofArticle 5ofGovernment Decision No.215/1992,
theMinistry ofCommerce mayestablish quantitative restrictions onimports under thefollowing
circumstances: when animminent riskofadeficit ofthebalance ofpayments appears orwith
aviewtocreating normal foreign exchange reserves, andwhen certain imports, bytheirquantity
orconditions under which theyareperformed, cause orthreaten tocause aserious injury to
domestic producers oflikeordirectly competitive products.
Noquantitative restrictions onimports havebeenestablished sofar.
(b) Licences forgoods subject toimport control:
Thepurposeistoprotectnationalsecurity,healthandenvironment,aswellastoobserve
thecommitments undertaken byRomania inrespect ofthenon-proliferation ofmassdestruction
weapons andcarrying missiles ofnuclear, biological andchemical interest, according to
international agreements.
(c) Licences forgoods sentfrom abroad aseconomic governmental aid:
Thepurpose istofacilitate theduty-free entrance ofthese goods intotheRomanian
customs territory.
(d) Licences forgoods subject totariff quotas:
Thesystem isused toadminister imports under tariff quotas, where andwhen
established. Theimports exceeding tariff quotas arenotsubject tolicensing procedures.
(e) Licences forgoods subject totheautomatic import licensing system:
Statistical purposes.
5. Theimport licensing system isestablished under Government Decision No.215/1992 andOrder
No.6/1996 oftheMinister ofCommerce.
Products subject tolicensing aredesignated through Government Decisions.
Asthesystem hasbeenputintoforce byGovernment Decisions, itsabolition canbedoneby
legalactsatleastofthesame power orhigher (Laws).
Procedures
6. I. General rulesforproducts under restriction astothequantity orvalue ofimports are
provided inGovernment Decision No.215/1992.
Theestablishment ofquantitative restrictions onimports, thelistsofgoods subject to
suchrestrictions, aswellastheperiod ofapplication ofsuchmeasures shallbepublished
when thedecision toestablish quotas istaken.
II. Asnorestrictive import quotas havebeenestablished sofar,there arenoprovisions
withrespect tothetimebasis forissuing licences.G/LIC/N/3/ROM/1
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III. Forthetimebeing therearenoprovisions relating tothismatter (seereplies 2(a)and3).
IV. Forthetimebeing therearenoprovisions relating tothismatter (seereplies 2(a)and3).
V. Asageneral rule,theMinistry ofCommerce hastoprocess thelicence applications
within aperiod ofamaximum oftendaysfrom thedateoftheirregistration.
VI. Forthetimebeing therearenoprovisions relating tothismatter (seereply 2(a)). Each
licence hasavalidity period during which imports canbemade.
VII. Forthetimebeing there arenoprovisions relating tothismatter.
VIII-XI. Notapplicable.
7. (a) There isnofixed time-limit forsubmitting anapplication inadvance ofimportation.
(b) Alicence cannot begranted immediately uponrequest. Prior review oftheapplication
isrequired.
(c) There arenolimitations astotheperiod oftheyearduring which licence applications
shallbemade.
(d)(i) Licences forgoods subject toquantitative restrictions:
Notapplicable asnoquantitative restrictions onimports havebeenestablished sofar
(seereplies 4(a)and6).
(ii) Licences forgoods subject toimport control:
Forgoods subject tocontrol, theissuing ofimport licences issubject toprior
endorsement byarelevant governmental bodysuchastheMinistry ofRivers, Forests
andEnvironment, theMinistry ofFood andAgriculture, theMinistry ofHealth, or
theGovernment Commission fortheEndorsement ofImportation andExportation of
Special Products, asthecasemaybe.
(iii) Licences forgoods sentfrom abroad aseconomic governmental aid:
Import licences areissued bytheMinistry ofCommerce without anyother prior
endorsement.
(iv) Licences forgoods subject totariff quotas:
Forcertain goods theissuing ofimport licences issubject toprior endorsement by
arelevant governmental bodysuchastheMinistry ofIndustries, theMinistry ofFood
andAgriculture, ortheMinistry ofPublic Works andLand-Use Planning, asthecase
maybe.
(v) Licences forgoods subject totheautomatic import licensing system:
Thelicences issued bytheMinistry ofCommerce forgoods listed intheAnnex to
Order No.47/1995 oftheMinister ofCommerce aretoberegistered inadvance with
theMinistry ofIndustries.G/LIC/N/3/ROM/1
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8. Ingeneral, therearenocircumstances, other thanfailure tomeetordinary criteria, under which
alicence application mayberejected. Reasons forrejection aregiven totheapplicant.
Theapplicants havetheright ofappeal ifanapplication isrejected, asfirstjudicial stepto
theMinistry ofCommerce, andiftheyarenotsatisfied withthedecision, theyhavethepossibility
toactincourt (Tribunal) according totheLawonAdministrative Solicitor 'sJobNo.29/1990.
Eligibility ofImporters toApply forLicence
9. (a) Notapplicable.
(b) Yes.
