[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 250 (Wednesday, December 31, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68262-68264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-34062]


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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS


Announcement of the Paperless ELVIS (Electronic Visa Information 
System) Requirement for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile 
Products Produced or Manufactured in Singapore

December 23, 1997.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs eliminating 
the paper visa requirement.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Heinzen, International Trade 
Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, (202) 482-4212.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Authority: Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as 
amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as 
amended.


[[Page 68263]]


    On December 17, 1997 the Governments of the United States and 
Singapore signed the Electronic Visa Information System (ELVIS) 
Arrangement. This arrangement provides for electronic transmission of 
visa information to the U.S. Customs Service by the Government of 
Singapore for textile products exported to the United States which 
describes the shipment and includes the visa number assigned to the 
shipment. The transmission certifies the country of origin and 
authorizes the shipment to be charged against any applicable quota.
    Effective on January 1, 1998, for entry into the United States the 
paper visa requirement is eliminated for textile products, produced or 
manufactured in Singapore and exported on or after January 1, 1998. The 
Government of Singapore must issue an ELVIS transmission for each 
shipment of textile products, as defined in the Arrangement, for 
textile products exported on or after January 1, 1998.
    In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the 
Commissioner of Customs to eliminate the paper visa requirement and to 
require the Government of Singapore to issue an ELVIS transmission for 
shipments of certain textile products, produced or manufactured in 
Singapore and exported to the United States on or after January 1, 
1998.
    A description of the textile and apparel categories in terms of HTS 
numbers is available in the CORRELATION: Textile and Apparel Categories 
with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (see Federal 
Register notice 62 FR 66057, published on December 17, 1997). Also see 
47 FR 6683, published on February 16, 1982; 60 FR 56576, published on 
November 9, 1995; 61 FR 65548, published on December 13, 1996; 61 FR 
69082, published on December 31, 1996; and 61 FR 46952, published on 
September 5, 1997.
    Interested persons are advised to take all necessary steps to 
ensure that textile products that are entered into the United States 
for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, will meet 
the visa requirements set forth in the letter published below to the 
Commissioner of Customs.
J. Hayden Boyd,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
December 23, 1997.

Commissioner of Customs,
Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

    Dear Commissioner: This directive amends, but does not cancel, 
the directive issued to you on February 10, 1982, as amended, by the 
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, 
that directed you to prohibit entry of certain cotton, wool and man-
made fiber textile products, produced or manufactured in Singapore 
for which the Government of Singapore has not issued an appropriate 
export visa.
    Effective on January 1, 1998, the paper visa will no longer be 
required for the entry of shipments of textile products, produced or 
manufactured in Singapore and exported to the United States on or 
after January 1, 1998.
    Under the terms of section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, 
as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854), Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, 
as amended, the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing 
(ATC); and pursuant to the Electronic Visa Information System 
(ELVIS) Arrangement dated December 17, 1997 between the Governments 
of the United States and the Republic of Singapore, you are directed 
to prohibit, effective on January 1, 1998, entry into the Customs 
territory of the United States (i.e., the 50 states, the District of 
Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) for consumption and 
withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool and man-
made fiber textile products in Categories 200-239, 300-369, 400-469 
and 600-670, including part categories, produced or manufactured in 
Singapore and exported on or after January 1, 1998 for which the 
Government of Singapore has not transmitted an appropriate ELVIS 
(Electronic Visa Information System) transmission fully described 
below. Should additional categories or part categories become 
subject to import quota the entire category(s) or part category(s) 
shall be included in the coverage of this arrangement.
    An ELVIS message must accompany each commercial shipment of the 
aforementioned textile products.
    A. Each ELVIS message will include the following information:
    i. 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 Singapore is ``SG''), and a six 
digit numerical serial number identifying the shipment; e.g., 
8SG123456.
    ii. The date of issuance. The date of issuance shall be the day, 
month and year on which the visa was issued.
    iii. The correct category(s), part category(s), quantity(s) and 
unit(s) of quantity in the shipment as set forth in the U.S. 
Department of Commerce Correlation and in the Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule of the United States, annotated or successor documents. 
Quantities must be stated in whole numbers. Decimals or fractions 
will not be accepted.
    iv. The manufacturer ID number (MID). The MID shall begin with 
`SG,' followed by the first three characters from each of the first 
two words of the name of the manufacturer, followed by the largest 
number on the address line up to the first four digits, followed by 
three letters from the city name.
    B. Entry of a shipment shall not be permitted:
    i. if an ELVIS transmission has not been received for the 
shipment from Singapore;
    ii. if the ELVIS transmission for that shipment is missing any 
of the following:
    a. visa number
    b. category or part category
    c. quantity
    d. unit of measure
    e. date of issuance
    f. manufacturer ID number
    iii. if the ELVIS transmission for the shipment does not match 
the information supplied by the importer or the Customs broker 
acting as an agent on behalf of the importer with regard to any of 
the following:
    a. visa number
    b. category or part category
    c. unit of measure
    iv. if the quantity being entered is greater than the quantity 
transmitted.
    v. if the visa number has previously been used, except in the 
case of a split shipment, or canceled, except when an entry has 
already been made using the visa number.
    C. A new, correct ELVIS transmission from Singapore is required 
before a shipment that has been denied entry for one of the 
circumstances mentioned in paragraph B.i-v will be released.
    D. Visa waivers will only be considered for paragraph B.i., if 
the shipment qualifies as a one-time special purpose shipment that 
is not part of an ongoing commercial enterprise. A visa waiver may 
be issued by the Department of Commerce at the request of the 
Embassy in Washington for the Government of Singapore. A visa waiver 
only waives the requirement to present a transmission at entry, it 
does not waive any quota requirements.
    E. Shipments will not be released for twenty-four hours or 1 
calendar day in the event of a system failure. If system failure 
exceeds twenty-four hours or 1 calendar day, for the remaining 
period of the system failure the U.S. Customs Service will only 
release shipments that have been authorized by the Government of 
Singapore through the use of the visa waiver procedures.
    F. 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 Singapore has been allowed entry 
into the commerce of the United States with an incorrect ELVIS 
transmission, or no ELVIS transmission, or system failure, and 
redelivery is requested but cannot be made, and after the Government 
of Singapore does not issue a new ELVIS transmission or request a 
visa waiver (if applicable), the shipment will be charged to the 
correct category limit whether a waiver is provided or a new ELVIS 
message is transmitted.
    Other Provisions.
    A. The date of export is the actual date the merchandise finally 
leaves the country of origin. For merchandise exported by carrier, 
this is the day on which the carrier last departs the country of 
origin.

[[Page 68264]]

    B. 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.$250 or less, do not require an ELVIS 
transmission for entry and shall not be charged to agreement levels, 
if applicable.
    The actions taken concerning the Government of Singapore with 
respect to imports of textiles and textile products in the foregoing 
categories have been determined by the Committee for the 
Implementation of Textile Agreements to involve foreign affairs 
functions of the United States. Therefore, these directions to the 
Commissioner of Customs, which are necessary for the implementation 
of such actions, fall within the foreign affairs exception to the 
rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1). This letter will be 
published in the Federal Register.
    Sincerely,
J. Hayden Boyd,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.
[FR Doc. 97-34062 Filed 12-30-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F