Alleconomic operators registered withforeign tradeactivities bytheirstatute and/or contract
ofassociation andtheLegal Decision ofEstablishment oftheircompanies, before performing thefirst
foreign tradeoperation havetheobligation toobtain the"SICOMEX CODE", forstatistical purposes.
Theregistration feeislei40,000 (i.e.about US$12), tocover registration purposes.
Periodically theChamber ofCommerce andIndustry ofRomania (22,N.Balcescu Blvd.,
Bucharest; Phone: 004016154701;Fax: 004013123830)publishes theCatalogue ofRomanian
Economic Operators. Anyperson canobtain information about theeconomic operators entitled to
perform foreign trade activities from theRomanian Centre forForeign Trade (17,Apolodor Street,
Bucharest; Phone: 0040 14100607;Fax: 0040 13111491).
Documentational andOther Requirements forApplication forLicence
10. Usualinformationontheimporter,exporter,designationofproduct,value,termsandconditions
ofdelivery, etc.arerequired intheapplication form.
Asample application isavailable forconsultation intheSecretariat.
Forcertain products, additional information and/or documentation mayberequired, asindicated
inthespecific Orders oftheMinister ofCommerce.
11. Upon actual importation, onlytheusual commercial documents arerequired.
12. There isnofeeoradministrative charge fortheissuing oflicences. Onlyapayment oflei3,000
(i.e.about US$1) isrequired asprice ofthelicence application form.
13. There arenodeposit oradvance payment requirements associated withtheissuance ofalicence.
Conditions ofLicensing
14. Asarule,theimport licence isvalid untiltheendofthecalendar yearduring which ithas
beengranted.
Ifquantitative restrictions areestablished, import licences areissued forsuchaperiod oftime
astoavoid blocking uptheutilization ofrespective quotas. Thesame ruleisapplied incases oftariff
quotas.G/LIC/N/3/ROM/1
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Thevalidity ofalicence issued foranyotherreasons canbeextended overtheendofthecalendar
yearwhen theimport licence expires, onlybyOrder oftheMinister ofCommerce, having effect on
thenon-utilized licences issued during theprevious year.
15. There arenomaterial penalties forthenon-utilization ofalicence oraportion ofalicence.
16. Licences arenottransferable between importers.
17. There arenoother conditions attached totheissue ofalicence.
Other Procedural Requirements
18. No.
19. Anyeconomic operator mayparticipate, through thecommercial bankwithwhich itsaccount
isopened, inthedaily currency auctions organized bytheNational Bank ofRomania. Theimport
licence isnotrequired asacondition forobtaining foreign exchange. Ingeneral, foreign exchange
isavailable tocover licences issued. Forobtaining foreign exchange, proof ofthecontract concluded
withaforeign partner hastobeattached tothebidding form.
Notes
1. Forthefollowing operations, specific transaction licences areissued bytheMinistry of
Commerce. These licences donothaveanylinkwithimport licences; theyarespecific transaction
licences issued bytheMinistry ofCommerce.
These transaction licences areprovided byOrder No.6/1996 oftheMinister ofCommerce,
thegeneral rules being provided byGovernment Ordinance No.18/19944andGovernment Decision
No.276/19954,andreferto:
(a) trade operations tobesettled through clearing, barter orcooperation accounts, based on
Governmental agreements concluded between Romania andother countries;
(b) operations forrecovering Romania 'sforeign claims through import ofgoods;
(c) operations carried outonthebasis ofcredits granted orreceived atgovernmental level;
(d) import-export counter-purchase operations concluded atthelevelofeconomic operators; the
import-export counter-purchase operation istheoperation bywhich thegoods and/or the
equivalent ofservices under import contract withaforeign partner arepaidinlocalgoods and/or
services, ofequal value, without actual transfer offoreign currency;
(e) import operations forthecompensation ofcertain exports foreseen intheforeign exchange
cashing declaration tobecashed inforeign currency; and
(f) compensation ofexternal debts oftherégies autonomes, resulting frominternational services.
4Available forconsultation intheSecretariat (Market Access Division) (Romanian only).G/LIC/N/3/ROM/1
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2. Inorder toimplement itscommitments under theWTO Agreement onAgriculture, Romania
introduced theCurrent-Access Certificates fortheimport ofgoods listed inSchedule LXIX -Romania,
Section I-B"Tariff Quotas" (forcertain agricultural products).
ThesecertificatesareissuedbytheGeneralDirectorateforIntegrationandMultilateralRelations
within theMinistry ofCommerce, foreachshipment.
Theallocation principle is"first-come-first-served" andthemaximum share perallocation is
between 1percentand5percentofquota, taking intoaccount theusual commercial shipment for
eachproduct. Thecertificates areissued onanon-discriminatory basis, irrespective ofthecountry
oforigin which isaWTO Member. Theperiod ofvalidity ofaCurrent-Access Certificate istwomonths
from thedateofissuance, butnotexceeding theendofthecalendar year.
Seedocument G/AG/ROM/4.